What to wear? What to wear?

So I don't know about you, but every time I get invited to a wedding my gut does this happy little jig that alters between "yay! I get to look pretty!" on one foot and "holy crap, what does 'evening demi-formal' mean?". Ya know? it's like, yes, we all like to look great, but nobody wants to be the only idiot in a bedazzled denim jacket at an event that's brimming with black ties and tiaras.

Because a few of my best buds have already started asking, I thought I'd assemble the following advice, most of it gleaned directly from an email sent to one of my bestest.

I'll resist the urge to say what every bride on earth says when confronted with the question of "what do you want your guests to wear?". Most brides gleamingly proclaim: "whatever makes you comfortable!" because even though, "thanks captain obvious" when push comes to shove, that is not really helpful.

Here's the dirt: let's make a scale of 1 to 10. At number 10 you've got the sparkly and uber-formal cinderella with sparkly rhinestone/glass shoes that match her fingernails AND the imported chekoslovakian crystals in her platinum tiara. Then at number 1, you have the cat lady from the simpsons. Let's put our favorite weekend jeans on the 3. Let's assume business caszj. is at around number 5, where ladies wear linen pants or stylish skirts with pretty blouses and men put on ties sometimes with their white shirts, tan pants and brown shoes. Let's also assume that budget constraints will predictably keep folks away from 8 and 9. So I'm thinking that if you can hit a 6 or a 7, that'd be perfect. Hell, even a 5 would be just fine! What does that leave us with? "flouncy busniess caszj"? "Formal" inasmuch as it is closer to cinderella than cat lady, but still something you can be comfortable in. Something you don't wear every week, but something you know you look awesome in. Skirts, flouncy pants, whatever!

Note, this will be mostly outdoors in October, and chilly (likely) with an equal chance of snow on the ground as rain as 80 degree sunshine... so providing for layers is a great idea. Colors will be great too! Lots of color. Be a hawaiian shirt-gone-hollywood or be a brilliant vision in blue. If I'm lucky, the mountains will be in chocolatey browns and glittery golds, the sky will be a deep crystalline blue. If I'm not lucky, the mountains will be baby-food brown and the sky will be hazy and urine-y (tres romantique, n'est pas?) Realize that this means that I'm not going to be picky about clashing or contrasting with ANYTHING. Be pretty, feel pretty, and be in it to laugh and dance and eat and cavort.

Does that help? I hope so. I probably just wrote the long version of "whatever you want" but I hope it's a little more informative as to how I hope the thing will go and look without dictating "thou shalt wear tea-length pencil skirts in springburgundy, or pintuck-orange" because... seriously? Barfff.

and by the way, because of the location... super-spiky femme-fatale heels = not a good idea.
Be nice to your feet and ankles. They do so much for you already!