The Wedding
I’ve been to two weddings recently. One morning service, with a lunchtime reception, the other held in a registry office, with a black tie affair for the evening. After the second wedding I decided some women lose their reason when buying an outfit for a special occasion. Otherwise, why would a tiny woman of less than five feet tall wear a hat that must have measured two feet across.

The overall impression was of a large mushroom, especially as the headgear was beige. There was also a very large lady who decided a green concertina wrap would be ideal wear over a tight pink satin dress, the whole topped off with a huge concoction of feathers which swayed in the breeze, causing everyone nearby to sneeze alarmingly. There’s a lesson here. Take care when deciding what to wear. Go for clean lines, choose a hat in proportion to your height, and if your figure’s less than perfect, choose a feminine, flowing style, rather than one which hugs the body and shows off every surplus pound. At both weddings, the mothers of the bride looked superb. Both had chosen elegant long dresses, with fitted jackets which could be removed for the festivities later. They also chose the very latest fashion in headwear. They’re called fascinators, and are tiny clip on arrangements of feathers, the perfect compliment to an attractive hairstyle. Even better, they don’t hide the face when the photographer gets going, and they can be fixed on and forgotten, unlike big hats which can get caught in the wind, and require frequent adjustments.

 

The golden rule for looking good is to choose a classic style, uncluttered, elegant, and understated. This is a look which screams expense, but then, this sort of style won’t date, and can be worn for any number of smart occasions later.

 

The Cruise

And after the wedding, what do the parents of the bride do?

You’re both retired, and what better way to take a well deserved break than a Mediterranean cruise. You’ve compared the cost of a cruise with the cost of comparable travel, hotel accommodation, food and sightseeing, and come to the conclusion that a cruise offers excellent value. Cruise ships travel the world, and each port of call is a new adventure. On board, you’ll be spoilt for choice on the options available for entertainment by day. You meet interesting people, and evening entertainments include movies, dances, Broadway style theatre or casinos. And if you’re worried about what to wear, there’s no need. Modern cruise fashion has become more casual, and unless you’ve opted for a top of the range, luxury cruise, evening dress code is dark suits and cocktail dresses rather than tuxedos and formal evening wear.

Picking the right clothes for a cruise

For a woman
Work out the number of days on board, and pack accordingly. Take the sort of outfits you’d need for a hotel break near the beach, with a few days sightseeing thrown in, and include at least one elegant cocktail dress. Other extras might include work out clothes for those on-board keep fit sessions, walking shoes, shorts, plenty of tops (sleeveless, long sleeved and short sleeved), swim suit and cover up sarong, evening sandals and flip flops.

For a man
Include all the clothes you would normally take for a holiday in a hotel, and remember that you’ll need outfits for sightseeing. Make sure to take one dark suit for evening wear, plus the appropriate number of more formal shirts and ties, black shoes, walking shoes, deck shoes, sandals, slacks, work out clothes and T shirts, windbreaker, sweater, swim suit and flip flops. Packing for a cruise can be slightly more complicated that your usual holiday wear. At sea, the weather can be hot, the evenings cold, and since no one can predict the weather, you may need raincoats for sightseeing. When you’ve finished your packing, relax. Once on board, you’ll only have to unpack once, you’ll be transported to different cities and ports of call without worrying about the best way to get there, you’ll have an unrivalled opportunity to try exotic foods in delightful surroundings, and the only decisions you’ll need to make are which shipboard restaurant to try, and how to spend your day.