mother of the bride dress

My blog has been all about my daughter Jenny's wedding lately and there is a few more to come! This one is about my dress. It was a beach wedding, so I wanted something lacy and short. I had an idea of the style I wanted, but really couldn't find anything that fit that idea. I looked and looked online.

Finally, I decided to make the dress. I went to JoAnn's to look for a pattern and couldn't find a pattern in the design I wanted. 

This was the closest I could come to the style I wanted. Something to hide a few extra pounds and fairly easy to throw together. This is a Vogue pattern and it has no buttons or zippers - really super easy. I bought some crepe back satin and lace. All together, I spent $32.00. It took about 4 hours to make.

The hardest part was serging the lace. It was tough and I probably would do it differently next time. I would use better stabilizer.

I tried wax paper - it worked but....  Not quite ...

Here's the dress halfway. I made the pattern about 4 inches longer and cut down the arms to cover the little jiggle I recently picked up. 

Here's the finished product. I bought the hat and adding some finishing touches to have it match the dress.

But for $32, I got myself a nice lacy summer dress. Love love love the lace.

northern michigan wedding - lake michigan wedding photos

Just in case you didn't get enough of wedding photos - he's some more. The day after the wedding Jenny and Bobby got dressed back up and we went down to Frankfort, MI and took more pictures. I really think they turned out beautifully, but I'm biased.

northern michigan wedding - wedding day!

Finally the big day arrives after much preparation and work - but it was worth it. It was a beautiful wedding.

The wedding party - (from left to right) Jessica, Holly, Jackie, Rachael, Lena, Jenny, Matthew, Bobby, Bobby, Wes, Jason, and William

Big brother and little brother, the Best Man and Ring Bearer.

Chairs down by the lake.

The balloon archway that busted apart from the wind. Remnants by the pier.

Vases lined the walkway.

The wedding march.

Jessica in the tent.

Jackie and Mel.

The flower girl - Lena

Preparing the bride.

GG and Lena

Preparing to meet his bride.

Father and the bride.

Lake ceremony

Exchange of rings.

The kiss.

 The wedding party

The girls

And boys

Napoleon Dynamite

Bob, Bob, Bob, Matthew and Jenny

Jenny and D.O.G.

Me, Burke and the newly weds

The beach cake.

Grandma and Jenny

Bobby and Rachael (sister). Acting goofy.

The day was windy and by the end of the night, very cool.  Dinner was ribs, chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, cupcakes, chocolate pudding cups, and peach cobbler.

northern michigan wedding - the cabin

I booked a vacation house in Honor, MI for the whole family this year - back in February. My daughter Jennifer has been with her boyfriend going on 17 years now. I said to her ... why don't you get married on the beach at the house? We can have family come up, have the wedding and a bonfire afterwards. That's what we did ...

This was the beach area.

Holly found the hammock right away.

Laney's friend Brendon came along and had some fun with the kayaks.

The pier.

And some pictures of the lake front.

So beautiful.

And peaceful.

Tucked away outside civilization.

The log cabin where we stayed.

The long winding driveway to the house.

Back side of the log cabin. It was a wonderful week and we filled the cabin to capacity. It slept 15 and room for tents outside. The best day ever.