MOH/Bride-to-Be: Lessons from the Other Side

Image via Audrey Hepburn Complex

Now that BM Cuz is off on her honeymoon adventure, it's time to take off my MOH hat and put it away.  It's also time to sit down and try to process all the things that I learned from her wedding day (before I forget).  


Here are some lessons I'm taking with me:


1.  Never underestimate the love-fest.  I had no idea how emotional the day would be, for me.  It's really difficult to sum up the amount of pride and joy I felt that day for the BM Cuz and her husband.  I was happy to be there for her, and beyond honored to have a part in their day.  


2.  MOH: You better work! Being MOH is a lot of work.  And there were two of us at BM Cuz's wedding!  I was under the impression that being the Maid of Honor meant throwing parties beforehand, going to dress fittings, standing in when the fiancé is unavailable.  But it was so much more on game wedding day.  And you know what?  I enjoyed every bit of it.  I was happy to be there helping her get dressed, I was happy to keep her dress off the damp ground (and man, that enormous ruffled skirt would NOT cooperate), and I surprised myself at the number of things I managed to remember. How many times in a woman's life can she say she had the honor of holding her bestie's wedding dress up to help her pee?  That's work AND commitment wrapped into one.

There I am, tackling her train! Beautiful Cuz!

(Personal snapshot)

3.  Write it down! And make it known!  There were a lot of things I forgot in the last minute rush.  So the lesson is, make a list!  Then check it.  Check it again.  Then tell someone about the list, so they can help you keep track of things. I dropped the ball on three very simple things:  

• Her wrap - no one had considered getting a wrap for the bride before the wedding, not even the bride herself.  Good thing she was too happy to mind the November chill.
• Comfy shoes for the reception - I meant to buy something for her, and I forgot in the last minute rush. So did my co-MOH, but had we discussed it maybe one of us would have remembered!
• Her overnight bag -  This is something we failed to discuss before that night. She didn't have any comfy clothes to change into for the next day.  I meant to add an extra set of PJs and sneakers to her "bridal rescue" bag and give it to her before I went up to bed after the wedding, but it was late (like 2 am) and I might have been a little tipsy.

Thankfully, I remembered the bag in the morning and I hung it on the doorknob of their suite. She didn't miss it by the way, they stayed up and partied long after I went to bed.  So all was not lost!  Every one of those things I forgot could have been remembered if I would have mentioned them to someone else, by the way.  

4. Be prepared! You can never be too prepared.  I put a bag together with all the things I thought she might need: sewing kit, safety pins, Shout wipes, mints, deodorant, brush, etc.  And though we didn't need everything in the bag, what we used was crucial!  We kept her hair looking nice, made sure her makeup stayed put, and helped "fix" her bustle when it broke (do they always break?), even though it broke again after that.

Looking very dutiful, but I'm just holding back the tears.

(Personal snapshot)

5.  Toss your phone (for the day).  A bride must get rid of her phone.  I grabbed a bunch of numbers from Cuz's phone before it died.  And I was prepared to handle any possible phone drama--thankfully, there wasn't any.  But there were way too many calls coming in before her phone's battery gave out.  For my wedding day, I'm going to assign a go-to bridesmaid, and hand her number out to my vendors.  Then I'll make a list of all my vendors for my go-to BM and give my phone a rest.  

I think that's about it, for me.  I'm taking these lessons and storing them away for my wedding. 

Have you even been a bridesmaid or Maid/Matron of honor?  Did you learn any lessons you used for your wedding?

Wow--It's Happening...

(source)

Today, my best friend (my other half), is getting married!  I'm going to take a mini time out and soak in the day, remembering to take as many pictures as possible.


My Abuelito (grandfather, in Spanish) flew in the other night from Quito, and he can't stand flying.  It's the first time he's been in the States for nine years!


My Yiayia (grandmother, in Greek), flew in from Greece to surprise my cousin at her shower, and now she's cooking up a storm!


My Papou's (grandfather, in Greek) cousins have flown in from Canada.  He would have been so happy to see them.  


And me?  I get to take a day off of work to soak it all in. What a lucky girl I am. 


Things are changing, folks!  In the best of ways. 


To my Cousin, I love you and I'm so proud of you.  This day is going to be amazing!  And to my new cousin, C--welcome to the family! 


Now let's get this day started.  

Wrap it Up!

I have to write a speech for the wedding--it's only two weeks away!  Cuz met with her DJ and they decided that we would each have two minutes to talk.  She also sent this video to me and my bridal party counterparts:




Is it just me, or does it seem like she's trying to hint at something?


Seriously, what the heck am I going to do?  I feel like some people are expecting me to be funny, while others are expecting me reminisce.  This is not supposed to be this hard, I've only spent a majority of my life with Cuz.  She's only been my other half for twenty some-odd years.  How do I put all that into words and spit it out in two minutes?  And how do I avoid crying into the mic?  How can I resist the urge to try and be funny? Because you know that never works out. 


Any advice from seasoned wedding speech makers?

Bridesmaids Dresses Are In!

Our dresses are in!  Cuz was a little anxious to see what they looked like when they arrived.  We'd only seen them in plum, and although we loved the color, it wasn't right for her wedding.  So she went with her gut and ordered our dresses in wine.  

Here is the dress in plum:

Bill Levkoff #521

Side note:  this is a picture of #521 from Bill Levkoff's website.  Do you get the feeling that this is some kind of joke in the bridal industry?  When selecting which images to use on the website, do they purposely pick the one that looks absolutely nothing like the actual dress?  Just wondering, because we'd seen this dress online and it was never a possibility until we saw it in the store.  Hint hint, WIC.

(Source)

 Okay, well maybe the dress isn't all that different on the site.  I guess there's something about tying the sash in the front versus tying in the back--makes a big difference.  Plus, we couldn't see the detail of the pleated bodice on the site.  

I digress, here is the dress in wine.  It fits pretty well, but it will need a couple alterations.  It's still comfortable, gorgeous, and after the seamstress has her way with it, it will easily pass the Running Man test.  Oh you haven't heard about the Running Man test?  It goes a little like this: put on a bridesmaid dress, zip up, and bust a move (drop it like it's hot, shake a tailfeather--there are many scientific variations).  If the dress is still in place and in once piece, you've found yourself a contender!  And an example of the highest caliber party dress. 

Here it is:

  And again:

What's that?  Why are my arms outstretched?  Um, I don't know.  Think it was for balance, since I was standing up on my toes.  Ever since I could walk, I would parade around on my tip toes when I played dress up, twenty some odd years later, the habit is here to stay. My expression is still that of an exicted toddler, the hearts are up there to save me the embarrassment.  Sorry folks!




Now I need to drop this hot number off for a little nip tuck!  Easy peasy.