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My 35-year-old sister is planning on wearing a white peplum top with white trousers instead of a traditional bridal gown. My parents are beside themselves because they are paying for her over-the-top wedding in Newport this summer. As the matron of the bride, I am the monkey in the middle. Shouldn’t she be able to wear what she wants? Our parents are paying all the bills and  insisting that she wear a bridal gown. Ugh! How do I broker a compromise?

–KG, Palm Beach, FL

Lucky you, you’re going to have to sit your parents down and update them on the various trends in weddings today. Start by saying that their lovely daughter doesn’t envision herself at 35-years-old donning a big girl’s prom dress with a cathedral length veil. Tell them she’s not going to be the typical bride walking down the aisle in a traditional frilly white ball gown wedding dress. Add that your sister has a more modern vision of herself.

Meanwhile, talk to your sister about the various choices she has in choosing pants to wear instead of a bridal gown. If she’s looking for a no-nonense aerodynamic outfit, palazzo pants (above) are a wonderful option. The same would be true of a pair of stunning and flattering satin, silk, or linen trousers, a jumpsuit or pantsuit.

Another option, is to wear something similar to what Amal Alamuddin wore when she married George Clooney; two outfits, trousers (see upper left photo) to the ceremony and a dress to the reception. The palazzo pants below are a comfortably contemporary alternative for any bride.

~Didi