Washington State Wedding Weekend

We're back! Thanks for your understanding while Regan was gallivanting around Europe and I was traveling and crazy with work. If you follow us on instagram you'll see that I'm off again on a business trip to Rome (I know, tough...but someone has to do it). If I get the chance to do something other than work, I'll definitely blog about it. In the meantime, here's a recap of a wedding we attended two weekends ago in Washington State at Alderbrook Resort. Get ready, this is an "On the Move" and "What I Wore" all in ONE! 

One of my best friends got married at this amazing little gem of a spot on the Hood Canal about two hours from Seattle. Despite the rainy weekend (with about 15 minutes of combined sun), we had a wonderful time celebrating the bride and groom and catching up with my best girls and their spouses. 

Dr. B and I got a little r & r at the spa with massages, which was so nice. And I must say, the oatmeal at the hotel's restaurant is not to be missed. I got a fresh berry compote with mine and Dr. B had the brown sugar and maple creme fraiche. One of my favorite parts about the weekend was the "reverse wedding" schedule. The actual ceremony and reception were on Friday night and Saturday was left for brunch, a boat ride, and a BBQ. 

You know I love a good Rent the Runway opportunity, and this seemed like the perfect occasion to get the Gables Dress by Opening Ceremony I'd had on my "Hearts" list for a while. Paired with my turquoise tassel earrings I was going to bring some sunshine to the rainy day one way or another. I forgot to get a full outfit picture until the very end of the night in the poor light of our hotel room. Overall impression of the dress - it was good, but not amazing - even though I got plenty of compliments. You have to be tall to wear this dress. There is SO much fabric. I'm not petite, so it worked for me (I wore the size small, which tells you something). The fabric also picked up the outline of my bra (as you can see), which I didn't love. This would be a great maternity dress (although I'm not pregnant). 

We bundled up in wedding weekend attire for night two. Just as planned, I wore the Ann Taylor Loft maxi I bought on super sale earlier this summer and since it was a wedding, I broke out the Lauren Hope bling. 

Time with girl friends is just good for the soul. Nothing beats 17 years of friendship with these lovely ladies. Congrats B & M! We love you! 

What I Wore

About a month ago I posted a number of gold dresses that I was considering for an upcoming gala (post here). Well, the event was this past weekend, and now you get to see which dress I chose. 

Drum roll please....

I ended up using a coupon someone gave me to rent this Nha Khanh dress, and I loved it. Here are a few shots from the night. 

The shameless bathroom selfie....It was the only way I could get a good picture of the dress, which I paired with my gold Ferragamo sandals.  

My +1 reluctantly took some pictures, but he cut off my feet in all of them. #fail

The party we attended was the Winter Gold Gala for an incredible organization called Marathon Scholars that works to remove the obstacles that exist for low-income students striving to achieve their education dreams by pairing "scholars"with mentors beginning in the fourth grade.

They raised a lot of money, and we had a lot of fun! Who doesn't love hamming it up in a photo booth?

 I even got my +1 to have a little fun!

This was only my second rental from Rent the Runway (first one here), and I would definitely consider it a great success. 

Nerd Prom

This weekend we were fortunate enough to attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner, or as it is fondly known, the nerd prom. Of course the biggest dilemma was what to wear. D.C. is often called the ugly people's Hollywood...so when real Hollywood comes to town, it's only right to step up the game. I narrowed down my options to these three dresses.

Carolina Herrera - Saks 5th Avenue - Badgley Mischka

When it came down to it, the floral dress was the obvious choice. I loved the vibrant color palette - perfect for spring. And the fit was most flattering for my figure. 

 

I added a pair of magenta Zara heels, Slate & Willow earrings, and a bracelet and bracelet watch that were my grandmother's. 

After a quick blow out and makeup from Blue Mercury, I was ready to go. 

The night was amazing! I threw out all decorum and was completely shameless, asking for photos with TV personalities, actors, and athletes. 

Clockwise: Julianna Margulies, Matt Lauer,
CynthiaNixon, Katharine McPhee

Clockwise: Molly Parker & Mahershala Ali,
Dr. B & Tim Tebow, Lindsey Vonn, Savannah Guthrie

There were a few stars I missed seeing up close and personal (specifically Jessica Simpson and Lupita Nyong'o), but I definitely got my fill. Lindsey Vonn and Savannah Guthrie were my favorites of the night. As a former ski racer, it was fun to meet someone who has done so much for the sport. And Savannah is quite possibly the nicest and most gracious TV personality I've ever met.

The ballroom was packed to the gills. The president's speech was well-received and Joel McHale had some real zingers,  but my favorite part of the night was the video that Vice President Biden phoned in. 

And, of course, it's always nice to see Dr. B looking handsome in his tuxedo - we hadn't been dressed up together since our wedding. And just as quickly as la-la land descended on D.C., they have departed, sending us back to reality. Until next year....

What to Wear?

I'm going to a wedding in Houston, Texas in May. It's a 6:00 p.m. wedding and I think I'm going to use Rent the Runway for a dress. I'm tired of the options in my closet and these are so much more fun. Which of these would you choose for me to wear?

1. Vera Wang 2. Monique Lhullier 3. Preen

1. Alberta Ferretti 2. Shoshanna 3. Carmen Marc Valvo

1. Issa 2. Trina Turk 3. Lilly Pulitzer 

I'm leaning the Preen or the Carmen Marc Valvo, but am open to suggestions! 

Reader Request- A Maid of Honor Dress

This week's "Reader Request" is from C&C follower Lydia, who is a total fashionista in her own right. This gal has style, so when she wrote requesting the help of C&C with a Maid of Honor dress, I knew this would be a big challenge, with some serious pressure to deliver. 

First, let's talk the details of the wedding. It's at an uber cool venue in New Orleans and the bride has asked Lydia to be her only attendant. Knowing her BFF well, and that she has such great taste, the bride gave no restrictions on the dress. Talk about confidence!

Let's start with this AMAZING dress. Ironically, I found this dress and sent it to Lydia, only to find out it was already a front runner. Her only reservation is the length, as she isn't quite as leggy as this model (as if any of us are)! Good news, it also comes in petite. It will be hard to find something to top this (at least "on paper"), but I am going to try.

Anthropologie Rubied Dusk Dress $298

I was purusing Shopbop and came across this stunning Zimmermann dress. If she wants a solid dress in a more muted shade, this would be perfect!

Zimmermann Draped Dress $310

In that same color "family" is this ASOS dress. It's a stretch poly blend, which isn't the most fabulous of fabrics and could look really cheap in person, but the draping is a definite statement! 

It also comes in the blue/black combo. 

ASOS Origami Bonded Mini Dress $101.85

While we are talking solids, I LOVE this open back peplum dress. It's "ceremony" in the front and "reception" in the back! The "pink grapefruit" would be a lovely pop of color!

AQ AQ Open Back Structured Peplum Dress $277.79

This Coast Eva Halter Dress from ASOS is stunning. I LOVE the color, the draping and the beaded neckline. I want this dress!

Coast Eva Halter Dress $138.89

And, as always, there is Rent the Runway. There are so many fabulous frocks to choose from, so I decided to stick to prints. Lydia is no wall flower. This girl can pull off just about anything. She would look incredible in all of these dresses.

And if they don't make the cut for the wedding, they would also be great for a rehearsal dinner! The prices are right too...all but the Milly dress rent for $30-$50 (it's $75).

Shoshanna Barbara Dress 

Milly Hologram Dress 

Slate and Willow Derek Dress 

Tibi Reality Versus Dream Dress 

Tibi Rocco Mini Shift Dress

Truth be told, I have a wedding coming up in May, and all of these dresses are on my short list! 

Just like SJP

I'm a Sex and the City loyalist. I can still sit down and watch any of the episodes, no matter how many times I've seen them. I LOVED the first movie (shocking to make a TV show into a movie well), but the second left a lot to be desired. The best part about it was the fashion.

Remember these two Halston Heritage dresses that SJP wore? I loved them then and three years later they're still pretty amazing.

So, when I saw this knife-pleat maxi dress from Victoria's Secret...my mind went immediately back to the beaches of Morocco and the ever-stylish Carrie Bradshaw. If she can wear a pleated maxi, so can we, right? 

But wait, there's more. It's currently on sale for $98 and comes in six colors! And, fear not petite friends, two lengths! I'm torn between these two.

For the shorter version, while you can't buy it, you can rent a black version from Rent the Runway for $50, which I did for a friend's rehearsal dinner two years ago. 

Should I order the maxi? Any color favorites? 

What I Wore

Last week I spent 5 days in San Francisco with my +1. He had business meetings, and I tagged along to visit friends and enjoy some "me" time away from the Mini Fashionista (more on that later this week). We had a black tie dinner on Tuesday night, and nothing in my own closet seemed appropriate, so for the first time, I "rented the runway". 

I decided on this Hawaiian Hibiscus Gown by Nicole Miller. Admittedly, it was a little out of my comfort zone with the plunging neckline, but I thought it would be fun to be a little adventurous.

I could not have been happier with the dress, and my RTR experience. Here is the final look! I paired it with a gold clutch (that belonged to my grandmother) and gold Ferragamo Sandals. 

And, I found this fabulous cocktail ring at Loehmann's in SF to complete the look. P.S. If only it were real! 

My +1 was looking very sharp in his tuxedo! 

Stay tuned later this week for more about my trip! 

Don't forget to take advantage of our Angela Caputi discount through the end of the month! 

Planning Ahead

We will be spending New Year's Eve in Sun Valley with our good friends. None of us have ever really "done it up" on New Year's (I know...we're pretty lame), so we will be leaving our little people at home for the night and hitting the town. We've made reservations at The Lodge Dining Room at the Sun Valley Resort for a night of dinner and dancing, totally old school style!

So the big question, what to wear? As always, Rent The Runway is my go-to! Here are the dresses I am considering?

Badgley Mischka Fifth Avenue Show Stopper ($75 rental)

Milly Sienna Sequin Stripe Dress (Rental $60)

Shoshanna Primary Lace Dress (Rental $65)

And my front runner....the Tibi Confetti Sequins Dress (Rental $100)

Which is your favorite?