Monday, June 7, 2010

gussy up

I was at a wedding over the weekend. I don't get to many weddings. The rush of nuptials amongst my friends all ended in the 80s and now we wait for their children to make it to the altar. (and they are taking their sweet time about it!)

The last wedding I attended was 2 years ago in England. It was a rather formal affair. The groom was in his newly hard earned Marine full dress uniform, his best man in a kilt. I was one of only two female family members not wearing a hat. (And I was okay with that, since hats do not suit me at all.)

It has not gone unnoticed that people over on this side of the pond tend to dress much more casually for any event. There was a time when I had Sunday best clothes and office suits. Since I no longer work in an office and don't attend church, I have little use for those Sunday best clothes. For our family dinners, we all wear clean clothes, mostly of a semi casual type. My brother now owns a tux from a formal wear shop that is going out of business, so maybe we'll have to have at least one cocktail party a year for his tux to have an outing.

My niece loves to dress up. A particular favourite era for her is 50s attire, so she looked perfectly natural in her ivory pink wedding gown with a strand of pearls. Her partner, who does not like to dress up, looked very elegant in a black suit with pink tie and shirt.

It was a garden wedding, held late morning. Still, on looking at the gathering, a friend and I cattily critiqued the attire of some of the attendees. There were suits with running shoes - even in the wedding party, albeit fancy pink shoes to go with the theme of pink and white. There were some who were almost unrecognizable in their crisp shirts and ties and cufflinks. There were some people who looked like they made no effort to look in their closet for something just a little special for a special event. A particularly galling example was one family member who wore cargo shorts! Interestingly, he, among others, went to a much greater effort for the evening dance reception held at a restaurant.

Really, would it kill you to wear some well fitted clothes that bring out the best of your figure, that shows you have a little style and that you care enough about the people you are with to make an effort to look pleasing to the eye??

Even Gus didn't make a fuss when this get up was foisted on him!

16 comments:

  1. That's an adorable photo! He appears a little resigned to the indignity, but perhaps secretly thinks he looks good.

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  2. LOL oh my....that's adorable

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  3. Well Gus looks gorgeous. I haven't been to a wedding for a long time either; I think the last one was my own.

    CJ xx

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  4. Cargo shorts to a wedding -- even a garden wedding - is beyond tacky. As are running shoes with anything but running gear. I notice people in the UK also really dress up, and always in black, for funerals. Here, everybody just wears whatever. I've seen people in brightly coloured tank tops and shorts at funerals.

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  5. Scott: that is his usual, contented face! he seems to know he is worth all the attention he gets.

    Char: he put up no struggle getting dressed and kept it on until we were all eating.

    CJ: I think a lot of it is my age group, but also fewer people bother with weddings

    XUP: I thought it was extremely poor taste and a lack of respect for his only niece. funerals are another time when a little decorum should be expected.

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  6. Ha! You fooled me and turned this into a Momday Amuse at the very end. I spent Saturday with daughter and future groom helping plan their reception, so we were both in wedding mode.

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  7. Cargo shorts? big no-no at the best of times I reckon!! That dog looks so cute, hope he got a nice piece of cake? I used to photograph weddings and have a pic somewhere of a lovely dog wearing a vest!

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  8. Geewits: yeah, I've been in two minds about whether to continue with the Monday AMuse... but I still think it is a fun way to begin the week.
    Weddings are so exhausting to organize.

    Coffeeveggie Addict: I am not a dog person - but this little guy has pretty much made a convert out of me over the years!

    Sag: I somehow suspect he managed to get some treat (though the cake was at the reception later that night, so he missed out on that)

    SAW: hear that Geewits - get thee a bouncer!

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  9. I think Gus looks a little fed up - "When can I get this dratted hat off?"

    Cargo shorts??? No, NO, NO at any time except a holiday resort (or in your own garden!)

    Funerals over here tend to be decorous - not always black, but subdued colours, grey, mauve, navy blue. My lovely nephew's funeral a couple of years ago was bursting to the seams with younger people (he was only 40) and every one of them had made an effort with a suit, or dark clothes.

    I look appalling in hats and refuse to wear them. Except when I take the dog out in the pouring rain, when I have a big-brimmed khaki waterproof hat!

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  10. Gus looks so cute!
    Mu daughter had her wedding at the beach 6 y. ago, but all the guests were very nicely dressed, and the wedding party in long dresses and tuxes.

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  11. Gilly: he is actually the most docile dog (although, I don't have to live with him so he probably has a few moments...) my SIL takes perverse pleasure in putting costumes on her animals.
    I'm glad to hear that your nephew's friends paid heed to traditions. really, it is only for a few hours one day.

    Jeannette: I'm glad I wasn't one of the wedding party wearing a tux on a beach - I'd probably feel quite overdressed. but I bet it was lovely.

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  12. I am certainly with you on making an effort for something as special as a wedding. I mean, the bride and groom most likely spent a boatload of money on the event...at least give them the honor of wearing your "Sunday best".

    I wore a hat to a wedding just once and felt like an idiot because I was the only one. So, unless it says "ladies wear hats" on the invitation, it probably won't happen again.

    Doggie wearing tux = maximum cuteness!

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  13. Gus is adorable and he looks very handsome in his attire. Weddings are always interesting events. I remember going to ones in England and wearing hats. Here in the US none that I have attended have and that's been fine with me. I always find out first because of my roots in the UK I suppose. Enjoyed visiting, thanks for stopping by mine.

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  14. Susan: exactly. (on all three points!)

    Denise: I was obsessed by the hat idea, especially since I virtually never wear a hat (unless it is -30). I really wanted to wear a fascinator though, but wasn't willing to spend the incredible amount of money on a nice one.

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