Need quick advice - attire to wear to wedding

[Shari]

etiquette is NOT my thing. I grew up on a pig farm...

I am going to my ex-brother-in-law's wedding at 5 tonight. The roads are icy and its a 3 hour drive in good weather (I'm leaving here in about 30 minutes to account for road conditions).

The bride is wearing a cream suit. The groom is wearing a suit. The attendants are each of the couples daughters, they are wearing satin and organza dresses (I MADE THEM!!!)

What should I wear??? I wnt to wear something nicer than jeans, but I'm not about to drive up there in "dressy" clothes, which means I'll have to change in a gas station somewhere. The groom assures me jeans are fine. Will a nice pair of new jeans and a sweater and jewelry really be ok?? ACK I hate this.

 

[SaraT]

If you don't want to wear jeans, do you have a comfortable pair of slacks? I agree that long a drive in a dress is for the birds. I would try a comfortable pair of slacks with a nice top(sweater, dress shirt, whatever you have), and some jewelry to dress it up. JMHO

 

[mstang67chic]

I agree.......nice pants (even khakis) would be fine. Or if you have a nice pair of jeans, do you have a blazer? That wouldn't be bad either.

 

[Shari]

Oh....a blazer. What a great idea. And a solution to a lot of dilemmas!

I hate dressing for things like this, mostly cause I'm just so BAD at it!

 

[Lothlorien]

I've been to a wedding in the mid-west and was surprised at how casual people dressed. I saw jeans and hiking boots. Of course, we were dressed up (not like we dress here) and I felt uncomfortable, but my kids and my husband were in the wedding party and were also dressed up. I felt like I needed to be a little more formally dressed. I got a lot of stares in my blue satin dress.

I'm sure a pair of nice slacks and a nice shirt with a blazer would be perfectly fine.

 

[trinityroyal]

I was going to suggest the same thing as Mstang. If you have a pair of jeans in a darker wash, even black jeans, you can throw on a pretty blouse, sweater or even a t-shirt in a pretty colour under it.

Wear boots or whatever you need for the weather, and take along a pair of cute shoes in a little bag.

You'll look smashing. No matter what you have on your back, if you have a smile on your face and joy in your heart, you'll look radiant.

Have a great time!

Trinity

 

[Star*]

Shari,

I think you are a swine human=being. (little hog humor - snort)

Dark jeans - blouse, blazer and comfy shoes. I agree with the others -

No dress in icy roads -

Sew you sew - do you sew, sew-sew or are you a seamstress.

 

[Shari]

Star, are you poking fun at my upbringing? Cause it stunk.
(literally!!!!)

Dad always said it "smelled like money".

As for etiquette lessons, he said if we ate like the pigs, we could go eat with them. I never made the pig pen, but I did have to eat on the porch once. But I think that covers my etiquette lessons.

But, back to the wedding. I left in dark wash jeans, a turtle neck, and a sweater. I stopped at 2 stores hoping to find either some khakis or a blazer, and found neither, so I wore what I left in. Turns out half the other folks were in the same thing, so I didn't feel so bad.

However, I will be finding me a blazer. You guys are right, the dress for most of the weddings I go to are a little less "formal" than what you might find in other parts of the country, and I really think the blazer would solve a lot of headaches for this sort of thing. Thanks!

I need to go on that "what not to wear" show. They'd have a BALL with me.

 

[Marguerite]

I can't quite picture Trinny and Susanna on a pig farm...

Good luck in finding a blazer.

I have my old stand-by - it was part of a suit worn by a woman who later became my online stalker (nasty piece of work) but I will happily wear her cast-off coat, knowing it looks better on me anyway - it's black silk brocade, with wide lapels and knee-length tails. It's uncrushable. I usually look awful in black so I team it with a red polo or red silk shirt and scarf and it lifts it all. It's an amazing coat - sounds weird, but it really catches attention in the right way. Because it's uncrushable, I can keep it stuffed in a bag on the car seat (or stuff it into my carry-on luggage for a conference or TV thingie) and just pull it out and put it on for a quick formalising effect.

It had black brocade pants to match, but they've worn out. Back when we were friends (I thought so, anyway) she gave me the pants but said she would never part with the coat. She then gave the coat to my best friend (who she was trying to 'steal' from me - childish, pointless and not possible) perhaps hoping I would hate my friend for owning the coat that I wanted so much (she thought). But when this 'interesting' woman showed her true colours and my friend wanted nothing to do with her machinations, she gave me the coat (which didn't fit her anyway).

So for me, not only does the coat look good, but it is a badge of success in triumphing over pettiness, nastiness and spite. It's a lovely coat, it definitely deserves to be cherished. It is the only black coat that I wear, and only on formal-ish, flamboyant celebrations.

I hope you can find a coat you like. Failing that, maybe buy some black brocade? It's a fairly simple pattern, I could describe it in detail for you to make your own...

Marg