Mother-In-Law Wears White To Her Son's Wedding, Bride Pays Server After She Ruins Her Dress

When TikTok user Chloe (@chloe_beeee) served at a wedding, she unknowingly became the bride's accomplice.

It was actually the first (and only) ceremony Chloe had worked at. So naturally, she was giving it her all, trying to do her best. However, Chloe accidentally spilled "a boat" of gravy onto the lap of the bride's mother-in-law.

She was devastated. While the mother-in-law went home to change, Chloe cried her eyes out. She thought she had ruined the wedding.

But it couldn't be further from the truth. The bride was so pleased with the incident, she gave Chloe a $75 tip and still says "Hi" every time they meet in the city.

To paraphrase James Gordon, Chloe was the hero the wedding deserved, but not the one it needed. Continue scrolling to learn why the bride was so happy with what had happened.

Michelle Lew of Lavender Crown Events, a wedding planning company servicing San Jose, Silicon Valley, and the surrounding areas, said the majority of brides still prefer a white or cream (ivory) dress. "With whites and creams as common traditions, a wedding is usually the special occasion that girls dream of and reserve the lighter colors for," Lew told Bored Panda. But trends have been changing to include other colors too.

"Recently, there have been more and more brides going the non-traditional route in their planning and their dress! I've seen strong pinks and blues common for brides. At one wedding, the bride wore a gorgeous navy blue ballroom gown with her bridesmaids in cream. The 'flip' of colors was absolutely stunning!"

Michelle said that most of the time, the bride stands out and is the center of the event. So white is generally understood as a 'no no' color for guests to avoid clashing with the bride and stealing their spotlight. "Some brides don't mind other guests or important family members wearing white, though I would certainly ask the bride for confirmation before buying anything white."

Wedding planner Lisa Burton, who has over 14 years of experience throwing weddings abroad, agrees that at almost all weddings, only the bride wears white. "The only time I've witnessed differently is if the bride specifically sets a color theme or dress code for a wedding, for example, the bride and groom may ask everyone to wear a certain color," Burton told Bored Panda. "We planned a wedding in Santorini where all the guests wore blue and white (the colors of the island), but even then only the bride wore all white. "

There is an exception to this. Burton highlighted that it's common for the flower girl to wear white and almost match the bride in style too.

"I had a winter wedding and made the mistake of having my bridesmaids dress in white. This was before I started planning weddings and my slightly younger sister was mistaken as the bride a few times, fortunately not by the groom!"

Jesse of Events By Jesse, a cool gang who offer custom wedding planning, coordinating, and creative services, said there is no more 'typical' in the wedding world. "I am seeing a trend of couple-only planning happen more and more, with parents only becoming involved at the wedding itself." That being said, the groom's mom still tends to be one of the more sensitive roles, as she doesn't have to be too involved, but also doesn't want to feel left out of the fun of planning.

"It truly depends on how the couple has decided to involve parents at all, and the relationship that the bride has with her future mother-in-law," Jesse said. "I've seen great ones where the groom's mom was more a mother to the bride than her own. I've also seen awful ones, where the bride was begging me to start the ceremony 10 minutes early because she was scared her mother-in-law was going to force the groom not to go through with it!"

According to Lew, the mother of the groom (MOTG) is important to the wedding and is typically in charge of planning the rehearsal dinner. Plus, the MOTG is usually responsible for special heirlooms or traditions to pass down through the groom's side of the family. On the day-of, Lew also likes to incorporate the MOTG to have a larger role in the wedding by walking her son down the aisle and having a mother-son dance.

Judging from Chloe's TikTok, this particular bride and her mother-in-law weren't the best team at the wedding. But Lew said there are numerous ways to try and strengthen these relationships.

"It's always great to include the MOTG with the bridal party with getting hair and makeup done together along with the mother of the bride (MOTB) and flower girls," Michelle explained. "Helping the bride get ready can be a very intimate activity, so I always like to suggest that the MOTB helps with the dress and the MOTG helps with the veil. If the bride has a dress with a train, it's always helpful to show both mothers how to bustle. The more help, the better!"

"Often couples will present gifts to the parents to thank them for their support. One of the most touching events is when each newlywed picks a special gift for the other's parents. The groom's parents have created many beautiful memories with their son, so in having the bride present her gifts to the groom's parents (and vice versa with the groom and the bride's parents), a new private connection is made between her and them."

Burton also acknowledged the groom's mom can really help the bride with her pre-wedding duties. "These can be extensive and so it really helps to lighten the bride's load. Whereas the bride's mom is involved directly with her daughter and bridesmaids, the groom's mom can help hugely by managing the guest lists and overseeing the groom and groomsmen," she explained.

"On the day itself, the bride's mom usually gives her full attention to the bride, she is (in most cases) a calming presence for the bride. This means [the MOTG] can be a great help in getting to the venue early and overseeing arrangements, making sure suppliers arrive on time and everything is as it should be, and also welcoming guests as they arrive."

At this point, it's probably safe to say that most weddings in the near future will look different from what we're used to. The pandemic is constantly rearranging everyone's plans, so if you are also trying to get married, be prepared, follow the news closely, and maintain an open conversation with your vendors and guests.

"One thing we like to tell our clients is that it’s not a matter of if, just a matter of when," Alison Laesser-Keck of Alison Bryan Destinations told BRIDES. "Your day will come, and trust us when we say it will be the most amazing thing. When we can all come together and celebrate, there will be nothing else like it."

"We've definitely noticed a trend where people are excited about getting married again, yet they question whether or not they should be booking anything new," Laesser-Keck explained. "It's this weird in-between time where things still feel relatively uncertain and yet we all know the end of this pandemic is near. Unfortunately, whereas last year we thought those willing to take the risk were crazy, now we feel like if you're not willing to lock something in soon, you're probably not going to have the 'dream team' for your wedding in 2022 and will likely have to make some sacrifices (or wait until 2023)."

However, remember that if you don't want the guests to wear white to your big day, it's perfectly fine. As the couple, you set the tone.

Having that in mind, tons of couples are embracing the white-clad wedding party look or asking their parents to wear something that coordinates with their outfits.

Or, maybe you don't even care if your guests wear white. Especially if you're not wearing white yourself. Whatever the case may be, give your guests a heads-up and make the details clear. It really helps to smoothen things out.