Scenes from my Bachelorette Party

My bridal attendants are all family, with the exception of my dear friend who introduced me to Chris. Because of this and because of my own personality, it was important that the activities I planned to celebrate my last days of "singledom" (as if living with Chris for five years wasn't a legitimate, committed, and recognizable partnership, in and of itself!) were in good taste and rated PG. There would be no hot pink feather boas. No plastic tiaras. No bedazzled "Mrs. Chris" thong underpants. No cookies or ice cubes in the shape of genitalia. While I don't begrudge those who go that route embracing fully the silliness and fun of bachelorette party culture, I'm 30. And even if I was 21, that route has never been me. Unfortunately, my budget for the event was fairly limited and I forwent the tradition of allowing my attendants to pay. I think they've bore enough economic and planning burdens in finding their own dresses, shoes, etc. with little guidance from me beyond a broad color idea. So a spa weekend or out of town trip were definitely off the table. Instead I opted to book a formal tea service at a local, historic hotel.

The Omni William Penn has hosted tea service in its Terrace Room for decades. Our table overlooked the ornate, grand lobby.

Though the service was a bit slow, the food was delicious. Embarrassingly, we were too hungry to remember to photograph the snacks. But I think it was fun and I will remember it fondly since it was a nice, low key occasion to spend time with my loved ones. Afterwards we worked like a factory to execute the modest favors.

I still need to print up tags with information about the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank but am relieved to have them otherwise completed. We took a quick walk up to the annual Little Italy Days festival in Bloomfield. Then we headed to Oakland to meet up with Chris and the guys. Chris's event was also designed around his tastes and interests.

His brother booked a private room for karaoke (called Norebang) at our favorite Korean restaurant. Food and many Sapporo beers and lively singers combined to produce lots of fun. Above, Chris and I were singing Hall and Oates! To round out the night we went to Gooskis. By then the crowd had thinned out a bit but it was still a wonderful time. I know Chris almost had too much fun and even paid for it with a headache the next morning. Thanks for reading!

If I hit the lottery and had a time machine: Winter White Edition

It is time for a new edition of my coulda-woulda-shoulda shopping regrets. I call it rearview fashionism: looking backward while thinking fashion forward. In other words, this series is lamenting what my closet could have been.

It has been quite chilly lately. And although I have a plethora of street pashminas and a few clutch cashmere numbers, I long for a scarf that will stay put without an annoyingly bulky neckknot. If I could go back in time with lottery money I would purchase the Kyle Scarf by Mike and Chris:

Though they're pretty simple, the slouchy drape is difficult to replicate. I haven't found an adequate knockoff and I've searched through pages and pages of "button scarves" on etsy. Sadly, the financial woes that have hit this line might mean I will never acquire what is now a hard to find piece.

If I could go back in time to Fall of 2006 and buy this Alexander McQueen dress, I absolutely would.

I would put myself through months of ramen noodles and cancel cable for this dress. I fell in love with it immediately and thought it would make the perfect wedding dress for me. I am not really into standard, strapless, white, taffeta fare. I love the antique look of the ivory tulle and its juxtaposition with the gothic victorian lace details. And I would wear it again and again and again to my anniversary dinners and fancy parties.

While I'm on the subject of alternative wedding dressing, I wouldn't kick this other McQueen frock out of my bridal suite:

Granted, it is much simpler and something similar could probably be found for less, I find the subtle print and the muted color tones to evoke exactly what I am looking for in a dress for The Big Day. It is definitely re-wearable, too!

This strapless Marchesa dress has stunning beadwork and although I personally wouldn't wear strapless because of my ample bustline, I would adore a cap sleeved version of this.

So I guess for this item I would need a time machine, winning lotto tickets, and a franken-dress maker.

Finally, this Burberry dress would make a beautiful, interesting, and versatile statement and I could wear it on the big day and days to come.

But the chance to purchase it and everything else in this post has come and gone, save for estalking on ebay. Who knows, though. Maybe when Net-a-Porter launches its outlet called "The Outnet" this Spring I will be offered a fashion reprieve for one of these dresses?!

Maybe this bodes badly for the plans I have to make but the mere thought of hunting for a conventional wedding dress makes me so very sleepy. I'd love to hear about how other traditional and non-traditional, fashionable ladies dealt with the dress conundrum for big days!