I’m always floored by some of the budgets for a wedding dress on Say Yes to the Dress. Cost does not always equate to fit, value, or taste. If she can stick to a budget and come up with two lovely choices, that is a good sign . And bodes well for their marriage.
CBB, sendin ya the mojo…glad you’re unhurt, but accidents are always a jolt to the system to be nice to yourself regardless.
Come to think of it, this might be true of birthdays as well, Oregon 
Missy, never be sad when a youngun’ makes a practical choice When I finally got around to marrying McH (only 10 years ago) I’d decided I wanted to put the money in the filet mignon, and subsidizing the guests, not the dress! I went bargain shopping by myself at a bridal rack place to avoid the influence of “wedding affluence” of my gf’s and picked up this strapless champagne wonder for $250 within the first hour – I kid you not (most of my shoes cost more than I spent on that dress! My reasoning, however, is that you wear a good shoe forever, and you never wear a wedding dress twice.)
The wedding itself was at a lovely resort, with truly fab food, wine, atmosphere, and all manner of shenanigans. So the guests were probably really well-plied, but the way they gushed over my dress was hilarious!
A gf whose what you might call a wealthy shopping maven was almost in tears when I told her wat I paid…because she’d just spent $8,500 on her daughter’s designer dress that was eerily but exquisitely similar
I’ve never had a single regret over that dress, or instead putting the money on the table, so to speak We had many guests who said it was one of the best weekends of their lives (as it was ours too). That part was priceless!
So…don’t sweat the dress!
Glad you are OK, CBB.
Happy (1 day late) Birthday, oregon.
We leave for the midwest today.
Happy Birthday Oregon!
As a “plus size” person sadly I did pay a lot for my dress but I don’t regret it. If I had been smaller than maybe it would have been different – but I wasn’t and I did love my cathedral trained dress. 
Last day before vacation today. I can’t wait. H, kids, and grandson, and myself are all headed over to Cape Cod for the week. Have a nice rental over there that we have stayed in before. Been a while though since I’ve been there with a baby!
Have fun on your travels, FallGirl and RM!
Thanks sevmom.
D’s wedding dress was not terribly expensive, but I was a little annoyed that alterations are over $400.00. Would not have an issue if there was a lot to be altered, but it is basically just being hemmed! Ugh. Hopefully your future DIL does not need much in the way of alterations.
Wow sound expensive for just a hem!
Thank you everyone for your common sense responses. I know the folks here at work are more of the “pay a fortune to impress people” variety.
It will be a lovely wedding I’m sure. Have they set a date? Not sure if you indicated that or not. I probably missed it. It’s the way things have been going lately.
May 21st. I would not have chosen a date so soon after Son’s finals, but I doubt that he will be stressing out about wedding issues.
cbb, glad you are okay, but know how disconcerting that all can be.
I think the minute you put “wedding” before anything – flowers, dress, dinner – the prices double. Or more.
No way would I have been considered a hippie in college, but H definitely. He once said that when he met me he thought, “That’s the last girl I’d ever marry.” And he was right …
So, D2 played on her lab’s softball team this summer: she’s never played softball in her life or any team sport for that matter (nor did she know anything about the strategy – “why throw the ball to first?” – or positions – “what’s a shortstop?”). Still, her team just won the championship, and she was super jazzed as she scored runs in the semi and final, and played catcher and made some crucial outs. Who knew?
Thanks for the B day wishes!
I paid $55 for my wedding dress. I did not get married in a field of sunflowers but it would have been perfect for such a setting.
While I was being a “hippie” I was also in grad school and then working a grown up job. I think alternative lifestyle would fit best.
RM, enjoy your vacation!
FallGirl too.
Z, cool about your D
mp, the wedding dress will be perfect because the bride sounds like a gem.
I keep seeing white haired dowdy woman and wondering if we are the same age.
ShawD has been internet shopping (without buying) for dresses that could be wedding dresses for several years (no spouse in sight). She found some that look really nice and are quite inexpensive.
This week, at her job, ShawD’s title is interim director of medical services because the head nurse is on vacation.
I remember a few years ago glancing at the stack of photo Christmas cards and wondering why I had pictures of my mother’s friends. No, of course they were pictures of MY aging friends.
I always think that your 60s is when lifestyle and genetics catch up with (or reward) you. Some 65 year olds could pass for 50 and others could pass for 80. My first husband’s stepfather was and old old man. Thin, frail, myriad wrinkles. When he passed away a couple of years into our marriage, I discovered that he was 65. On the other hand, yesterday I was talking to a woman at church that I thought was about my age (57). She mentioned being 65.
So Oregon, those white haired dowdy women may well be your age, but that doesn’t mean that people see YOU that way.
Way cool!
Son’s wedding is going to be so weird, I mean “different” from what we’re used to. I know that in churches that have long wedding services (e.g. Roman Catholic), there is a time when the wedding party is seated. I think we are going to have to incorporate that into Son’s wedding. The parents had talked about needing a chair near Fiance in case she got light headed. At first I thought they were kidding but they aren’t. I guess it’s connected to her neurological issues…at their own church, she often sits down amid some of the standing parts lest she faint. So perhaps it would be best to have everyone sit for the homily instead of all of us being on edge that she’ll pass out.
Oregon, I was traveling for work on Monday and had to catch a shuttle bus that took all the passengers from the gate to the airplane. I happened to be one of the first on board the shuttle and took one of the maybe 12 seats available. Then I noticed an ‘older’ woman standing and wondered if I should offer my seat to her. Then it dawned on me that I was probably the same age or older so I stayed put, especially after I realized I was the oldest person sitting down.
Yeah, someone has given up a seat for me on the El in Chicago.
ShawWife actually fainted at our wedding – but after she said, I do – because she has low blood pressure and had to stand in heels for quite a while. For years after, the little female cousins who attended the wedding thought the bride was supposed to faint as part of the ceremony.
mp, cq, thanks for cheering me up. I think that it is MY seeing myself that way that is bringing me down.
Also, I began telling my clients that I will be officially retiring in a year. While I am currently seeing just a handful and have not taken new for awhile already I still found myself depressed about retirment. I do not want to adapt to some of the changes in the field so I know it is the right decision. But now must begin to find something meaningful.
shaw, cute about the cousins.
Today when I went through security at the airport, they asked (before I walked through the scanner) if I had any metal hips or knees. Never been asked that before. So maybe I looked old? I told them “not yet!”