Hello, I'm Julie! I've made my way from Maine to Boston to Pittsburgh to Philly... and back again, and blogged about it along the way. Currently: Portland, ME. Check out my About page or F.A.Q. below to learn more about me. Thanks for reading!
I know what you're thinking, "didn't you just write about dressing for a summer wedding?" I did, pal, but here's the thing: The wedding celebration we went to this weekend was so different from our other friend's wedding in Pittsburgh last month, I had to share. Because I bet you've got some casual weddings on your calendar – or fancier parties – and striking the right balance can be hard! Knowing what to wear to casual wedding vs. what to wear to a formal wedding...
This past weekend we drove inland to our hometown area (in case you didn't know, Chris and I grew up about 20 minutes apart in Western Maine/and the Mount Washington Valley of New Hampshire) to celebrate two of our longtime friends making it official. Instead of a formal wedding, they chose to have a big party (score!) with lots of food (double score), and lots of dancing (yes, score again!) at a local conservation center. For these reasons, I didn't want to wear the long, somewhat delicate Reformation dress I bought off Poshmark for the Pittsburgh wedding and opted instead for something a little more casual. I'd been eyeing this wrap dress for months, waiting for it to go on sale, and this past weekend it finally did. And it's from a very unexpected source... Yeeeeeep. My younger self is rolling in her grave. But a great dress is a great dress and that's the thing about being older – you stop giving a shit. Anyway, it was on sale and fit perfectly and is a style I know I'll wear constantly this summer, so here it is!
I paired it with dance-friendly lace-up wedges, the most perfect straw bag, and a few simple jewelry pieces. Done and done. Best part? It looked fine when I eventually tossed my shoes aside and went barefoot. I was in the woods of New Hampshire, after all.
Wedding season is here! The invites have arrived, you've RSVP'd, now the one question remains: What do you wear to a summer wedding?
Last weekend we attended our first wedding of the summer in Pittsburgh. The short trip was a welcome opportunity to get out of town for a few days and rediscover a city we once lived in – and now love from afar. Despite to occasional downpour, the weekend was lovely. Pittsburgh is incredible in May, with flowers blooming (the street we stayed on – just a few blocks from our old apartment! – was filled with the scent of wisteria), lots of outdoor dining options, and with so much NEW happening – so much has popped up since my last visit in 2017. I said it on Instagram and I'll say it again, if you want to be completely seduced by Pittsburgh, visit in May. (Conversely, if you want to be horrified and never visit again, go in late November). The utter green-ness is enough to cause amnesia, making me (almost) forget why the city wasn't right for us – but damn, it sure is wonderful to visit. And what a perfect weekend for a wedding.
For practical reasons, I almost always wear long dresses to weddings. They're comfortable, easy to move in, easy to dance in, and you don't have to worry about flashing any uncles when you bust a move. We typically have one or two weddings to attend each season, and I like to choose a dress that I'll wear to all of them (usually). There are a few things I always look for in dresses – I don't always strictly adhere to this but as a general rule I like them midi-length or long, low cut or wrap, with a darker color or print. Determined to pack light and not break the bank, I went in search of the perfect wedding guest dress. Ideally, I wanted Reformation, because who doesn't? And because I know their dresses work for me and my style. I ended up finding the perfect one secondhand – score! And – double score – it packed down small and didn't wrinkle, so I could stick to my carryon-only policy. I kept the rest of the look simple, with a woven bag from Etsy, simple earrings my mother gave me forever ago, and basic black heels I got way back from Sole Society. Makeup-wise, I bought myself this lipstick and basically haven't stopped wearing it since.
I love finding dresses (and all my clothes) secondhand – but you know I'm not above buying something new if it's perfect so I thought I'd share a few of my faves. Because the second wedding is coming up and it's more casual... and to be honest, I'm thinking of wearing something different!
