Mission Accomplished!!!

As I have mentioned before, Ed's daughter, Anita, will become Mrs. James Allen Casey on November 6, 2010.  (Okay, nobody ever calls him anything other than "Jimmy", so I had to go look at the invitation to get his full given name....)  

What an exciting time in this young couple's lives!  

My dilemma has been....what to wear to their wedding!  (In case you missed that post, you can click HERE to read it.)  

Well, this past Saturday, my dear friend - Barbara - and I tackled this dilemma head on!  With no particular color, length or style in mind, we decided to make our first stop at David's Bridal.  All I can say is..... "THANK GOD WE DID!!!" 

Once there, we quickly searched through the racks of ready-made dresses and pulled four selections for me to try on.  Three were black.....one was red; all were around knee-length, sleeveless and very simple.

The first two black numbers were "no brainer, no way"....

The third dress was a definite possibility.  It was a classic "little black dress" and would have required only minimal alterations.  I started to get excited!!!  This wasn't going too badly....but, I still had that red one to try on.....

Before it was even zipped up, I was IN MAJOR LOVE!!!  I knew, without a doubt, this was THE ONE!!!

Barbara got excited when I stepped out of the dressing room.  Allison, our sales assistant, got excited.  I was grinning ear to ear.  It was unanimous....the red dress was going home with me!  

Having forgotten my digital camera, I pulled out my Blackberry and had Barb snap a couple of photos for me.  It felt awkward to be in front of the camera....ugh.  

But, as I twirled in front of the mirrors, she snapped this photo that captures my joy and the dress beautifully.

 

I gotta tell you, I was beside myself with how well the dress shopping went.  We left my house at 1:00 pm; we walked out of David's Bridal at 1:50.  And I haven't even told you the most amazing thing about this dress....it was marked down to $79 on the clearance rack!!!  This was a cause for celebrating....and so we did!

After a nice lunch, we hit Dillards in the mall.  We decided to go with something metallic - really hot this year and a little different from the routine died-to-match shoes or basic black.  It didn't take long to get the same feeling of euphoria when I slipped on this pair....

With the pressure off, we spent the rest of the afternoon looking for just right accessories.  We were in agreement that a shimmery metallic gold-toned pashmina from Dillards would be just perfect....they had a few in stock, so I plan on returning tomorrow to make that purchase!  And, as we looked at display after display of jewelry, we decided that I would need EITHER a "statement" necklace with simple earrings OR "statement" earrings with no necklace to complete the ensemble.  I am still on the search for this element.  (And I would love any suggestions you might have on the subject!)

Today, I spread the dress out on our bed and snapped photo after photo of the dress....

of the dress and shoes....

the detail along the neckline....

the "bling" on the shoes that takes them beyond ordinary....

Like everyone kept telling me - I just KNEW the right dress when I found it.  I couldn't have asked for it to go any smoother!!!

Thanks for all the encouraging words so many of y'all had for me....I especially loved the one suggesting the personal shopper approach at Nordstrom's.   Believe me, if I lived anywhere near a Nordstrom's, I would have tried it!!!

Hugs until next time....

Jane