This coming weekend Mr. Waite has not one, but TWO weddings in which he is a groomsman — plus there are another three weddings we’re attending later in the summer.

Which means: dressing up!

I discovered recently, to my surprise, that I had outgrown last year’s fancy wear. This was initially distressing, until I began thinking of it  not as weight gain but as an excuse to buy new fancy things in bright colors.

Turns out I may have been reading too much Homer lately — yes, in the original — because the Great Wedding Outfit is turning out to be full-throttle Greek goddess.

Thea Dress from J. Crew

One-shoulder jersey dress with ruching in jewel tones? I bought two — one in this lovely green, and another in eye-blinding orange. (They’re on sale!) One is a large and one is a medium, because I wasn’t sure which would fit. Surprisingly, both work in different ways, so I’m wearing one to Saturday’s wedding and one to Sunday’s wedding.

I’m pairing the dress with this necklace:

Uniform Bits necklace from Anthropologie

Oh, multi-strand seed bead necklaces … I could totally make this myself, but was too lazy to actually line up all the colorblocks and take the time to string all those tiny, tiny beads. The necklace comes in four colorways, but I thought this pink-and-gold version would go with both the green and the orange of the dresses. I’ve also got an aqua tank top with sequins — that plus this necklace and my long red hair = Olivia can dress in Botticelli colors and pretend she’s Venus.

Of course, the goddess of love has a magic girdle. I’ve got this belt:

Pixel Corset belt from Anthropologie

It’s stretchy and elastic and sits exactly where I want it to, while sparkling like a badass.

Cascade Snapshot cardigan from Anthropologie

Cardigans! They have taken the place of hooded sweatshirts from my high school and college days — comfy and warm, but a bit more aesthetically sophisticated. This one works surprisingly well with my Suddenly Plumper Rack (no complaints so far) and has some truly beautiful ruching in the back. Plus, it’s light enough for summer wear — I’m normally too nervous about white clothing, but there’s a time and a place for everything.

Shoes will be some kind of flat or sandal, unless I get really ambitious and want to try heels. Heels haven’t felt quite right since the Great Broken Toe of 2011, though, so my Stupidly Pretty Sandals will probably see some early summer action.

I’m going to try something new with this and post a photo of the whole outfit Monday. Right now, though, I have a wedding present to create. To the bead store!

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