Belle’s Family Wedding Weekend Wardrobe

Jun 30, 2016

My little brother is getting married this weekend.  The same little brat who used to break the heads off of my Barbies and demand the crusts removed from his sandwiches is apparently an adult.  Don’t know how I missed the memo on that one…

A family wedding necessitates more costume changes than a Broadway play–especially when your Mother is from the South (all hail!).  So I’ve spent all of my free mental energy over the last three weeks attempting to pull together enough outfits to get through the weekend.  Here is what I’m wearing.

Welcome Dinner

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AG Farrah White Jeans ($178)

It’s supposed to be a casual barbecue.  For most people, that means paper plates.  For my Mother, that means serving only two courses and linens.  White jeans and a fun top bridge the gap between “I know, the invitation said casual” and “She defines that differently than the rest of us.”

I’ll be wearing this cute seersucker top from MinkPink or this print cross neck top from BR.  Game time decisions.  And since it’s Montana, and it’s going to get chilly, a cardigan.

Bride’s Luncheon

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Boden Boho Print Dress ($99)

Something easy.  Something comfortable.  Something that looks like effort went in to getting ready, but you might as well be wearing a night shirt.  Bring on the tunic dress.

Rehearsal Dinner

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Maggy London Print Scuba Dress ($128)

The print is much prettier in person.  I’m wearing it with a pair of tan ankle strap sandals like these ones from Iris and Ink.  I also picked up these pretty moonstone earrings from Kerry Rocks.

Also, can someone please explain to me why we have to practice walking down the aisle?  We’ve all done this 400+ times, right?  Unless Terry Tate Office Linebacker is involved, I think we have this.

Getting Ready

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Aerie Oversized Button Down ($16)

I volunteered to do the bride’s makeup, so that complicates the morning a bit.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned about pre-wedding attire, wear a button up shirt.  Oversized if possible, so it can be removed without damaging hair or makeup.  Also, something you won’t mind throwing away if a bridesmaid throws up on it (2005, don’t ask).

This Aerie shirt is perfect for that.  At $16, it could wind up covered in regurgitated mimosa and/or cream blush, and I won’t care a bit.

Wedding

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Whistles Alisa Lace Dress ($370)

Being the groom’s older sister, this wedding didn’t strike me as the place for a sexy dress.  I was basically looking for something that said “sophisticated spinster.”  This dress is a grown-up take on all those Self-Portrait dresses floating around.  It shows enough skin not to be a nun’s habit without being too much.

I briefly considered this Topshop dress that has a similar look in mauve.  I also love this one, but since my goal was not to stand out, a pink halter dress seemed like a bad idea.

Farewell Brunch

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Iris & Ink Maxi Dress ($100)

A maxi dress and a long necklace… the look the says, “Gee, I want to be in bed with a bottle of Advil right now, but I was forced to eat eggs with relatives who I haven’t seen since Bush was in office.”  Seriously, who schedules an 8:30am brunch the day after a wedding?  Oh yeah, old Baptists who don’t drink.

I’ve mentioned this before, but the side vents in this dress are like your own personal climate control.  Even when it’s 100-degrees out, the draft keeps you cooler than your average maxi dress.

All snark aside, I’m actually looking forward to this wedding.  Though my offer to write the groom a check if he’ll just elope still stands.  Seriously, people, Vegas…

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  1. Emily says:

    Great post! “Itinerary” style is something I’d love to see more of. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Monica says:

    Love it! Sounds like it’s going to be a great time and all your choices are lovely.

  3. Anna says:

    Thanks for the button down!!!! I’ve been looking for beach coverups for my Thailand vacay in August. I’m super pale, so I want to cover the shoulders and arms as much as possible, but I’m not the caftan type. I wanted a loose, breezy button down, but they’re surprisingly hard to find. This is perfect! And the price is better!

    • Stephanie says:

      I got the button down, too– great price and free shipping with Shoprunner. For Thailand, I highly recommend gauzy linen loose pants. I had some cheap ones from Nordstrom (Caslon brand) and I wore them everyday. And that was February– August is hotter!

      • Anna says:

        Interesting, I hadn’t thought about pants. I was planning on flowy dresses for Bangkok (and sticking a pair of black running capris and a scarf if we stop at temples) and checking out those flowy shorts that seem to be all over the place now (haven’t tried any on yet, so we’ll see how they actually look on me). I like the idea of covering my legs from the sun for a bit though.

  4. Jenn S. says:

    I’d understand the necessity of the rehearsal if you had a bunch of wedding novices in the party but if not? Pish posh, I say. Hell, my bridesmaids were novices and most of the groomsmen were, too – and everything was fine.

    So many events though, my goodness. A separate bridal luncheon? And the brunch timing is positively cruel.

  5. Taylor says:

    This is lovely. I have a wedding to attend this weekend as well. You’ve helped my packing a ton, thanks!

  6. Erica says:

    I love the black and white BR top for the BBQ, for whatever my opinion is worth! You can never go wrong with searsucker … but the silk top steps it up a bit.

  7. SM says:

    Great idea for a post! LOVE the dress you chose for the wedding.

  8. Lauren says:

    All great outfits, and I think your dress for the wedding is gorgeous! Enjoy yourself!

  9. AM says:

    Belle, I’ve noticed you recommend AG more often now than Paige. Just curious for the reason behind the switch.

    • Belle says:

      I really need a higher rise Jean as I age, so I made the switch. I still like the Paige jeans but I’ve been mostly wearing AG Farrah’s.

  10. WBH says:

    All hail, indeed.

  11. Valerie says:

    Love this. My sister got married a couple weeks ago and it took me three times longer than usual to pack for the weekend. I’ll be saving your post for future packing purposes.

    The worst clothing mistake I ever made was wearing dark jeans to the brunch after a college friend’s Atlanta wedding. The invitation said casual, but only two of us (from the Northeast) weren’t in sundresses. #southerncasual indeed.

  12. White pants for a BBQ? You are clearly not the klutzy eater I am!?

  13. Roxy says:

    So is your guy attending as a plus one? 🙂 and if so, will his outfit coordinate with your outfit for the wedding?

  14. Jess says:

    Amen to the elope. Wish I’d done it when I got married!

  15. s says:

    congrats on your brother’s marriage! i love this post – great choices of outfits. i probably need to plan my clothes in advance for all these mini-events; i had never thought about it, but weddings have sooo many different things to go to, which means different outfits – it all makes my head spin. eloping sounds like a great idea…ha!

  16. lindsay says:

    That dress for the wedding is insane. Love it. Wish I wore it to my sister’s wedding two weeks ago.

  17. lulu says:

    Brunch is supposed to be between breakfast and lunch. 8:30 is not a brunch, and the day after a wedding, I can’t even imagine. I sympathize!

  18. b says:

    I love this post! So perfect and timely. Has anyone seen a similar maxi with short sleeves that would fit an XL? I don’t need plus size, just bigger than a UK14.

  19. Nancy says:

    Great idea and very useful post. Hope all off well, and that you will report on what worked and didn’t–for you and others–in a subsequent post!

  20. ChicaJay says:

    I have almost bought this dress a few times, but am petite and afraid that without a waist, I will get lost in it. Can you comment on the fit for petite a please? Thank you.

  21. Alex says:

    Love the dress for the wedding but can you wear black to a wedding? I thought black and white were both off limits. Black because funerals and white because that’s for the bride.

    • Valerie says:

      The dress Belle mentioned is navy blue, I believe.

      I know black used to be off-limits for weddings/limited to funerals, but it seems like it really depends on the location of the wedding. If you’re going to an evening city wedding in cocktail or black-tie attire, it’s not quite as taboo.

  22. Taryn says:

    Did your brother get married on July 3rd like I did? 🙂

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