Keeping things cool for the kids in your Summer Wedding

A panicked bride called me this morning at 7.30am as I happened to be in the office early – (first day of school for my kids …yeah) to pick up her call.

She was beside herself: not only had the bridal store left her high and dry without her flower girl dresses for the kids in the wedding but she was worried that the poly satin dresses she had ordered would have been too hot for the girls anyhow. HELLO. What August wedding doesn’t average a sweltering 1000 degrees, especially when its your wedding?

Pegeen's Keylime green and navy flower girl dresses by Pegeen.com

I will never forget being a Jr. bridesmaid at my Aunt’s August 23rd wedding about 100 years ago. I wore this horrible thing made of polyester which at the time was quite hip to wear and I know I complained constantly to my mother who was melting in her ensemble as well. Being a little “dressmaker” myself (I learned to sew making Barbie clothes and progressed to matching outfits for myself by 3rd grade), I knew (I am saying this in my best Scarlett O’Hara voice) that I would never wear polyester again.

So, as I was talking to this poor bride calming her down so she knew we would get her the mint green flower girl dresses she needed, making them entirely customized in just 24 hours and out the door to her, I was thinking to myself, that this is another reason why I love silk so much. It is a comfortable fabric all year long. It breathes and is cool in the summer, warm in the winter, irons beautifully when packed into a suitcase for a destination weddings, and is a forgiving fabric when a child spills something on it. I love the luxury of silk, the feel of it and the colors. Cotton is also a wonderful fabric for summer weddings as is linen BUT they do wrinkle terribly.

Well, today my shipping manager got the flower girl dresses over to the airport post office to get them out to the frazzled bride, but I can’t help but wonder, why did she originally choose such a hot fabric such as satin to begin with? By all means, choose fabrics wisely – make sure they are comfortable. It is not easy for children to regulate their body temperatures like adults because they don’t have the developed sweat glands, nor do they understand how to cool off, They become like crayons on a dashboard in summer – and Moms you all know what I am talking about here with the melted crayolas in the most inconvenient places. A recent bride told me that she actually brought ice packs with her to the wedding because she knew the church was not air-conditioned. That may be dramatic but you get the idea. Forget the tights, patent leather shoes, gloves and sleeves. Barefoot in summer? Flip flops and short dresses made of cool fabrics. Go for comfort. What ever you do, let them jump in the ocean after the wedding ceremony and when sending me photos like these adorable ones by please put a caution in the subject like – “open after drinking a glass of wine.”

Tags: beach weddings, green flower girl dresses, Pegeen.com