A Surprise Wedding By The Lake

Dress - Eliza J (also available here) / Sandals (just one size left, some similar sandals are here and here) - Target / Bag (similar here and here) - Ann Taylor / Necklace - Stella & Dot / Similar earrings

I bought this dress back in the depths of Chicago winter, because my theory has always been to buy the dress when you find one you like, because an occasion will always pop up. That way, you don't have to be stressed out trying to find a dress at the last second for an event - you always have the perfect one waiting in your closet. 

Well things really worked out this time. When I got the dress I had no idea when or where I would wear it, and then Jeff's dad did me a solid and decided to elope over the weekend! 

I've been to some small weddings before - my sister and her husband only had their immediate families (plus my new boyfriend Jeff - things really worked out there!) at their wedding. This one though? Just the bride and groom, Jeff as the minister, the photographer, and me! We went down to Adler Planetarium on Saturday morning for a short and sweet ceremony by the lake. 

I've said it before, but I am such a sap at weddings. Jeff took me to a wedding once where I had never met the bride or groom and a late minute seat change put me on the aisle in the second row. And I sobbed. Can you imagine getting married and seeing a stranger sobbing right in front of you?! Yep, that's me. 

This wedding was somehow even more emotional, because it really was just two people declaring their love for each other - no pomp and circumstance. I managed to hold it in because I was focusing on my assigned task (the photographer showed me how to work her fancy dancy camera so I could take a video of the ceremony) but the vows? Yep, you'd better bet I cried. 

Gosh, maybe never invite me to a wedding. 

I made Jeff snap these pics of me before we hopped in the car to head to brunch to celebrate. I used to go running on this stretch back when we lived in the South Loop, and man did I miss that skyline view! Chicago, you're pretty. 

Dress - Eliza J (also available here) / Sandals (just one size left, some similar sandals are here and here) - Target / Bag (similar here and here) - Ann Taylor / Necklace - Stella & Dot / Similar earrings

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Wedding Weekend (again!)

Between class, trying to hang out with my brother before he leaves the country, and all of the traveling I've been doing lately, I almost managed to forget that A. I'm going to another wedding this weekend and B. I'll, you know, have to wear something.  This wedding is outdoors in central Illinois and it's supposed to be in the 90s and sunny.  I'm thinking I might rock this look again, but with flats or wedges:

Or, when at the outlet mall over the weekend "buying clothes for the boyfriend" (ahem) I picked up a similar dress to this little beauty from JCrew Factory which may make an appearance:

One thing is for sure: if it's going to be 95 and sunny, I'm definitely putting my hair up and wearing lots of sunscreen.

I hope you have a great weekend!



P.S. I'm being featured on Simple Easy Style today, check it out here.

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What to Wear: Outdoor Wedding

Hi everyone!  Welcome to the first installment of my wedding wear posts.  Last week I talked about how a wedding invitation can give you a lot of clues of how to dress, so now I'm going to be breaking down different invitations and talking about how they should influence your outfit.

I found this adorable invite for an outdoor wedding in Andimans Etsy shop.

The first thing I notice when I look at this is that it isn't particularly formal - not in the font, language, or design.  And there's a mustache.  That's telling me the event will probably be more on the casual side.  It doesn't specifically say to dress casually so you should still plan on dressing up a little, you just don't have to break out a satin cocktail dress.  You can look for more casual fabrics, prints, or shapes.  (And even if an invite specifically says to dress casually, that probably doesn't mean they want you to show up in jeans.)

1. / 2. / 3. / 4. 

The second thing I'm noticing is the location.  Winter Park/Farmer's Market sounds like an outdoor location.  You can obviously use Google (or ask!) if you aren't sure, but I'm going to assume this is going to be an outdoor wedding.  To me, that means you should wear flat or platform sandals to avoid sinking into the ground, and since it's at night, bring a sweater or jacket in case the temperature drops.  

Dress / Necklace / Sandals / Bag / Blazer / Bracelet

Check back on Wednesday for another wedding post.

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