First Communion fashion advice needed.

[LynetteScavo]

Are silver shoes (for DD, not me!) a massive no...

...and what is your DD wearing in her hair/on her head?

Hello, can I join you?

DD is making her First Holy Communion this year and I am, to be honest without much of a clue as I was received into the Church as an adult.

My dh insists that he can't remember his FHC, or his sisters Dh's family really will expect everything to be 'right' and I know I could ask them what 'right' is, but I want to do this by myself if that makes sense.

We have a really, very beautiful dress (purchased second hand, and no way I could afford it's £250 original price tag) that makes me cry just looking at it.

I have been watching all of the FHC children presented in Chruch for the last 10 years, but have never really paid attention to detail, and I know it will be this detail that mil will notice

I am very aware that the most important thing is not the dress, hair, shoes et al, but I want this day to be special, it feels like such a big, grown up step and dd is so very excited about it. I don't want to let her down.
Any tips, suggestions must do's/do not's would be greatly appreciated.

Hahaha @ the fairylights! I am sooo tempted to stick some up DDs skirty for a laugh

3birthdaybunnies, I might join you with attempting a croquembouche. It can't be that hard, surely!

I also have a DH who can't remember his first communion, and even told me he'd never had one. But then he didn't know who his Godparents were (I know he's definitely baptised because I have his baptism certificate)

Oh, and one more question....does the cake have to be plain sponge? DD's asked for chocolate with white icing!

As we have got to the fairy light stage in this conversation, are we expected to do party bags/ favours? Not too sure on the format of the party yet, my preference with a delicate croquembouche is obviously at home, dh was thinking of getting a hall (our house is quite small, but we do have a small garden too). Do you think I need to do a cake as well as the croquembouche Lynette ? I can't see why you can't use chocolate, I make rainbow cakes hidden under a layer of icing, it makes a fun surprise.

For birthday parties I don't usually do tat, but e.g. For ds birthday we did poundland buckets. There are tacky favours online which aren't what I would give, wondered about a tea light and holder, I could give a small plant to symbolise new life, but I can only grow aloe vera. Are you doing party bags/favours, if so what?

3birthdaybunnies, I think if you are going to the croquembouche, you won't need a cake as well...all very continental. My Irish in-laws would probably be grumbling about where the "proper" cake was, though.

No way am I doing party bags/favours! And I do pride myself of great party bags for birthday parties.

I'm joining forces with dds best friend's mother and we're having as do at her house. Neither of us have any kids in the family but our own and all their classmates will be having their own parties so itmakes more sense for the girls' sakes to have a joint party.

We're both spectacularly disorganised though so it will be all done the day before no doubt with us running around like headless chickens!

Hi, have you seen this Holy Communion website, they have lots of pretty Holy Communion dresses and accessories.

Thanks Lynette no Irish contingent to worry about, all French or English. Good news re party bags too, likewise I pride myself on party bags, but seems a bit wierd for this, but when you look on line there seem to be loads of things, they all look quite tacky though. I realise though reading it back that a poundland bucket and spade set might not be considered to be the height of sophistication either!

I'm not RC either, both DPs parents are dead and his sister is useless so I don't have a clue really. We've just had an extension on our house so am hoping we can find done money to decorate it before DD1s FHC, in estranged from my Mum (long story) so that leaves hardly any family, TBH I would probably just have my friends there but there's loads of them and about 25 DC between us.

DD1 would have loved a gypsy dress when trying them on she did ask for more sparkles.

Lynette - DD2 makes hers next year and year and says she wants to wear a kilt like the boys. She wears all boys clothes right to her underwear, I might get away with the plainest white dress ever.

Ok, so I have an update, if anyone is interested. (DH certainly isn't!)

I didn't go for the £££ hand made dress form the US.

I ordered a "white" dress,bolero, cardigan & veil over the internet. When they arrived the were ivory . DH decided it was the loveliest dress ever, and I shouldn't change it. I was very unsure about it not being white.

Anyway, I was passing a local children's shop which sell FHC dresses today, popped in, DD tried on on, and I nearly cried....it's so lovely. It's satin (which I'm not usually keen on) and longish (which I'm not usually keen on) but mostly plain with a few sequins. It's very "first communion", but DD looks lovely in it. I am keeping the very short veil I already ordered, rather than go with a longer one which was being sold with the dress, as I don't wan't DD to look too formal, if that makes sense.

And the most important bit...DD who doesn't do dresses thinks it's great!

I did order some ivory shoes from JL to go with the ivory dress, but I think they may need to go back.

I have ordered printed invitations (get me!) Only 10, but I don't know that many people, lol!

I am thinking of having a cake made professionally. I'm not that good at cakes, and I can't find any tasteful cake toppers, (links to tasteful cake toppers appreciated), but we'll have to see how much money is in the bank. I'm thinking of a white icing, with a colourful spnge (chocolate/pink/rainbow layers) on the inside to represent DD's personality.

Now, what have I forgotten?

LynetteScavo my dd1 is making hers next month. She tried the dress, short veil on for my Mum and Nana and they both cried I could barely speak

Glad your dd loves the dress. I was really lucky with dds, got in on the sale rack of a local shop, have shoes and socks to get yet but after being a bit meh about it am now quite excited.

Can I bump this up please, for I can put off organising no longer.

Dd does hers on 19/5. We are frockless and in Italy.

Can anyone give me any names of UK based shops/online sellers who do white/ivory but not long? Have looked at the usual suspects, M and S, John Lewis, as well as traditional FHC shops but they are so very frilly.

This thread has reminded me of Monsoon though so I'll head over there right now!

NotTreadingGrapes I would love to help, but the short, non frilly white dress is mysical thing...a bit like a unicorn. You hear about them, but you never see them!

What do the girls in Italy tend to wear?

NEXT have ivory

The "Grace" dress in Monsoon is very nice, but Ivory not white.

I really like this one

What about this calf length dress from BHS. It looks like the largest size left is age 7 though.

Or this one from Debenhams.

This one is gorgeous from Amazon of all places and they ship to Italy.

Oh, I like all of those! There are loads on Amazon that are nice.

I liked the Grace Monsoon one but don't know if cream will raise eyebrows. I found a nice Tulip and Nettle one as well, that is gorgeous but poss a bit too ethereal and fairylike.

Lynette- they tend to go for the whole bride-of-Christ thing, but without veils (from what I've seen in recent years) It's less the frock, and more the whole "do" that I find Dd's friend's mother will end up having a nervous breakdown I'm sure, in January she made her husband take 2 weeks off work so they could buy all the clothes, book the "reception" (yup, like a wedding) organise the photographer and hairdresser for the day (in May) I will no doubt be that mother dashing out of the door shrieking "have you brushed that hair?"

Thing is, they all wear a parish-issue tunic anyway over the top, so all the frockery is for the benefit of the "do" afterwards, which we are doing ourselves at dp's sister's country house. (not as glam as it sounds, it's basically a bed and breakfast with a garden!)

I will let you know what we decide on, as I must order this week, so as to be able to take to granny-seamstress in case of alterations.

(friend's mum is already doing rehearsals! bonkers I tell ya)

I think fresh flowers look beautiful as a hair accessory, instead of tiara/veil. You can buy a plain hairband and wind some gypsophila around it, or put a few tiny white roses on a slide or comb. So pretty, fresh and age-appropriate

Ours is in two weeks [eek]

She has a dress, long gloves (because she's so scrawny a bolero just doesn't look right), veil, tights and shoes. I did a trial run of her hair at easter and it turns out if she sleeps in the rollers it comes out lovely so that will save us some time on the morning. Bouncy castle is orders, her bfs sister is getting them a giant cupcake cake, bfs mother is sorting the booze so we just need to sort the food now.

Ours take the dresses off straight after the service so I need to root out a nice outfit for the rest of the day and I need shoes for myself but other than that we're good I think.

Can I also ask what you mothers-of-the-communicant are wearing?

I don't do frocks y'see, and it's going to be hot. Gah.

I'm wearing a black and beige dress with 3/4 sleeves, sort of 60s style, a few inches above the knee. I'm desperately trying to find a pair of black shoe boots to go with as it's too leggy for church with normal heels.

The mothers around here go all out, get their hair done at the hairdressers that morning and everything, I'm not sure I'll be glam enough but it was the best I could do on an extremely limited budget!

Yep, same here. Hairdressers are apparently all booked already.

I'll be chomping at my fringe with the kitchen scissors as usual I expect.

I was wondering if a posh-ish tunic and trousers would be OK for me. Will be too hot for tights and I only wear dresses (of the woolly ones with woolly tights and boots) in winter.

Lynette, I made a bible cake for dd's and it was really easy and looked awesome and very Holy

My other dd does hers next year and wants a micro mini short dress. Haven't seen any

Another question!

Do you do the equivalent of party bags in the UK? (little souvenirs of the day, like a photo frame or a dust collecting tacky ornament?

Because I have to get them as well.

No we don't do party bags, well I haven't heard of it. I'm in NI. I will pass on a tip I heard from dd1s teacher yesterday - get the girls to practise kneeling down in the dress. Apparently last year there were quite a few ripped hems, bows etc with shoes getting caught up in the hems.

Ordered our "souvenirs" last night from the parish, nice little handmade wooden crosses painted bright colours from a co-operative thingy in Brazil.

Picked up tunic as well. Bit long but she has 6 weeks to grow!

Wiggles... I hadn't even thought of that it's a borrowed dress so wouldn't like to hand it back in shreds! Thanks for the warning

Ntg... I'm trying to resist the urge to hack at my hair as it never ends well! Going to dye it this weekend and hope for the best