Thanks for remember, ellendi!

It all worked out really well, except for the weather which was abysmal. Friday was sunny and in the 60s, but Sat was raining and in the 40s. The barn was very cold, the wedding had to be held in the barn, and then it stopped raining so the wedding party went outside to have pictures taken...I thought the bride and maids would be hypothermic before they were done in their strapless gowns!

So we drove up Friday and had a little time to see Salem...we walked the town some, went to the witch museum which was just OK. Took the bus with about 35 other people to the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner at a seafood place. There were like 60 people there! It was really like a mini-reception.

Sat. we found a terrific place for bkfst, and then spent the day at the Peabody Essex Museum which was really fascinating ... much larger and better museum than we expected. And seeing as the weather was lousy, it was a perfect day for it.

The bride wore a lovely strapless gown with an a-line skirt and small train with lots of lace and some beading all along the hem, and a long plain veil which she took off for the reception. The groom's father officiated. She has a terrific sense of humor so there were quite a few chuckles during the wedding. Made it pleasant for all. She had about 7 or 8 attendants who all wore black gowns though of different styles.

Unfortunately the groom's mother wore an ivory dress, full of sequins and sparkle that fit like a snake skin...Dr. Freud would have found that interesting....

The bride's mother wore a dark eggplant colored gown that was nice and tasteful.

My dress actually turned out to be deep purple, not navy...didn't realize it until I put it in the sunlight. It was very comfortable, and I thought appropriate, but it saw little light of day...until I started dancing to warm up. I wore the nude pumps with it, and I had a similar colored jacket which I needed just to keep warm. I had a pearl and rhinestone antique looking necklace with matching earrings so it all went very well.

There was a mishmash of other outfits...one gal in a long straight gown in a bright apricot with cowboy boots...another couple of the gals were busy dancing barefoot. I don't think I saw any women in pants. Most were in knee-length or shorter dresses...one younger gal in one up to her chacha, which was not a good idea, esp when she was standing on the balcony...the men had a good time looking up.

The next day we stopped at the mall where they have Off Broadway shoes (love their shoes and we don't have one here) and I bought a couple of pair before heading home.

So the trip went well, the outfit worked fine, the wedding was lovely, and we had a chance to catch up with lots of DH's cousins. We also talked to some people whom we hadn't seen since the bride's mother's wedding at our house oh so many years ago...it was interesting.

Sounds like it was perfect, in a family sort of way. Thank you for your insight and sharing. Cheers to the bride and groom!

Thanks for the update. Interesting about the dress color. I thought it was a sapphire blue on my monitor. This happened to me once with a coat. In the store it looked black, when I wore it outside it was actually forest green.
Nice to hear you had a good time.

i love updates, glad you had a nice WE despite the weather !

One thing that wasn't good was the bride, even during the ceremony, couldn't help but tug up her gown...a problem with going strapless.

But the gal I made the veil for didn't have that problem...and then I realized why. She had a 2-piece dress. The bodice was separate from the skirt, so the bodice only had to hold itself up from the waist. The skirt (or in her case skirts) hung on from the waist so were more secure. A one piece with a train has the full weight of the skirt dragging it down. Never thought about that before, but the choice of a 2 piece strapless is actually more practical....

This August we are invited to a wedding on a farm/winery. The ceremony will be there and then the reception will be in a new structure built to look like a barn. After the reception there will be a bonfire with smores.

The bride said cowboy boots are encouraged and that guys don't have to wear suits or ties. I have no clue what to wear and am concerned about the weather. It will be late August and I think the day will start out warm and then get cool at night.

Interesting how your dress was a different color in sunlight. That is something we don't think about when buying clothes.

Barns are all the rage, it seems. Keep us posted Debrak. My niece is having an informal wedding on a rooftop in Chicago in Septembet. I bought a simple Ann Taylor dress. She is going to tell everyone to be comfortable and casual. Doesn't want anyone to stress out and she wants everyone to have fun.

I can just imagine how some will interpret casual. My feeling is that I'm an aunt and I want to look nice!

Interesting. For an August dressy casual wedding, I think of something sort of cool, long, flowy, like from Coldwater Creek....which I understand is going out of business.

I always spend a lot of time fretting over what to wear to certain events. After I get there, I wonder what I was worrying about. People seem to wear anything and everything.

The groom's mother should have known better than to wear any shade of white. No one wears white to a wedding but the bride!

I went to my niece's wedding many years ago and the grooms mother was dressed like a ho for the rehearsal dinner. She also arrived about an hour late so she could make an entrance. Her dress was spandex and cut about as low as you dare to go. Next to all the young women there, she looked ridiculous. She also had a huge scar on her chest from open heart surgery. IDK. Crazy.

Ellendi, your Ann Taylor dress sounds perfect. Just because it is a barn wedding doesn't mean you have to dress like a square dancer. I like that bride's attitude -- be comfortable!

I'm attaching a pic of the veil I made going down the aisle, not for the veil so much as for, look at what people are wearing! This is a formal afternoon wedding followed by an evening reception. Mind you, there was a lot of time between the two, and presumably some people went home to change, but then again, who knows???

Clearly, I fret way too much over these things.

It's true that we fret too much but in a good way. It gives us an excuse to look extra nice.
My lifestyle doesn't really warrant dresses. I guess I could wear sundresses in the summer but they are not my go to outfit.
I like wearing a new dress for a special occasion.

That veil is simply gorgeous. I love the way the embroidery looks as it trails behind her.

That man on the left in a t-shirt should have been turned away at the door. I mean really, who dresses like that for a wedding? I think he took the term "barn" a little too much to heart.

Pretty church.

Dedtired, this was not the barn wedding...this was from last year and was formal. I didn't see anyone dressed this casually for the barn wedding!

Annie, thanks for posting details about the barn wedding and that your dress worked out so well. And the veil you made is beautiful. I'm sure it will turn into a cherished heirloom.

I have an evening wedding in 2 weeks and finally figured out the dress I am wearing. It is a raspberry Elie Tahari sheath with slightly cap sleeves and I have a short white cut-away jacket I can wear with it if needed. I haven't decided on jewelry yet but I have plenty of options and knowing me it will be something simple I already have.

The wedding with be at the Davidson Center, which is associated with the US Space and Rocket Center. The bride is the daughter of a good friend and it will be a good party afterward with dancing to a band. Dad is a bit claustrophobic and very casual, so the wedding itself is fairly casual and purposely in a large, casual setting.

Sounds really nice, OP....the jacket dress thing works well for whatever the weather/heat/AC conditions are.

Oops, mixed up. I should read more carefully. Nevertheless, the t-shirt was just wrong.

I meant to comment on that too dedtired. Agree - the t-shirt is just wrong, even for a 'casual' wedding. Thanks, Annie, for the vote for the dress! I'm just glad I found one that is long enough!