27 dresses (or might as well be)

If you're looking for me this summer, there are 3 potential parties I have been at nearly every weekend since March - a shower, a bachelorette, or most often, a wedding. Between the husband and I, we have gotten our groove on at 7 bachelor/bachelorette parties, made paper plate bouquets at 5 bridal showers (that would be me- he is a mess when it comes to ribbons and bows, but he is surprisingly gifted at flower arrangements!), practiced our (very important) parts at 2 rehearsal dinners, and dressed to impress at 11 weddings. And you know what that means - 11 different dresses! I would never, ever repeat. This also means 11 different shirt/tie combinations for the husband, all of which must coordinate with my dress (obviously). All in all, being a wedding invitee has been my part time job this season, and my other part time job has been wardrobing the two of us! Luckily my real full time job is still around to fund all of the above.

Are you too a professional wedding guest? Does your refrigerator look a little scary like mine (see left!)? I'll give you some helpful hints- I spent a lot of time, but not a lot of money, at Nordstrom Rack (which is now online, PS!). I stocked up on dresses when our brand new Rack opened (conveniently RIGHT next to my Nordstrom office) in March, and successfully avoided those dreadful times when you run into someone wearing YOUR dress at the same party (the WORST). Here is where I conveniently bought the husband a new shirt hours before not one but two weddings. I also scoured other low-price/high fashion places like Forever, H and M (website now has new fall collection- go take a peek!) and TJ Maxx. I wasn't AS successful at these locations, but picked up a few solid pieces to get me through the wedding event whirlwind. 

Fashionistas, we must get creative! I made different combinations out of some oldies but goodies for showers and bachelorettes. I picked up accessories (like a gold clutch from H and M) that I literally used at every wedding. I used old(er) shoes that I knew I could dance the night away in. Ok, and I also bought some new shoes! (I always be grateful to Jenna for "making" me buy gold shoes for her wedding- best bride request ever!)

Last - this is where I reveal my true OCD - I planned. I made a little list at the beginning of the season with what dress matched up with what wedding. There was major coordination (and onset insanity) at this point, but my system worked and that's all that mattered!

Here a few recent dos and donts I acquired during my endless summer:

• do not ever, ever drive to a wedding alone. What did people DO before cell phones? Better question- what do people DO when cell phones have no service in foreign (and by foreign, I mean Hood Canal) locations? Three forms of directions later, fellow wedding guests found me in the side of the road, lost and in tears! Google maps and I are no longer friends.
• do learn how to curl hair. Do always bring a curling iron and straightener. Do realize that if you have a pixie cut, you are automatically the official hair-curler for every other head in the bridal party. During my dear friend's torrential downpour wedding, I recurled 6 heads probably 6 times. Note: rain wilts curls! But it will be OK if you bring a little pixie along to save the day.
• Bonus points- learn to do an up do! I took my friend's Rapunzel- length strawberry blonde hair and transformed it from a knotted hairspray nest to a loose, elegant updo - all in less than 15 minutes! I probably should have charged her but was feeling generous that day, you know, with the love in the air and all.
• do make sure the bride and groom have (proper) champagne. There is nothing worse than making a gorgeous bride drink Cooks on the best day of her life.
• dont forget to count your drinks!  One per hour is plenty! I don't think I need to go any further on this one. Or I just don't want to. ;)
• (please) do iron your significant other's ensemble. I have seen way too many wrinkled boys this summer to count. Boys - if you don't have significant other, invest in an iron!
• do follow proper wedding etiquette- RSVPs and gifts are not optional. And that's that.

Until next summer, that is...

Sweet, sweet season of weddings

Well fashionistas, we’re in the midst of sale season, which we all know keeps us busy enough, but now we are in the dead heat of my other favorite season – nope, you know me better than to think it would be something as trivial as “summer.” Wedding season is officially in full swing! I kicked it off on Saturday, when one of my nearest and dearest friends (you may remember her as the sparkly Vegas bachelorette) wed her high school sweetheart on the 4th of July. Fortunately for me, she chose a darling sunshine yellow dress, and the nicest-bride-ever let us pick our own shoes! Of course, I went with the sky-high Charles by Charles David camel colored heels with gold accents. Perfect for looks, not so perfect for my walk down the bumpy grass aisle… never mind that. (However, if in the market for something that will take you from 5'1 to 5'6, visit his website.)

However, most times we attend weddings, we are not part of the privy bridal party, and must get dressed on our own. Here is where I come to the rescue…

A few helpful hints to help you look almost as cute as these people from Martha Stewart Weddings magazine (see pic above - they are adorable):

1. Select your outfit sometime other than the DAY OF the wedding. Picking something out an hour before is an obvious recipe for disaster. I've been there, and ended up frantically buying duct tape at a gas station to hold my dress to my chest... try waking up with that situation in the morning!

2. While you’re behaving as a good fashionista, creating the perfect ensemble a few days prior to the big event, do your research! Most of the vital stats can be learned from the invitation – so make sure your husband/lover/roommate/mother/dog/whoever does not throw that precious piece of paper away! The time of the ceremony is a major hint; afternoon = more casual, after 5 = more dressy, probably cocktail-ish. The location of the reception is another giveaway; outside = more casual, downtown hotel or venue = more dressy. And, since you are a few days out, if you are super confused, you have time to call someone who would know the answer, but would probably be too VIP on the day of the wedding to talk to you.

3. Please dress your mate appropriately. Whoever is the “true” fashionista in the relationship (and I know there are many men who fill this important role), make sure your outfits coordinate. For example, when you go with the girl in the sunshine dress, you don’t wear a dark, dreary winter suit. (I am proud to report that this was not us! The husband showed up dressed to IMPRESS this time, and I have pictures to prove it! I just can't figure out how to get them off the camera.) You can take a cue from my best-dressed hubby; summer, outdoor wedding, accompanying a date in bright cotton dress… boy’s outfit translates to: cute khaki-ish pants (not straight, old fashioned khakis, but ones with a slight pattern or texture – I love any of the chino styles from j.crew), light-colored striped button-shirt, brown leather slip on shoes, and brown belt. Effortless.

4. Yes, wedding season can be stressful, chaotic, busy – like I said, it can overtake your summer, just like our treasured sales! However, under NO circumstances should you attend a wedding with overlapping guests in the EXACT. SAME. OUTFIT. That, my fashionistas, is a faux-pa we just cannot forgive. So make a note on the calendar, take a Polaroid, do what you must, but when you are celebrating this summer, you better be doing so in something different each time around. (With resources like your friend’s, sister’s, mom’s closets, Target, H and M, Forever 21… trust me, you can make it happen.)

And this, my fashionable friends, is how it's done. Instead of struggling with style, you will SAIL right through the beloved wedding season, making me proud along the way.