WTW Winner - Jersey Winery Wedding

Thanks so much for all your votes! The purple and black BR dress was a clear standout and I'm super excited to wear it to this weekend's wedding. As you can see, my dress is drycleaned and ready to go, card signed, and gift wrapped. There's only one more thing I need and that's my sister! She is arriving on Friday night from Pittsburgh and I haven't seen her in ages because she just got home from 3 weeks in Europe (lucky girl, I know). I can't wait to pick you up kiddo! We're gonna have a blast at this one.

Perfect Paper: Early Fall

On Saturday I attended a wedding in upstate NY - now you may be thinking "Wait, thats still summer" and yes technically it is, but when you're in upstate NY it's a little cooler and the colors of fall are beginning to show. The Bride and Groom chose gorgeous invitations, which tied in with the chocolate bridesmaid dresses, colorful flowers and traditional woods and neutrals found at the church and country club. All the invitation items came in a convenient brown folder, which the main invitation was glued to on the right and had a pocket on the left for the reception card, response card, and list of weekend events.

The couple also tied their theme into a beautiful and delicious cake. The cake sat on a cake stand printed with the same paper you see on their invitations. Read more about this wedding here.

What to Wear? A Jersey Winery Wedding

My cousin Katie is getting married in early October at a very traditional Catholic Church in central NJ and then her reception is at a nearby winery.  I'm especially excited about this wedding b/c my sister Allison Eve is her photographer, check her out!  Again I need your help deciding what to wear. I've been thinking of wearing this black dress with pearl embroidery.  My friend L.A. has a great Milly dress with pearl embroidery that inspired this purchase. Her dress was a huge hit at a black tie wedding where I was a Bridesmaid in July. Some people frown on wearing black to weddings (unless it's black tie of course) and admittedly I am one of them especially in the summer, but in fall and winter I embrace the classic black. It's also easy to mix up a simple black dress with pearls, turquoise jewelery, or a colorful sash. Fellow Bloggers, what are your thoughts on wearing black at weddings?  I'm also considering wearing the Banana purple and black dress from the WTW post in August. The BR dress received lots of votes last time and I do love it (mostly b/c it's purple), but in the end it just wasn't right for the Labor Day outdoor party setting. So we will give it another chance. Here are your two options, vote away!!!

Simple and classic. Maggy London, Steinmart sale, $59

 I was thinking this could be cool, because it's sorta the color of red wines... haha. Banana Republic, clearance, $49

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