Photo Friday: The Bride Wore Glasses Edition

Good morning!

So, as we've said, bridal fever is in the air. I'm taking off this morning to visit Texas for the first (and hopefully not last!) time, in honor of Caroline's wedding (her first marriage, and definitely her last, haha). My sister Sus and her fiancé are working on making my Save the Date dream a reality by Monday, so next week, Nashville mailboxes, get ready to see if you've made the cut! :) There's just wedding on the mind lately.

In the meantime, I've been trawling flickr for, you guessed it, photos of brides and their bridal finery. This flickr stream has THE MOST ADORABLE BESPECTACLED BRIDE YOU HAVE  EVER SEEN. I know you were intrigued by the title on this post, so let's just get straight to the goods:

Wear those glasses loud and proud, mama!

This woman is a true inspiration to me. I have been down around the mouth all freakin' week because I'm having trouble with my contacts and have been bespectacled like whoah for the third consecutive week. Don't get me wrong! I love glasses. I just love glasses on other people who don't have a disfiguringly high value in the prescription column of their eye exam (-9.75 in glasses! -9.75! I know I've told you this again and again, but it's still disturbing to me!). Following the Parkerism Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses, you would think a pre-contact lense era style-hound like this 1956 bride would at least palm her cheaters until after her official wedding portrait was taken. But lo! She keeps her glasses on, and STILL manages to look like an absolute doll. Do you love the lace of the detail on the boatneck of her dress? The little crown anchoring her veil to poodle curls? I think she looks wonderful. I wish I had this confidence!

Here, the bride and her mother primp for the final countdown to the ceremony. See, she gets her nearsightedness honest, her mom wears glasses too! I love that the dresser in this photo looks exactly like one at my grandmother's house, except hers is stacked with sewing spools and newspapers and other detritus, while this lady has neatly arranged her cosmetics and powders, accessorized with an Orient-themed lamp, and even decked out the mirror with a festive bow for the occasion. Well done, ma'am!

This is such a sweet picture because of just how in media res it is. If I were assembling a wedding album, I would start with this candid photo, and then move along in semi-chronological order. See how elegant she looks in her dress in even an informal pose? That's the true test of whether or not your dress is up to snuff, I think...do you look good grabbing a last minute crab cake from the dinner buffet at your reception in it? Then you're good. There will be no bad pictures of you in the ones you get back from the photographer!

All her bridal party have these weird, but cute, little bird cage fascinator type things. I'm not sure what the design is, but I'm sure they were super cute in real life. See how voluminous even the bridesmaids dresses are! What I like about this photo are all the shoes on display, from the socked feet of the junior miss on the far left, to the mother-of-the-bride's strappy black pumps, to the bride's own tiny, ivory heels.

Pretty maids all in a row...are you not charmed by how this is probably the bride's house where everyone's gathered for a last photo after getting all gussied up for the main event? Whoever the photographer was for this wedding was exhaustive in taking photos of e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Example, here's the bride getting out of the car at the ceremony. I think it may be the father of the bride at the right...look how he's a) wearing a look of fatherly consternation and b) not helping with the dress!

The happy couple. It wasn't until I saw this photo of the two of them together that I realized how young they must be. The photos in the rest of the album, from before the wedding, seem to indicate that they were married directly out of high school (there's a similar photo of these kiddlings in this exact pose, but in prom clothes). Ah! Again! I am amazed and think it is totally sweet when people marry their high school sweethearts!

The embraaaaace. ((smoochies, smoochies noises))

Don't they look just like lillies floating along this dance floor? I like that the younger girls are dancing with each other, and that there's a little boy breaking free across the dance floor like "Now's my big chance!", not knowing he would be caught in the photographer's lens and seen by me, a total stranger, almost sixty years later.

Congrats, wedded couple! See the girl's "not impressed" face at the left and her gorgeous dress. I also love all the little doll cakes on the table. I need to make some of those creepy things for my reception, I love the idea!

How did you like our glasses wearing bride this Friday? There are to-o-o-ons more pictures, all equally winning, up on that user's flickr account....go look! What vintage reception or ceremony ideas do you think still hold water today? Do you remember any particularly "wow" receptions from your childhood or your parents' recollections that were homemade and fun? Advice and comments are always welcome! :)

That's all for this week, folks! I'll have news to bring back (and hopefully many photos!) of the great state of Texas when I get back. Wish me luck!