Mother of the Bride

This year will see me becoming the mother of a bride.

My daughter is getting married in October, so there are lots of things to do. We have booked a venue with lovely views of the mountains, she has finished her guest list, and we bought her wedding gown, veil and sash/belt. Invitations and save-the-date cards have been ordered, and the kind of cake chosen. She has chosen someone to conduct the marriage ceremony and selected a photographer.  And I got my mother-of-the-bride dress. I hate shopping, so I took a chance and ordered two dresses online. The one I preferred, my daughter didn't like; she said it made me look old. I told her that I am old, but I don't need a dress to age me even  more. So I settled on the other one. It's champagne-colored and glittery. We both need to get shoes and figure out appropriate jewelry.


All the hotel rooms at the resort where the wedding will be held are already booked, so she and her bridesmaids will have to get ready at my house, along with a house/wedding guest and me. It promises to be a very hectic time. I haven't yet decided what to do with my three dogs: board them at a kennel for the day, or leave them home.

It has been decades since I got married, and weddings have grown considerably more complicated, and expensive, since then. I was married in a church. The reception was hosted by a church women's group, and consisted of wedding cake, punch, and champagne provided by my father. Now there are 'save the date' cards, fancy receptions with either a plated meal or a buffet, and a bar, professional photographers and musicians, in addition to wedding invitations, imprinted thank-you notes, etc. All of these things are paid for by me, as mother of the bride. My daughter is doing a great job of keeping costs under control while still planning her dream wedding. Maybe years of hearing me talk about saving for the future and spending wisely have paid off.

This is a very special day for two lovely young people. My daughter has landed on her feet after a very rocky childhood in her native Russia. She struggled to find her way, to figure out who she is, and to learn to deal with the emotional damage inflicted both by her birth parents and by life in a Siberian orphanage. I am so very proud of her. She is now a licensed hair stylist with a great job, a kind and generous young woman, and soon to be married to a terrific young man serving his country in the US Air Force.

Sadly for me, my future son-in-law  recently got orders for Japan. So just a month after their wedding, they will move to Japan for at least three years. I will add that country to my long list of places to visit. And maybe I will finally decide to leave New Mexico's cold winters for a place with a climate more to my liking. Perhaps I will move someplace in Europe or Africa, since I travel there so often. Regardless, big changes are headed our way.