Winter Wedding Help for Jessica O.
Posted in Editorial, Emily's Favorites, Uncategorized on November 3rd, 2009 by Emily – 4 Comments
Hello Sensibly Styled!
I am at a total loss as to what I and my two little boys should wear for my brother’s wedding. (my husband will be wearing a tux) I would be forever grateful if you could give me your opinion and guide me in the right direction as to what would look nice, classy, and flattering.
Here are the details:
First, I am a 29 year old mom of two boys. My husband is a medical resident. . .why does this matter? Well, our income is very limited right now with a resident’s salary. So my price range is nothing over $150 for my whole outfit. My two little boys nothing over $100 for both of them. I am more of an hourglass figure, 5′ 7″. My boys are ages 6 and 3.
OK, here are the wedding details:
The wedding is going to take place in Utah in December, so It will be cold. The bride is wanting all the women and girls in the wedding party (even the brides maids) to wear black skirts with their choice of a top. The wedding colors are a pale pink and a dark royal blue.
So I need to find a flattering black skirt, either a pink or blue top (I am thinking I like the idea of pink the best, however I am open to anything), and boots or heels, nylons or no nylons?
I am in need of your help, please.
I have no idea as to what my boys should wear. The men will all have black tux’s. They will be the only children in the whole wedding party. So we really could have them wear what ever. I just have no idea if they should also wear black slacks, or gray, or tan? Any suggestions?
Thank you so much for looking this over, if you feel like this is to hard of a challenge I totally understand.
I included the most recent picture of our family.
-Jessica O.
Hi Jessica! I was so excited to see your email. I have a brother that just finished his fellowship in Ophthalmology this summer. Now…27 years of school, an awesome wife, and 5 wonderful children later…he has started in his practice. (Anyone in Idaho Falls need an Opthalmologist/Genius? Let me know.) So, I can understand the plight of a hardworking resident’s family. And what a beautiful family at that! Your boys are just so handsome, and they are going to melt everyone at the wedding with their cute outfits.
For the boys, I found a pant/shirt/vest/tie set for a great price. The tie and the shirt aren’t right for the wedding, but the pants and vest will be perfect (and they can wear the whole set to church or something). The pants are black and the vest is a dark charcoal gray with a slight pinstripe. Perfect. I think it would look best to keep the boys in the same colors as the rest of the wedding party. This white shirt is from Old Navy, and this is the kind I get for my sons. It has a nice thickness to it, washes well, and irons nicely. If they need new dress shoes, here’s a good option, but you might be able to find something for a lesser price. I found a cute pink bowtie, but my favorite find of all is this men’s silk tie. (You may be able to find something similar at a local department store.) I loved how perfect the colors are for the wedding, but the only problem is that it’s a men’s tie. However, if you are handy with a sewing machine, I bet you could fashion 2 boy’s bowties out of one men’s tie. That’s what I would do (or, rather…that’s what I would ask my mom to do for me.)
Pant/vest set, $14.99
White shirt, $14.50
Shoes, $24.99
Tie, $10.00
Total per boy: $64.48 (that price doesn’t include shipping costs, so anything you can find at a local store will help lower your overall cost. Plus, if they already have a white shirt or black dress shoes, then that’s a great place to save money.)

Now, for you. I found a great pencil skirt from Target, but just about any black pencil skirt would work just fine. So, if you have one already, just wear that. The skirt isn’t really the star of the outfit, so don’t put your money there. Finding light pink tops at this time of year was a little difficult, but I did find some pretty options in the blue color. Plus, I think a deep blue will be gorgeous with your lovely blond hair. My favorite is the first one on the left because the ruffled neckline is to die for, and I like the long sleeves for a winter wedding, but any of these tops would look great tucked into a pencil skirt (the last one would look best tucked into a very highwaisted pencil skirt to cover the smocking, or you could wear it untucked with a regular skirt.)
(Blouses from left to right: ruffle front, ruffled 3/4 sleeve, tie-neck blouse, shimmer top)
Wear your favorite black heels, or if you need a new pair, try these timeless pumps. The brand is Jessica Simpson, and my sister has these heels, so I can vouch that they are killer sexy. I love the look of this multi-strand pearl necklace with the deep blue top, or you can always wear any pearl accessories that you already have (or can borrow). I would definitely wear tights. It will be winter after all, plus I LOVE tights. I like this shimmery blue pair from Old Navy, but just about anything will work. Target has great tights, and I’m sure you’ll be able to find an inexpensive pair of opaque or patterned black tights there.
Lastly, I found this pretty bloom on etsy.com and I think it would be beautiful pinned onto your shoulder, on your hip (in the front just off to the side a little) or in your hair if you’re up for it. I think it will give the outfit that finishing touch and the pale pink will play off your blue top really well.

Have a great time at the wedding, you’ll look great!
Love, Emily
My picks:
Skirt, $14.99
Blouse, $44.50
Shoes, $68.95
Necklace, $12.99
Tights, $9.50
Bloom, $9.00
Total: $159.93 (that doesn’t include any shipping costs, so if you live near these stores you could call to see if they carry the items you’re looking for in your size. And of course, if you can use anything you already have, that’s the best way to save money.)





Do you like this necklace? There is an auction going on over at
Alright, so… my good friend Almira has a mother in law who seriously makes the best cookies I have ever had in my life. (They’ve even been featured on the Rachel Ray show…) (seriously) When Almira first told me how good her (at the time ‘future’) mother in law’s cookies were, I wondered how any one cookie could be that much better than any other. However, I was at Almira’s luncheon after her wedding and these amazing cookies were handed out. (I can’t remember which flavor but I’m pretty sure they were the ones pictured on the left, toffee chocolate chip) And I was floored at how delicious they were. Seriously… I kept trying to figure out ways I could ask for more without looking like a pig! But I decided just to savor the ones I had. I have also thought about these cookies several times since.
I am loving these boots! I think I need to save my pennies (or hundred dollar bills…) for a pair.
YAY! I did it! I just went online to 



The core uniform is perfect for my job. The tops are neutral and comfortable, and the bottoms are stretchy and make chasing, bending up and down, and sitting with little ones in my lap a lot easier. I try to wear shoes as infrequently as possible (a trait inherited from my mother), but cute toenail polish makes me happy. Like Gwyneth, I love a neutral gray heather, but just about any neutral will do. 




Can you tell a difference? I sure can’t! Which makes me angry because I bought the one onthe right from Forever 21 for $34.50 (plus shipping) And I just found the one on the left for $17.99! Too bad it’s too late to return the one I have! When I bought it, they didn’t have it showing on a model… so it looked long enough. (and it’s not) If I would have seen these pictures, I would have known better!


Okay, Ashley. Since we don’t have much time, I’ll give you ideas of what to look for, and hopefully with that you’ll be able to find something that works for you in your local stores.

4. With your vintage fashion finds, is your wardrobe kind of like a revolving door? Meaning, do you pick something up if it looks interesting and then if it doesn’t work, no big deal, and you just put it back in the thrift store pipeline? Or are you very discerning with what you do or don’t by? What are you looking for when you go to a thrift shop?, are there pieces you always have your eyes out for, like a certain kind of coat or specific style of a dress?









































One of our readers, Emily, (not Emily that posts on here, but a different Emily) wrote us an email saying this:

LOLOLOLOL! Sorry, but I didn’t know they even sold this bad of jeans anymore! Just made me laugh. For those of you who don’t know… these aren’t hip.

I love 






