WTW Winner - Labor Day Weekend Wedding

Wow that's a lot of Dubyas. After tabulating the votes from last week's WTW and reviewing the wedding itinerary a bit more, I've decided to wear...

Lilly on Friday (still can't pick which one - will have to be a spur of the moment thing with consultation from my wedding weekend roomie, The Tipster)

CK on Saturday:

And MK on Sunday:

Thanks for all your votes!!! Look for more WTW (What to wear) episodes coming in September - I have two October weddings, two weeks in a row, BRING IT ON!

What to wear? A new series

The main part of wedding season has come to a close, and now I have a few upcoming off-season weddings to attend as a guest.  As fun as being a Bridesmaid is, I am relieved to be a simple guest for the next few months. However, one thing I struggle with when I'm not a Bridesmaid is what to wear. Today I went to Steinmart in search of a deal and I found two great dresses (with assistance via text from Bex). Then when I got home I started to think about where I would wear my new dresses. This led to another text exchange with my friend J-mandy, and then to me thinking up this new feature.

So up first is a wedding on Labor Day weekend: my friends from college Liz and Tim will wed in his hometown of Rochester, NY. I went to their engagement party last fall, you may remember the story. The Bride and Groom's families are very generously including out-of-town guests in a Friday night party, the wedding itself on Saturday and a BBQ at a lake house on Sunday. I'm so excited about all these fun events. But what to wear? I have 2 options for each of the 3 events. Please vote in the comment section, thanks :D

(please forgive the BB pics, I live alone and my digi doesn't have a self timer)

Friday night cocktail party at Groom's parents' home:

Banana Republic jersey and satin cocktail dress, BR clearance $49

Lilly Pulitzer beaded Jubilee dress, LP store $378

Saturday Ceremony - Catholic Church/Reception - Country Club:

Aqua full length sexy back Calvin Klein, Marshalls $40

Navy ruffled Eliza J, Nordstrom sale $69

Sunday BBQ at the Lake House:

Michael Kors maxi dress, Steinmart sale $48

Lilly Pulitzer cotton sundress, Warehouse sale 2010 $69

Happy Anniversary to me

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I started this blog!! Since then I've attended 12 weddings, been a MOH twice, thrown 6 showers/bachelorettes and learned a great deal. This year the blog will begin to focus more on saving money as you plan weddings, participate as an attendant or go as a guest. You've seen a little of this already with this summers DIY Bachelorette Accessories posts and it will continue in my new series beginning tomorrow about clothes. I have a bad habit of buying something new every single time I have a party or event, so I am going shopping tomorrow for dresses and then I'm not allowed to buy another dress until Christmas. My challenge is to dress for 4 weddings, a few showers, and a couple of bachelorettes in that time with clothes I already have and what I can buy tomorrow for less than $100 total. Bring it on!!

Perfect Paper: Formal Letterpress

My friend Crystal had a very formal and traditional wedding in Washinton, DC this summer. She and her husband were wed in a traditional Catholic Church and then we proceeded to an elegant reception at the historical Willard Hotel downtown. Below you can see her formal invitation, which was letterpressed in black on off white heavy card stock. The invitation set the tone for the ceremony and reception. Guests weren't quite in black tie, but it was certainly formal - just what the couple wanted.

Other examples of gorgeous paper are their programs, menus and favor tags.

Lilly Wedding Dresses

I could not be happier about this latest development. Lilly Pulitzer's FB account just confirmed the rumors I heard swirling at this year's Warehouse Sale in June - Lilly Wedding Dresses are a reality! I've never been happier to be yet unwed, to think someday I'll have these to choose from as well, HOORAY! In no particular order, here are my top 5 (all pics via Lilly Pulitzer):