Not every bride is fresh out of college or university. Or fresh off the turnip truck either. No only do some couples wait before tying the knot, many women wait for romance, period. They spend their 20s and sometimes 30s (and 40s, even 50s and 60s) focused on other priorities such as career, travel and making a name for themselves in the realm of their choosing.
So if and when they come to a point when they want to sign on the dotted line of a marriage certificate, there are certain rules of engagement to consider.
Mature brides don’t need or expect advice from their mothers or mothers-in-law. They’re more than capable of making all their own decisions and often have the skill sets and experience to pull off an amazing, uniquely personal event and make it look easy.
Barring some exceptions and family circumstances, mature brides don’t need to waste time, energy and money trying to please a lot of different people. They have the confidence and backbone to cut through family politics and to claim the special day as one for the bride and groom. Even when there are adult children, exes or stepchildren somewhere on the periphery. The wedding day is about the happy new couple—full stop.
Mature brides have little interest in looking girlish or waifish or fragile or, as Meghan Trainor would put it, “ no stick figure silicone Barbie doll.” With age comes comfort in one’s own skin and the assurance to embrace the real life beauty that shines from the inside.
The fashion, the style choices and the day are all about pleasing yourself and your partner. So if you want to wear a long white dress down the aisle for the third time or wear a green pantsuit even though it’s your first marriage or you want to embrace every last wedding tradition as a 72-year-old, you can. It’s your time in the spotlight and your celebration to enjoy.
