My eldest niece is getting married next August in London. We're very excited for her! In fact, this past weekend my sister flew up and the three of us went wedding gown shopping, which was so much fun and a smashing success! My niece tried on a bunch of dresses, and she made all of them look beautiful, but there was a very short list of about 3 sheath style gowns with very simple lines and beautiful sophisticated details that really resonated with her. However, at the last shop, there was a gorgeous beaded sheath with a V neck and some art deco-ish detailing, including an amazing butterfly wing-like beaded detail on the back -- she walked out of the fitting room, and both my sister and I burst into tears! It was just so odd that we both had such a strong emotional reaction to her in that particular dress. Fortunately, she loved it too, and the dress came home with us!

So now, we'll help my sister find a great mother-of-the-bride outfit, and I'll start to turn my attention to finding myself a dress for this event. Considering how miserable my search was for a dress for my stepson's wedding last summer, I'm not feeling terribly encouraged. Dress shopping is almost as difficult as swimsuit shopping for me.

But part of me thinks that since I had success with casual dress shopping recently, I should strike while the iron is hot and start looking sooner rather than later. At least her colors are right up my alley -- shades of teal and blue!

Wish me luck. If you've seen any fab dresses that are at least knee length, that would be appropriate for August in London, please let me know!