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Uplifting Report

January 17, 2011 By Maureen Chapdelaine Leave a Comment

While writing last week on the topic of sleeveless Mother of the Bride dresses and shaping up that upper arm, I found an advertisement in a wedding magazine for a product that will uplift another important body part.

It’s the Gather-the-Girls bra, created for your Bride.  I quote…

“Brides and bridesmaids alike will appreciate some subtle extra help with managing their strapless or backless gowns.  The “Gather –the-Girls” adhesive bra by Pure Style Girlfriends not only offers serious support that’s completely inconspicuous, but assists with shaping and uplift as well.   Made of 100% silicone, the wire-free demi cups adhere right to the skin courtesy of adhesive side wings, then clasp in the center to create flattering cleavage.”

When did they start calling them Girls?  And why wouldn’t this bra be perfect for the Mother of the Bride or Groom?

Perhaps there is a business opportunity here.  Who wants to join me in developing a similar bra for the Ladies, and market them to the Mothers of the Bride? Any takers?

OK…no hard feelings really.  Do check out this product though.  It looks great and is good for several wearings; perhaps that special night after the wedding when it is just you and hubby celebrating a job well done.

Men marry women with the hope they will never change.  Women marry men with the hope they will change.

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Wedding Accessories ~ Traditional or sort of Out There???

October 8, 2010 By Maureen Chapdelaine 3 Comments

Guest post by MOB Squad contributor Cynthia Keeley

Shoes. The one item most women have tons of in their closet, and usually  not only the basics but also a few ‘special occasion’ pairs that they pull out on… well… a special occasion! I know I have at least 100+ filling my closet, and many have never been out of the box. Can you ever have too many gorgeous, sparkly, rhinestone embellished sexy black shoes? I think not. Why is it, then, that whenever I have some place I need to wear some, I find myself touring my favorite stores looking for yet another pair? It’s a sickness, I tell you. One I seem to have passed on to at least one of my daughters.

About a year or so ago, my daughter and I were discussing what kind of wedding shoes she was considering. Because of her venue and the fact that not only would she be walking across bricks, on to the beach, back to a covered deck and then a dance floor, we needed to find some perfect shoes that met the criteria of easy to remove(as she had to remove them once she hit the sand), comfy, not a narrow or high heel (that could get wedged in a deck board), and that she’d be able to dance in (as I knew she’d never leave the dance floor ,even to eat!).

Her first idea was to send me a link to a pair I’d sent her for fun….medium BLUE with crystals on the vamp (I was joking), but she took it as her my something blue , Mom cue. She wasn’t joking.

In case some of you are unaware, the latest rage is for the bride to wear funky colored shoes with her gown. Most will match the bridesmaids in color, but some are opting for a unique color all their own. I’ve seen purple, red, hot pink, electric blue, canary yellow, lime green, turquoise and totally blinged out numbers that are covered with Swarovski crystals (done by hand taking MANY hours and costing a small fortune).

I did a lot of talking against the blue shoe look, begging her to picture herself looking at her album twenty years from now and asking me why I didn’t stop her. She’d made up her mind, and she ordered them. Unfortunately (HA!), she has such a narrow foot they were ridiculously too wide and the heel way too high for comfortable all night wearing. Strike one.

I then started searching for something pretty but sensible and found a beautiful soft silver wedge. Two inches high, pretty woven T strap, soft, soft leather, cushy instep, narrow in width ~perfect! They looked and felt great and she was all set (or so we thought). She decided they would be her DANCING shoes and wanted something else to wear for her walk in with her Dad. Off we go again, just to look.

We then found a beautiful, narrow slide that had rhinestones going across the instep on an angle. They had three inch heels but fit her perfectly and would be easy to remove for the beach walk. Sold.

Just a week before her wedding, I was still trying to find a pair of glammed up brown shoes for myself in case I opted to wear the brown dress I got. It’s not too easy to find anything in that color in May, but I was determined. With a lot of luck, I found the perfect sparkly brown shoes. As I was walking to the register (and trying my best not to look) I spotted a pair of BLUE sparkly shoes similar to the ones I just found, and of course they had them in my daughter’s size (plus they were the last pair.) Was it fate? Yep. I bought them. Ahhhhhhh….what a sucker I am.

I always had visions of my daughters wearing beautiful, romantic, perfectly traditional bridal shoes, but it was not to be. In the end, it really didn’t matter which ones she wore, or how many pairs I bought. What mattered was her feet were happy with her choices and it showed in every one of her pictures!

Have any of your daughters picked colored shoes for their big day? What did you do or say or did you encourage them to go all bridal?

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Wedding Accessories: To Tattoo or Not To

August 10, 2010 By Maureen Chapdelaine 1 Comment

Teaching our daughters to consider the impact their decisions and actions will have on their future is one of a mothers most challenging tasks. Luckily, we are provided many opportunities to teach this message to our daughters, long before they walk down the aisle.   Discussions on body piercing and tattooing are one of those opportunities.

I believe I am more accepting of body piercing and body art than most women of my generation.  However, I am also a firm believer in balance.  Until they perfect the process for removing a tattoo, obtaining one should be considered a long term commitment.  The design and location of the artwork can result in being delicately right…or terribly wrong.  

A tattoo strategically placed under most situations, may be ill placed when choosing that perfect wedding gown.  A design reflecting individualism in one’s youth may not be the message a young lady wants displayed in her wedding photos.

I’ll credit my mother, ever practical, with warning me against my wishes for having a tattoo.  “Go ahead, Maureen.  You get that dolphin tattooed right there…and when you are my age, and everything drops, that cute little dolphin is going to turn into one huge whale!”

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Accessory Shopping

May 13, 2010 By Maureen Chapdelaine Leave a Comment

I spent the day at the Mall yesterday with my sister. She invited me to join her while she shopped for accessories for her son’s summer wedding. We had a blast, greeting the shop employees as they opened their doors, and finishing up just in time to join the end of day commuter traffic.

I’m still exhausted. Slept like a baby last night. But boy, we made stellar progress on the small wedding details that could linger on for forever.

When Katie got married I found a dress that I loved early on. There was no second-guessing. I know I was lucky. It is only recently that I find many MOB have purchased more than one dress, either for back up purposes, or waiting to make a game day decision.

But what about the accessories that go with those dress choices? We worked it…and worked it hard yesterday…just on hairstyle, hair accessories, jewelry and shoes.

Finding the perfect dress is one thing, but finding the perfect jewelry to go with the dress is another. My sister is wearing a popular shade of green, and had already purchased (with the advice of her daughter and MOH) a large light green cocktail ring. My sister had her heart set on wearing a chunky style bracelet. The challenge for us was to find a bracelet to match the ring without over powering it. The solution? We decided the watch had to go….the bracelet she found looked fabulous with her wedding ring, and the cocktail ring will shine alone on her right hand.

I will be honest and admit our day together included a long lunch at my favorite Mall eatery California Pizza. I love their salads! However, we talked wedding the entire time to the point where my mouth was sore from eating and talking and my sister’s head was clearly on over load.

Next to her dress, hairstyle can be the greatest concern for a MOB …or in this case…MOG. The most fun, and by far the most significant accomplishment of our day was when we stumbled across the perfect hairstyle. We stopped to look at a vendor cart that sells Swarovski crystal hair accessories. Within minutes, the young lady selling the hair clips had my sister’s long hair swept up into a stunning French twist. The twist was held with a beautiful crystal studded comb that matched the accents on the shoes we had purchased only moments earlier. A growing audience of shoppers and four hairstyles later we were ecstatic. We walked away with several hair accessories, a hairstyle for both the rehearsal dinner and wedding day. We felt victorious. It called for celebration!

Unfortunately, we live in opposite ends of the state. We hugged good-bye, and headed to our cars.

When I arrived home I heard a text coming in on my iPhone. It read:

“I am home with wine in hand. Thank you for today.”

Filed Under: Mother of the Bride dress, Mother of the Bride hair styles, wedding accessories Tagged With: , , ,