wedding outfit

Trina Turk dress:beautiful view!

My 2011 Wedding Dress

No, I'm not getting married again. I'm talking about the dress I'm wearing to attend weddings this year.

I have 5 weddings to attend in 2011 (not counting my sister's), and somehow they are all different groups of people. And since I am so very frugal... Hey, stop laughing. Stop! I am frugal. Sometimes. Kind of. Maybe? Hey, this is my blog and I can say what I want to. So let's just go with it.

Ahem, as I was saying, since I am so very frugal, I thought I would buy just ONE dress this year and wear it to all the weddings. Since they were different groups of people in attendance, they wouldn't know about my dress rewearage. Well, except for me posting pics on facebook. And I just outed myself here. I guess there goes that plan.

Well, be that as it may, in person they will only be seeing the dress once.

Finding the right dress to make it through the year was a tall order. I had many requirements, not the least of which was being able to wear a real bra with straps. In my nursing-hood at the moment, the girls need ample support, and I must have straps. And clearly it had to be very smashing.

After much searching I found the perfect dress. And, to keep with the Pippa Middleton trend for wedding attendance this year, it has cap sleeves. I'm telling you, people, sleeves are the way to go this year. I'm also quite smitten with the bow belt.

Tadashi Shoji, $355

Reader Question: Formal Wedding

I have a formal wedding in Spain this year and I need a formal dress to wear - these Spaniards get really dressed up and I need a full length gown. Please help!

Formal, black tie, white tie, ball attire - gowns are what you need. Trouble is, for some reason, gowns can look super old lady or super bridesmaidy. Lucky for you, I've culled the internets to find some options just for you. Check them out below!

Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent, was $396, sale $198

Tibi, was $886, sale $620.20

Robert Rodriguez, $895

Catherine Malandrino, $795

Alice + Olivia, $495

David Meister, $578

Tadashi Shoji, $818 *

Kara Janx, $420 @

Max and Cleo "Anika" gown. Yup, that's really its name. $158*

Nicole Miller, $510 - I'm really digging formal printed gowns

Aidan Mattox, $375*

David Meister, $425

BCBGMAXAZRIA, $498

Tadashi Shoji, $808 @

Aqua, $248

JS Collections, $198 *

Aidan Mattox, was $338, sale $149.90

JS Collections, $198

@ Available in more colors

* EWP Fave

Two Dresses for a Kim

Whilst I've been stay at home momming it, I've had little reason to go out fancy dress shopping. I've had to steer clear of dry clean only clothing for the most part. When you're covered in drool and other things on a daily basis, the dry cleaning bills would just be too much.

But that doesn't mean that the need for shopping has left me, so when my friend Kim called me up and asked her to find some dresses for a couple of events she had coming up, I was all in.

First up: a casualish summer outdoor wedding. And I think we found something so very perfect. I love this dress so much I almost bought it for myself, but had nowhere to wear it. It's so very 50s housewife. And you know I love that. Kimmers got it in navy.

Taylor Dresses, $138

Event #2: a cocktail attire gala. I just heart that word gala. And I also heart one-shoulder dresses. And I heart rosettes. YUM! Kimmers is quite the fit lady, and is training for the 2012 Paralympics in London, so she definitely has the shoulders and arms for this dress. She looked HAWT in it. Swoon. If only I had something to wear a one-shouldered rosette dress to. And had the body for it :)

Jessica Simpson, $148 @

@Available in more colors

Reader Question: Silver Strappy Heels

I need some silver strappy heels for a wedding I'm in. But I don't want to spend a fortune. Please help!

We continue our wedding season posts with something many of you might need help with - bridesmaid shoes. You may not be able to pick out your dress, but at least you can pick out your own shoes. So better make them as hot as possible :)

Here are a variety of strappy silver heel options I've culled from the interwebs, all $175 or less. I've even thrown in some lower heel options, taking into consideration you'll be on your feet for a very long day and night. I'm nice like that.

Via Spiga, was $119.90, sale $99.90

Pierre Dumas, was $50, sale $24.99

Nine West, $49

Nina, $79

Naturalizer, $64.95

Magdesians, was $119.95, sale $59.90

Ivanka Trump, $149.95

Glint, $89.95

Glint, $129.95

Badgley Mischka, $175*

Dolce Vita, $169.95

Calvin Klein, $98.95*

Badgley Mischka, $175

*EWP Fave

Royal Wedding Week - The Bridal Party

Unlike we Americans, the British royals (or is it Brits in general?) have little kiddos as their bridal party, with an adult maid of honor and best man. This made for utter beyond belief cuteness. Why just have a flower girl and ring bearer, when you can have an entire bridal party of wee ones adorned in flowers? Heart. The children chosen were various godchildren of the Prince and children of close friends, like the Prince's personal secretary's son.

But enough about the children, if one person was the unlikely star of the Royal Wedding it was Pippa Middleton, Royal Wedding Child Wrangler, Maid of Honour, and little sister to the Duchess of Cambridge.

[Maid of Honour Pippa flanked by bridesmaidsGrace van Cutsem (daughter of Will's pal Hugh) and Eliza Lopes (Camilla's granddaughter), both 3]

The girl is STUNNING. Absolutely beautiful. And there was many a person who proposed a second royal wedding between Maid of Honour Pippa and Best Man Prince Harry. They do make a good looking couple. Pippa is WAY cuter than that trashy Chelsy Davys character.

My main complaint about the MOH, though, was the colour of her skin. Yes, colour, not color. This is a British wedding afterall. The girl was orange. And y'all know how I feel about that in general, but at a royal wedding it was even more unseemly. Don't point out that you're a commoner, Pippa! Ditch the orange!

But the dress. Oh the dress. Pippa, like her sister, wore a gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. It was of a heavy, ivory satin-based crepe, with a cowl front and with the same button detail and lace trims as the Bride's dress. Hands down, I think this dress will be even more copied than Catherine's wedding dress.


The gown fit her like a glove. It was simple and elegant, but a complete show-stopper in its lack of adornment. *sigh*

The drape, the sleeves. SLEEVES, ladies! I'm all about sleeves these days. Especially for a classy wedding. Enough with strapless gowns, give me sleeves or give me death!

Oh, yeah, there were also little boys in the bridal party, wearing the same uniform as the Prince.

Pippa must be a very nice person because these little girls did seem so comfortable with her. I'm sure the little 3 year olds were totally freaked by the huge event, but Pippa wrangled them so well.

And she didn't even trip on the stairs while she did her wrangling in that very fitted gown. Impressive.

Seriously, the children are melting me with their cuteness.

This is my favoritest bridesmaid picture. Look at the little girl on the left. Hahahahahhaha. She is so not into the loud cheering. Poor thing.

And one more shot of the Best Man, because, honestly, Harry is so the hot prince. Who would've foresaw that 10 years ago?

So what'd you think of Pippa? Gorgeous? Too orange? Loved the dress? Found it too bridal? Sound off in the comments.