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  1. #1
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    Default Help me find a dress to wear to a wedding!

    My favorite BIL is getting married in July, and DH is in the wedding (gray tux) and DD3 is a flower girl (ivory dress). I believe the bridesmaids are in navy, and the flowers will be coral accents. It's a morning wedding in Denver with a brunch reception, so fairly casual.

    This is MIL's last kid's wedding, and she is obsessing on having us all coordinated for the wedding pictures. We haven't had a family picture with all the kids and grandkids in several years, so this is a very big deal for her. She's wearing a sage green knee length flowy dress. I usually default to navy blue because it is absolutely my best and favorite color, but I'm not sure if I should wear that if the bridesmaids are in navy (granted, none of the bridesmaids are on our side of the family, so it wouldn't matter for the pictures, but I don't want to be too matchy matchy with the wedding party).

    So I'm trying to work out from DH in gray and DD3 in ivory. DS will get a gray suit and DD1 and DD2 have navy blue and rose Easter dresses they can wear that look similar to but not too close to DD3's flower girl dress. I'm not happy about how my tummy and arms look now, so I don't think I want to do sleeveless. I'm probably a 10/12 right now. I don't even know what kind of dresses are in style right now, but I definitely don't like the cold shoulder look on me. I don't like anything right now at Banana Republic, my usual go-to place.

    Normally I would just pick some fun, summery floral dress (maybe like this?), but I'm not normally concerned about coordinating my outfit with 6 other adults plus my family! So would a solid color dress be better for family picture purposes? Am I overthinking this? I keep getting texts and emails from my MIL, asking what I'm wearing, and I'm thinking, "I don't have time to dress shop right now! Bug me again in two weeks when school is over!" She is totally stressing me out about this, and I haven't even set foot into the local Macys or Nordstrom to try anything on yet. Help me, BBB!
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  2. #2
    jbbhb's Avatar
    jbbhb is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Have you ever tried ModCloth? I just ordered several dresses for a special occasion and liked so many I had a hard time deciding which to send back. Just a few that might work:

    https://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresse...ss/159602.html

    With a cardigan? Maybe ivory..
    https://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresse...vy/157969.html

    https://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresse...ss/156362.html

    https://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresse...ss/156388.html



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  3. #3
    jbbhb's Avatar
    jbbhb is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Ha, I just noticed your link. I think a floral dress would be great to tie in some of the other colors and long as it isn’t a huge overpowering print.


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  4. #4
    SnuggleBuggles is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    Some ideas:
    maxi halter that would look good with gray or navy
    https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/eliza-j...al%2F%20purple

    https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/eliza-j...navy%2F%20pink

    https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/maggy-l...0white%20royal

    https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/vince-c...r=blue%20multi


    I wore a floral navy dress to a recent wedding not knowing the bridesmaids were wearing navy. It was a non-issue. We weren't high enough up the food chain to be in any bridal party pictures. I wouldn't wear solid navy (since I assume that's what the bridesmaids will wear) but if you find a good print, rock on.

  5. #5
    gamma is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Would you be able to post a photo or link to your DD's navy and rose print dresses? I think that would help. Love the dress that you linked to!

  6. #6
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    Thanks, guys! I'm loving lots of these suggestions--and it's good to have the affirmation that a navy floral is a good option! MIL sent me 10 dress links this morning, and she so does not get my style....
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  7. #7
    mommy111 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    I would go with a solid peach, or a creamy yellow to complement MIl in green. I think you could add navy accessories, but I would probably not do a navy dress. I don’t think florals are in if you’re part of the wedding party or in portraits
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  8. #8
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    Reformation has such pretty party dresses, but most are sleeveless. Here’s one short sleeved one in a pretty ivory floral:
    https://www.thereformation.com/produ...ExNmNmMDRlOWM2
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  9. #9
    California is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    You may have already found a dress. Chiming in to say that solids will photograph best, especially if your girls are in prints. It sounds like photos are a huge deal to your MIL so I'd stick to solids, a very subtle print, or a solid in lace. Accessorize with other colors to coordinate with your girls. Navy is a color that looks good with most skin tones so I looked that color up. But you could also do any of the other solid colors that compliment the group and your skin tone.

    https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/maggy-l...es&color=black

    Here's a navy fit and flare style in lace: https://www.macys.com/shop/product/d...ategoryID=5449

    https://www.macys.com/shop/product/v...ategoryID=5449

    This is pretty and match your DH: https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/foxiedo...20navy%20multi

    And I just really love this dress :-) https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/eliza-j...ses&color=navy

  10. #10
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    If you weren't taking a "family portrait" MIL hopes to display for decades, I would totally go with the dress you found, OP, as that's a pretty print. But prints can look too busy in family photos. I find they immediately draw the viewer's eye. I normally only put my kids in prints (if I have a print at all) as I don't want to be the focus of our family photos.

    I am a big fan of Rent the Runway, because you can see how others look in the dress (especially if you sort by the same height/weight/bust) and I find I can get nicer quality dresses for about the price of a cheap dress. Even if the bridesmaids are in navy, stay away from "bridesmaid style" silhouettes (e.g., strapless style, flowing chiffon, etc.) and you won't be mistaken for a bridesmaid. My SIL had her bridesmaids in navy but that is one of my favorite colors. So I found a sleek navy sheath in a neoprene-like fabric from Rent the Runway that did not look like a bridesmaid dress at all.

    Keep in mind you'll also want photos of just your family of 5, so with gray, ivory, navy, and rose, it may be too jarring to add a fifth color. I'd stick to navy or rose (no ivory since you're not the bride and I don't like gray for daytime events--looks too corporate to me).

    It's harder to find a daytime dress on the RTR website that isn't a print, though. Some of the solid dresses are too formal. If you want to say away from blues, I found this pretty pink/rose dress with a more subtle pattern:

    https://www.renttherunway.com/shop/d...envelope_dress

    Good luck!

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