Planning vow renewal: dress ideas?

DH and I are having a very simple vow renewal ceremony as part of a trip in June to Puerto Rico with our daughters (22 and 19). We have been married 25 years this year and wanted to mark the occasion. If you know old San Juan, I am planning a brief non-deonminarional ceremony led by an officiant somewhere on the grounds of the fort el Morro (see pic 1), and then we will walk to a lovely nearby restaurant for an intimate dinner with the girls. My daughters want to wear matching dresses and have chosen long dresses from Anthro (pic 2) I am trying to figure out what to wear. I found the dress in pic 3 which I like because it is short, interesting shape, and not body-con. (I'm more of a shift-dress wearer so this is more my style). This particular one will probably be too hot, though (crepe). What about color -- is it weird to wear white or ivory? And do you have any other thoughts or comments?

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12 years ago

Emily

Veteran

Your ceremony sounds absolutely gorgeous and I love both dress picks - especially yours, aside from the concern about the fabric. I love the detail at the neckline and it looks like something you could easily wear again. May I ask where you found it? I would say white or ivory is entirely appropriate and will look lovely against the surroundings!

Eliza

What fun, viva. I think you can stir comfort into this equation, given the warm climate and walk to dinner. The crepe dress is beautiful, but if it won't breathe, I'd hesitate in the humidity. I wouldn't deliberately look for white or ivory for this occasion, but if it was the best choice/most flattering style, I'd choose it and add accessories/shoes in a different color wave or metallic, just to mix it up.
The long Anthro dresses could be cool and elegant, without being stuffy. Love the colors for seaside wear. The two dresses shown have totally different vibes to my eye and the challenge is you could rock either one. I am afraid I haven't been helpful. Keep us posted.

ETA: since you will probably want to preserve the moment, I'd be mindful of how the dress would photograph.

viva

Emily, I found the dress on matchesfashion.com initially, but I also saw it on another site -- maybe Neiman Marcus? Not sure.

Here is the link: http://www.matchesfashion.com/product/176612

Eliza, the girls only want their own dresses to match each other -- I don't need to match them (that would be too much for me!). But I do love the idea of wearing a white or ivory short dress with a shoe that matches their dress, since the color is so fantastic.

Photography is a good thing to keep in mind. Good point!

BTW, totally botched the spelling of nondenominational above. Sorry about that. Yikes!

Diana

What fun! I went to a wedding several years ago in Puerto Rico in May, and had a wonderful time, but it was HOT and humid. I imagine June would be even hotter. It was a white-tie wedding; I think we all nearly died in our formal wear!

So, with that in mind, I'd say make sure you go for something breezy and breathable, esp. if it's going to be outdoors. I don't remember El Morro terribly well, but from what I recall since it's up on the cliff there was not much shade! I really like the white dress (and I think white is perfectly appropriate, especially given the backdrop) but I worry that you will roast.

Oops- I thought you were considering either the Anthro or the white one for yourself. I read too fast- must need some coffee. I understand not wanting to match the girls. Great idea with the shoes to coordinate the girls. Sounds like a wonderful time for all.

Diana: yup, really hot.
So, I am thinking evening and SHORT ceremony. Maybe 15 minutes. It's only the four of us, after all.
But we might cave on El Morro and do somewhere else in town. We'll see.

Suz

(website)

Ooh! What fun. I love the idea of the white dress, so if you can find something similar in a breathable fabric, then that would be terrific. I don't think you need to "match" the girls in style, although it would be great to pull in something of the colours of their dress, especially since I think those greens and/ or blues would look fantastic on you anyway. If you want to coordinate well with them but can't find white or ivory or cream, you could try a contrasting bright -- pink or orange or yellow (not sure which would be best for you) in a similarly simple shift style.

Thistle

I totally think white is fine and eprfect, especially given the heat. You might need to wait a bit as retail hasn;t really rolled out the summer wear yet. Still, how exciting and fun!

I know, Thistle, you are right. I'm actually anxious for summer rollouts, which is a little crazy.

AviaMariah

This sounds like such a fun, special occasion. How great that your daughters can be there too and are so excited about it. I agree with Thistle to wait and see what comes out in the next few months.

Suz, I love the idea of deep pink, but it kind of makes me hot to think about it. I love to plant late blooming white flowers in my garden so that in the August heat (what we get here in Maine) I can get some visual cooling from them. I think I might need that in my dress for this occasion, too.

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