Sunday musings

Stomach flu is not the way I want to lose weight but it is frighteningly effective. I was down a lot but put a little back on before meeting. Still down 3 pounds. Let's see if I keep it off.

Time for the meeting then a quick trip to Michigan with a girlfriend. Shopping, gambling, eating and drinking. Good thing it's just overnight! 

My Best Friend's Wedding

Last weekend was the long-awaited event: Shopping Friend got married!

Of course, because it was the two of us involved, the things I took the most photos of were our outfits; shoes, jackets, hair, makeup, and of course the dresses, got the bulk of the attention in my photos. (Actually, since I was in the wedding I mostly took photos of random things before and after the ceremony. They had a professional photographer doing the real stuff. :))

She had a couple of stylists come and do our hair and makeup, and that was absolutely amazing. It took me a bit to warm up to it, I will admit; I had my makeup done first, and I was a little skeptical while I waited for my turn for hair. I thought when I looked at myself in the camera that I looked a bit like (my idol) Hillary Clinton, and not in a good way.



Once I got in the chair and she started working on my hair, though, I realized it was because my hair was flat and unstyled that the makeup looked out of place. The styled hair pulled the whole look together nicely.


(Mid-do, I try to snap a photo to send to my husband.)

When we were all done, we got a couple of shots of all of us (that's Shopping Friend's Mom on the left), still in our street clothes.





You wouldn't know from our unhurried dawdling that there was only 20 minutes to go before she was walking down the aisle, would you? We kind of lost track of time for a bit...

There are no pictures after that, because it was a flurry of bras flying the air and Spanx getting tugged on and just complete chaos. Here, enjoy a photo of her lovely dress. The wedding planner put rose petals around it so it was the first thing we saw when we walked into the suite. Sweet, right?





And then she was married! It was a lovely, short ceremony, exactly what she wanted.

We went outside for photos. I goofed around with my husband and my other brides attendant (her best man, LOL) in a few shots.





Kicked off my shoes for a bit too. They were pretty and mostly comfortable, but it was a long day.



Some shots from the reception...





My husband, as is his thing, had to wear the veil, at least long enough for me to take some photos. He is always game to wear a silly hat, mostly for the amusement for the little kids around. I'm going to make a book of photos like this some day.





We convinced the bride to stick my husband's pipe in her mouth to lighten up a couple of poses, and I think we got some of her best photos ever.





My lovely, silly Shopping Friend. I'm so happy for you!!!

Now...you guys....

can we talk about my hair now? No lie, it was SPECTACULAR.









Unbelievable. I felt like a princess.

And it only took 27 bobby pins! I counted when I tugged them all out that night. ;-D

Once I got used to it, I have to say that my makeup was pretty awesome too. Never wore false eyelashes before. I loved 'em!







At the end of the wedding, we both switched into our sneakers (heh, it didn't dawn on either of us to bring cute comfortable shoes).





When everyone was gone, the little wedding party went to the bar across the street and had a beer. In our wedding attire and sneakers.




When I got home, we tried to get one full-body shot in the setting sun...



Then I got changed into a t-shirt and yoga pants and took a few more shots of my pretty 'do and makeup.









I don't think I will ever look or feel that pretty again. After all that anxiety about the dress, that is just about the last thing I thought I would feel. But I do.

Best of all, my friend married the love of her life.

All in all, it was a damned good day.

Smart casual for a casual shower

What do you wear to a casual wedding shower at an Irish pub on a Sunday afternoon? Let me tell you, it was a dilemma!



The gold firefly top started as a Gwynnie Bee rental, and I loved it. I saw it on Eloquii as a final sale for $14, and I had to scoop it up. Pink and gold, pretty and fun.

I added this gold necklace to give it a bit of an edgier look.



Then of course I had to finish it off with a classic black jacket. This is why we own them!



I went with a semi-tuck look, which actually cut down on the muffin-top. No picture, but I got a cute black faux-alligator Kenneth Cole Reaction clutch as a freebie casino giveaway, and it went perfectly with it. (I will get a picture next time; I am surprised how much I love that clutch!)

After that, the shower itself was a breeze! Next weekend: the wedding. Hurray!

Why Accessories Make an Outfit

Oooh, I forgot Blogger ate this one that I had in draft! We threw a bachelorette party two weekends ago for one of my friends; we went for dinner at one friend's house, then out to a drag show. So fun!

Anyway, I had an idea of what I wanted to wear, sort of: either one of my new dresses and some tall sandals, or my dark jeans and a cute top. But that morning I did a trial run and nothing was really pulling together after countless tries of everything in my closet, so it was off to do some inspirational shopping.

First stop was my local consignment store next to my nail salon. As soon as I walked in, the cutest little faux-Chanel bag caught my eye, all red quilt and intertwined gold chains down the strap. $22. I had to have it immediately.



Once I had it, the whole idea of the outfit changed. The red and gold gave off a distinct 70s disco vibe, so I decided to play that up. Then I spotted this awesome giant cocktail ring. I am pretty sure I saw it at Banana Republic a few seasons ago, and I remember coveting it then too.



A pair of huge gold earrings finished off my accessory hunt. All from the same consignment store; they have fantastic jewelry. I got the stuff from the ball there too.



Once I had killer jewelry, I knew the rest of the outfit needed to be neutral to let my new pretty stuff shine. So the dark jeans were a yes, but I needed a black top. A quick trip to Nordstrom netted this number with a satin yoke, buttons down the shoulder, and great batwing sleeves. The final addition was a trade of my new Katie and Kelly wedge sandals for the same ones in black. Can you believe I don't own a black top or black sandals? I do now.





This was a good lesson for me; I have gotten too dependent on patterns and bright colors to build my outfits. Sometimes I need to let other parts of my outfits do the talking.

Ball recap

I don't know if you guys heard, but I went to a ball this weekend! (Heh.)

Yes, I did make it, and I did not infect the entire population with my nasty pneumonia. I had a great time, really all day. I started off with a mani-pedi at my favorite corner salon; I tried the no-chip manicure which was pretty cool even though I didn't love the color. You can't use regular colors so I had OPI's Chick Flick Cherry on my toes and a pinker red on my hand.

After the manicure I wandered over the consignment store in the same plaza, and absolutely fell in LOVE with a pretty cuff. Burnished gold, black stones and rhinestones -- something about it just worked perfectly with the dress. So I did end up listening to Angie, Sheila and Laura, and went with a cuff and earrings instead of a necklace. Who knew?

Red no-chip nails:


Cherry toes:


I would rather have had the darker cherry red on my hands. Boy, that is going to bug me!

I also seem to be incapable of taking a clear photo of the jewelry. This is my third attempt!





Anyway, then it was a quick pitstop at Von Maur where I picked up the Prissy Naturalizers -- the same black shorter-heel shoes I had before -- in a half-size bigger. So smart, they were much better that way.

Then it was off to my hair salon, where I got my hair styled and blown out. I didn't go for a fancy style, just my regular style but done corretly and bigger. I LOVED it -- it lasted two days!

My last stop before heading downtown was the Laura Mercier makeup counter at Nordstrom. I needed help with my eyes and I wanted a new lipstick. The girl did a spectacular job on my eyes and sold me on their new eyeliner thingie (Tightline Cake Eyeliner). It's like watercolor paint; you dip the straight brush in water, dampen the color pot with the brush tip and then line your eyes. It works perfectly; I have done it myself for the last two days and it's been totally smudge-proof. Damn.

I also found a great light pink-brown color for my lips; we were looking at reds at first, but finally I said, "My mouth is too small and my lips are too thin for red. A bright color like that just makes my mouth look so small!!" It was a revelation for me; I never can find the right strong lip color and now I know why. But the pink-brown tone makes my mouth look so much prettier. Bingo! It was Brown Sugar from their Stickgloss line.

Then it was off to the big city. My girlfriend and I were sharing a room, so we spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready and catching up on life. We headed out for a pre-party at 5pm then it was off to the reception, and then dinner, and then entertainment, and then finally a martini bar and some dancing.

The entertainment started off very strangely, with these cocooned dancers doing some bizarre interpretive piece. Now, our logo is a butterfly, and the name of the ball is the Butterfly Ball, but still. We are a Catholic healthcare organization; the cardinal was there. And a lot of nuns!



It was pretty, though.



Later dancers were a little more traditional; one couple did a stunning acrobatic act. The last bit was set to Katy Perry's Firework, and they passed out lighted flickering butterfly wands to all of us. I am going to annoy my co-workers with it for weeks.



Then they shot confetti out of a cannon 20 feet away from us. HA! (The look on my tablemate's face is priceless. She has no idea in that moment what is about to rain down on her head.)



And that was that.

Oh, right! Guess what I forgot to do?

TAKE PICTURES.

Seriously. I forgot to get any good pictures of myself. I did have my girlfriend get one shot of me before we left the room. Here was the final outfit!



I had a great time.

Details:
Dress: Adrianna Papell, Lord & Taylor
Jewelry: consignment store
Shoes: Prissy Naturalizers, Von Maur
Bag: Tasha evening bag, Nordstrom

Sunday was my birthday. We woke up and ordered pancakes from room service, then headed home. I was exhausted from everything the day before, plus having pneumonia, so I stayed home and lazed about. But I bought a cupcake to celebrate!



LOL!

Last-minute Ball Gown Options

Here I am, ready for the ball!



Okay, maybe I am just ready for the preparations for the ball. (Isn't that sweater adorable? Just got it on sale at LOFT during their 40% off sale prices sale. Love the color and how cozy it is.)

I am still wavering on attending -- heading out to get my nails painted cherry red so I will decide after that -- but I've been trying on all my options for accessories for the gown this morning. Internet, dress me!

Selection #1: SHOES

These gorgeous, but perhaps too tall BP Twirls:



Or these more serviceable, correct-height Naturalizers:



I am leaning toward the Naturalizers as the height feels more appropriate and they are more comfortable. But damn, those Twirls are hot.

Selection #2 NECKLACES

I heard your suggestions for dangly earrings and a cuff, but I wasn't too keen on the idea (my ears have enough crap going on with them between my glasses and my hearing aids so I don't like to draw attention to them), and I was too sick these week to do any jewelry-shopping anyway. So we are choosing between pieces I already own.

Pearls, worn long and knotted once:



Pearls, worn higher-up and triple-knotted:



Gold shiny necklace at neck:



Selection #3: Bags

Pretty all-gold soft bag from friend, or new hard-case black-and-gold sparkly bag from Nordstrom:





What do you guys think?
#1: SHOES
#2: Necklaces
#3: Bags

I am leaning toward the Naturalizers, pearls up at neck, and the all-gold bag. But I am bringing all with me, and I may stop at the little consignment store next to the nail salon right now to see if they have anything else that cries out to me. A lot will depend on my hair and makeup when that is all done.

So now I am headed out for:
-mani-pedi in OPI Flick Chick Cherry Red
-perusing the consignment store for last minute inspiration
-possible stop at Von Maur to see if they have the same Naturalizers a half-size bigger
-1pm style and blowout
-possible stop at Nordstrom to the Laura Mercier counter for some makeup assistance
-off to the ball!

Or, I may just have the mani-pedi and come home and collapse in defeat from pneumonia. Cross your fingers it's not that!