Joy and crystals
Well, this was a first…I made the MOB (Mother of the Bride) cry today. Before you tune out and think, “How dare she!” with an indignant scoff, let me explain….
I met a lovely woman during a slow February night when the mall was about to close. She apologized profusely as she said “I NEVER stop at kiosks” but was intrigued by our bridal collections. You see, she was a wedding coordinator and now taking on the new role as Mother of the Bride. As she took my card with promises of returning the next weekend with her daughter, I thought that we had a 50/50 chance of seeing her as a customer.
Fast forward to Saturday night about an hour before closing when my harried MOB returned as promised with the bride and the maid of honor in tow. We pulled swatches and samples and crystals and pearls from the vast supply drawers of my petite boutique until we had be-jeweled the entire bridal party. The family dynamic was such a warm and inviting experience for me that I couldn’t help being drawn into the excitement of the pending nuptials. We parted that night and I let them know that their order would be completed within two weeks.
After phone calls and arranging calendars, we were finally able to meet this morning. It is a beautiful spring day in Nashville today. Crisp, clean air, blue skies and abundant sunshine…picture perfect. I thought about the bride and her mother as I drove to meet them with their order carefully wrapped. It is such a special feeling to be invited as a small part in someone’s wedding. My jewelry will be in photos for all to see and to me, that is an honor that defies words.
As I walked up to greet the bride and her mother, I was met with heartfelt hugs that one reserves for close friends and I was hooked. These two women had such joy in their hearts that it was one of those overwhelming moments that can only be described as all-consuming happiness. Bear in mind…I’m designing JEWELRY! After getting caught up on the latest details, it was my turn to share the love…
I carefully wrap all of the jewelry in delicate pouches that are gift-worthy regardless of the purchase. My big thing is to make even a paperclip look effortlessly elegant! Another one of the signature touches I like to add revolves around the bridal tradition of wearing “something blue”. How many weddings have we all sat through as the groom hunts and pecks his way through miles of tulle and lace in search of the coveted blue garter? I say ICK and started a new blue tradition with my designs. On each necklace, I add a tiny, almost microscopic, light blue crystal to the design to account for the “something blue” tradition. Simple, yet elegant…
We looked and inspected the custom jewelry for the bridal party and the maid of honor before unveiling (pun intended) the bride’s jewelry. The bride was full of excitement as she carefully tried on her earrings and then reached for her necklace. As her mother helped her put on her necklace, the sunlight caught the blue crystal and there it was… the moment I made the Mother of the Bride cry. With true and honest tears of joy in her eyes, she hugged me as the words were caught in up in emotion. I couldn’t ask for a compliment bigger than that.
