Mother of the Bride: The Dream, the Reality, the Search for a Perfect Dress

by Ilene Beckerman

“An account that is sweetly sentimental and brutally honest, touching and witty—in short, a true gem.” — Publishers Weekly , starred review

“A work that adds great luster to an already golden event.” — The Memphis Commercial Appeal

“Her prose is spare, but rich with meaning and always very honest.” — The Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Pithy wit and cute drawings sketch the happy tears, bittersweet memories and flares of anxiety that a daughter’s wedding elicits.” — The Dallas Morning News

The relationship between a mother and daughter is often fraught— but never so much as during the preparations for that walk down the aisle. Ilene Beckerman has taken that walk with three daughters and tells us—with great wisdom and wit—why childbirth is less painful than planning a wedding.

Genres: Memoir

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Lisa Buie-Collard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Ilene Beckerman’s prior book “Love, Loss , and What I Wore,” because my mother said it was worth reading. I trust her judgment. She was right. It was a good read. This one, too, is a lovely little (literally) book. Ilene Beckerman has the distinct talent of being able to say more with less. My daughter is getting married six months from now and my mother gave me this book for Christmas. And this book is all about mothers and daughters, expectations, hopes, dreams, the past, the future. I like Ilene’s simplicity and how much she says with so few words. I like her illustrations, she does them herself, and they fill the spaces her words leave open. It is a memoir and love story. It is a truth, and a fantasy. I enjoyed it immensely and recommend it. Mother of the Bride: The Dream, the Reality, the Search for a Perfect Dress

[Sallyyang08 · Rating 1 out of 5]

i think this is the BOOK!!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was short and humorous with a lot of pictures. It was written by a mother of the bride about her experience with her daughter's wedding preparations.

[Dean · Rating 1 out of 5]

a collection of her essays. Short, glib not what I expected. Read the first few and then skimmed the rest.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and touching book peppered with light humor. If I were a mom, I would probably have given it 4.5 or 5 stars. I'll share this with my mom now that my sister is engaged.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beckerman details her preparing for her daughters wedding in such a sweet,sad, and heartbreaking way. “ there was no part of my daughter that I didn’t know, hadn’t washed, hadn’t kissed. Now she was annoyed when I brushed her hair out of her eyes.”
Maybe it’s because I just saw the new Barbie movie, but this book brought tears to my eyes, thinking about the relationship between myself and my mother.
It’s such a short and simple read, but it’s so beautiful and heartbreaking in a way. I loved this book.

[Isabelle Erickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was by really cute. I started it and then forgot ab it for a while but it’s by no means a novel so that didn’t really matter. The illustrations were cute and the think the story was very meaningful and true.

[Beverlee Jobrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet. This did bring tears to my eyes a couple times.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me laughing out loud! Loved it!

[Mugs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of hit the mark with my girl getting married in a little over a year. My eyes got a little glassy, smiles came to my face and memories of the last 25 years🩷

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prob a 3.5. I’ve been hearing a lot about this writer, who didn’t start publishing until she was 60. She’s funny and at times, she offers insightful comments about mothers and daughters. This is written in a stream of consciousness style. She also does her own funky illustrations, which are kind of cute. The book is very short—you can read it in 30 minutes. But it’s funny at times and profound at times.

[C.J. Heck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Ilene Beckerman in our local Barnes & Noble, while she was autographing my copy of her book at the time it was newly released. She was charming, funny, attractive, and I immediately admired her spirit.

At the time, I was deep into planning my own daughter's wedding -- a frightful experience -- and I could relate so easily to her words that day, as she read a few passages from her book. It's a loving, honest, insightful and absolutely hysterical look at marriage from the mother's point of view.

One of my favorite lines had to do with her search for a 'mother-of-the-bride' dress: "We went to a bridal fashion show at Bloomingdale's. The models were very tall, very thin, and very flat. They looked like bread sticks. I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror. I looked like a Kaiser roll."

I loved this book and you will, too.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My sister-in-law gave me this book when my daughter was engaged to be married. Obviously the intent was to lighten the mood. It still brings a smile to my lips and good memories of that time.

QUOTE:
All mothers want their daughters to get married.

To most mothers, a daughter in a marriage that's just okay is better than a daughter who's single and happy.

Still, as much as we want our daughters to be married, no woman is prepared for being mother of the bride. I should know. I have married off three daughters.

To tell you the truth, childbirth was easier than being the mother of the bride.

[Gaile · Rating 5 out of 5]

in all my bridal consultants, the mother of the bride was the most nervous. This one is full of advise for nervous mothers.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sweet, funny book.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow up to Love Loss and What I Wore.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An hysterical read - sometimes I laughed, sometimes I cried.

[Brigitte Williamson]

Ilene Beckerman-- my new love