Departments
Wedding party
By Megan Malugani
And there was something about my “Bridesmaid Dresses & Bloody Marys” party—in which 18 of my friends donned dresses that ranged from floor-length taffeta ruffles (glamorous) to peach polyester lace (hideous) to bright coral with huge bows (surprisingly cute)—that not only brought us together with our old dresses and old memories, but also taught me a lot about my friends.
What I learned about my friends was enough to bring a tear to my eye (the happy kind of tear, just like the one that wells up when your best friend is walking down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon).
I learned a lot from a “How much of a bridesmaid are you?” quiz that kicked off the party. I learned that about half of the 18 guests were glued to the TV during the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. I also learned that most of us own at least one pair of Spanx (in some cases worn under our dresses—thank you, Oprah!), and that only a few of us have attended a bachelorette party of the naughty variety, involving scantily clad males.
But the biggest piece of knowledge I gained was the knowledge that my friends are a goofy lot of good sports who will go to extremes in the name of a fun party.
There’s my twenty-something co-worker Jamie, for example. She’s planning her own (real) wedding but nonetheless took the time to try on no fewer than a dozen bridesmaid dresses at Savers, Salvation Army, and Goodwill (not to mention in our male boss’s office, which is now known as “The Dressing Room”) before securing the perfect dress (coral with puffy sleeves and a huge bow) from another co-worker, Vicky, whose own bridesmaids had worn that piece of loveliness almost 20 years ago.
Then there’s Kristy (and her husband Jeff), who whipped up the perfect mixed CD of tunes like “I’m Too Sexy” (for our fashion show) and wedding dance classics like “Wonderful Tonight” and “The Funky Chicken Song.” And my lively aunt Beth, who not only bought a second-hand dress for the party but also a matching periwinkle purse and hat. And let’s not forget Elizabeth, a Post-Bulletin and Rochester Magazine photographer, who was on duty the day of the party but came over during her break to join the festivities. She felt so out-of-place without a dress that she ended up putting on—over her work clothes!—a chocolate brown bridesmaid dress worn in 1970 by my mom.
Lindy won a cardboard tiara because she was the “person who most looks like a real bridesmaid.” It was not only her coral, puffy-sleeved dress (which perfectly matched Jamie’s), but her 1980’s-big hair, understated rhinestone jewelry, and bridesmaid-like pumps that sealed the deal. Lindsay won for wearing the “what was she thinking?” dress, a red ruffly number accompanied by lace half-gloves of the Madonna variety. (I am still bitter—my peach polyester dress and I were robbed in this category!).
At the party, there were never-been-marrieds, currently marrieds, and once-marrieds, ranging from our 20s to our 50s. Most of the attendees are moms, but at this party, we were bridesmaids first and foremost. The usual talk of kids was superseded by a primer (courtesy of Nood and Pat) about how baby blue tuxedos were all the rage in the ‘70s, and an argument about whether all fashion trends really do cycle back (God forbid!).
We discussed the craziest dress ever donned at a Bridezilla’s bidding and how good we actually looked at our own long-ago weddings, even though at the time we despaired over our helmet hair/fat arms/wrinkled gown. It was the ultimate outlet for bonding and sharing stories among friends who didn’t necessarily know each other back in the days when we were real bridesmaids.
When I bought bling rings and wedding mints at Party America prior to the big event, the teenage girl working behind the counter said (in the most supportive way possible) that she’d never heard of a party like mine. And the girl working at the Wal-Mart bakery raised an eyebrow when I requested the words “Once a bridesmaid, always a bridesmaid” on flowered cupcakes arranged like a bouquet.
But my hope is that bridesmaid parties—and maybe adult proms, if we can get the guys to don baby blue tuxedos—are the next big thing (and perhaps even the theme of charity functions), because they bring out our silliest selves and enable us to share (mostly) happy memories. So save your bridesmaid dresses, gals, you really can wear them again!