Mother of the bride(s)

A wide range of emotions can accompany wedding dress shopping, and while the Vieselmeyer family was browsing gown options for Megan, it’s only natural that older sister Erin had her own wedding ideas tucked in the back of her mind.

Her engagement came sooner rather than later, and mother of the bride Michelle Vieselmeyer suddenly became mother of the brides — plural — with two weddings planned for two daughters in mid-2021.

“It was a special year for our family. One we will never forget,” said Michelle.

Megan, a 2015 Holyoke High School graduate, got engaged to Jared Schipper in February 2020, after an elaborate scavenger hunt, with the help of the youngest Vieselmeyer sibling, Kristin, that ended at Homesteaders Park in Holyoke. They knew they wanted to get married in the summer, said Michelle, so they began planning a June 19, 2021, wedding that would take place in Holyoke.

Several months after that engagement announcement, Megan and Kristin were instrumental in helping Kyle Carper pull off an engagement surprise for Erin, a 2013 HHS grad, at Ballyneal Golf Club outside of Holyoke. Even though Megan’s upcoming nuptials were already on the 2021 calendar, “I don’t think they hesitated,” said Michelle. The couple wanted to utilize a holiday weekend, and they began planning for a Sept. 4, 2021, wedding — also in Holyoke.

Let the tandem Vieselmeyer wedding planning commence!

“Erin and Megan had some different ideas about how they wanted their wedding to be different, but they also helped each other a lot with some things and were great about sharing ideas,” said Michelle.

Michelle gave all the credit to Erin and Megan, saying that they’re both very organized women and there weren’t any major dilemmas, drama or debacles during the wedding planning. We tried to focus on one person at a time, said Michelle.

If you’ve ever planned ONE wedding,  you know how much work goes into it. How about TWO? Michelle’s advice to other mothers of the bride: prepare, prepare, prepare! Reserve venues and services as soon as possible, and if you don’t want the stress of doing things yourself, there are definitely people who can help you — even in a small town!

“If you can do local, it’s nice,” said Michelle. “We’re really blessed to have the facilities we have in Holyoke.”

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