Going to the Chapel, and I Don't Know What I'm Wearing

I find I've arrived at that age, where I'm receiving a lot of wedding invitations in the mail. For all the jokes about awful bridesmaid dresses, I'm almost jealous; at least they know what they're wearing!

Shopping for wedding wear can actually be quite tricky when you stop and think about it. You have to be church-appropriate aka not too low, short, or tight. And while you don't want to look like a strumpet, you also don't want to look like an old maid; I mean you never know if there will be a cute cousin in the crowd, right? Not to mention, there's often a temperature issue since Mid-Atlantic springs can range from sunny and 60's to ice and snow. Then there are the color restrictions: white is an obvious NO, black is questionable, and you certainly don't want to look like a bridesmaid wannabe. Oh, and last but certainly not least, it has to be on sale!

Currently I'm in the market for a new frock for a dear friend's wedding in April in Virginia (keeping my fingers crossed it's a warm weekend). In addition to the criteria listed above, I've added a few more:

1. 1. I want to be able to recycle it for the Junior League Spring Soiree at the end of April
   
2. 2. The color has to flatter my ghostly pallor (faux tan was so 2008)
   
3. 3. I would really like to find something under $200

Below are my top 3 choices, thus far, in no particular order:

Diane von Furstenberg, The Outnet, $237.50 (was $475)

I know this dress breaks the black rule, but look closely and you can see the hot pink underskirt that peeks through in the front. How cute is that? I love this dress, A LOT. However, it's a little over budget, especially if I'm not buying it to wear to the wedding.

Black Halo, Gilt Fuse, $134 (down from $375)

Confession time: I just bought this dress, or my mom did (Happy Early Birthday to me!). I love the sample sale websites, but if you see something you like, you have to snag it right away or else *poof* it's in some other shopper's cart. I actually almost missed out on this dress, but then some fool let it go and now it's mine, all mine. Whether or not I wear this dress to the wedding is still dependent on how things play out with my last option(s)...

Sunner, Shopbop, $201.60 or $144 (orig $288)

This dress is essentially perfect. I love the cut, the colors are perfect for my pasty complexion, it has pockets, *swoon* and it's on sale. Here's the deal though: I like them both, but I really want the purple one. Of course, because that's the one I want, it is only marked down 30% whereas the green is marked down 50%. I stalk Shopbop several times a day to see if the purple has dropped yet. It hasn't. Here's hoping.