Weddingbee Blog

“Grandma got married in a brown suit.” This statement has been uttered — complete with wrinkled nose — by the little girls of my family (myself included) throughout the years. A brown suit? Really?

To paraphrase grandma and grandpa’s story: they had a very short time to plan their wedding. Grandpa was accepted into school on the other side of the country. The pair wanted to move there together as a family, so they decided to get married. The problem? They had to move in a matter of weeks! The bit of money they had needed to be conserved for their travels ahead, so grandma carefully considered the importance of a fancy wedding dress in the grand scheme of things. Ultimately, she passed on lace and beading and instead bought the aforementioned brown suit. (Actually, it was olive-colored.) Her reasoning? She would need a job when they reached their new home, and the suit would be practical attire for interviews and work. They’ve now been married nearly 60 years and are some of my greatest role models for a successful marriage and life.

While Mr. Mary Jane and I aren’t planning a cross-country move, and we’ve already got our career situation worked out, we are finding ourselves in a somewhat comparable situation.

We’re paying for school. We’re paying for our cars. We’re saving for the future. And now, we’re buying a house. Expenses, much? I just can’t see the rationale in spending $2000 (i.e. a new front-loading washer/dryer), $1000 (i.e. a new modestly-priced dining room set), or even $500 (i.e. a home inspection and appraisal) on a garment that I’ll wear for possibly 6 hours total. I don’t mind buying a new outfit to wear for the wedding, but it’s got to be practical: something I can wear again.

I won’t kid myself in to thinking I’d wear any wedding-y dress again. I don’t care how simple it is. If it’s white or off-white and I wore it to get married in, I will not be wearing it again. I am, however, lacking in professional clothes. I decided to turn my searches toward “wear to work” and “daytime” styles.

I was looking for something sophisticated, but with feminine details. Something traditional but different. Something that could scream, “court house,” at one time, but could later be seamlessly re-purposed for “academic conference” or “dissertation defense”. And preferably, something that would look good with my pearls.

Ladies (and gentlemen, if there are any hanging around here), I now present to you:

source

My brown suit. I ordered this Jones New York suit from Macy’s, and at under $200 it was the perfect fit for my guidelines and my budget. I hadn’t wanted to go this short (I don’t care for my knees) but I really liked the neckline. I’m not entirely wowed by it, but I do like it a lot. With it, I could wear a nice pair of heels or even some cute boots! So I think I’ll keep my eyes open for other options, but this is my “probably” option for now.

I took these photos of myself with the camera balanced on my dresser, so I’m going to blame my odd-looking stances on the angle of the camera. I put on my pearls and some random shoes from my closet. I think the jacket needs alteration under the arms and the whole thing needs a good steam, but still it looks alright. I would be honored to get married in my brown suit just as my grandmother did many years ago.

Would you ever consider wearing a skirt or pantsuit on your wedding day? Did you choose an out-of-the-ordinary outfit for your ceremony or reception?