My friend Aaron’s wedding was a few weeks ago, and it turned into an impromptu weekend getaway since we stayed the night before, and the night of the event, at the venue. Here’s what I packed:
- mum fit jeans in bleach wash by Grana (no longer available)
- silk shorts in olive by Grana
- pima oversized crew neck jumper in navy by Grana (no longer available, but similar here)
- silk-cashmere tank in grey by Grana (no longer available, but here’s the oversized tee shirt)
- cotton slub v neck tee shirt in charcoal marle by Hush
- synthetic mix open cardigan in sage (old from Valley Girl, I think)
The only things I changed were the shoes, swapping them for my trusty Simple Sandal instead, and included my dusty orchid silk tee at the last minute. Not pictured were underwear, PJs, and a swimsuit (because like, outdoor hot tub).
Weather
Was hot. Stupidly hot. Not humid like equatorial zone, but Tasmania does have that excruciatingly burning sun. The kind where you will colour up in 10 minutes.
The day before was 23 degrees, the day of was 27.
Bless a few of the UK guests who enthusiastically said they wanted to get a little colour; they regretted not wearing SPF the day after immensely.
Did everything work?
Well, kinda.
Basically I didn’t pack very effectively, and for some perverse reason even though I was fully aware that the weather report predicted a hot day, I decided that the weather report was wrong and we would end up freezing our tits off instead.
It’s happened before, people. The weather laughing in our faces, that is.
On top of that, we got sweaty, sandy, salty. A few more changes of clothing would have been appreciated, and there was really nothing I had spare to feel refreshed in.
What didn’t get worn
I didn’t wear the jumper much, and I didn’t touch the cardigan because synthetics and heat do not mix well at all; the jeans were worn to travel to the venue and then again to leave.
What did get worn
The tee shirt, tank and shorts obviously got the most wear but I severely misjudged the colour palette. Charcoal, grey and olive are not what I would call particularly festive colours, and I felt rather blergh considering I was at a wedding. I’m rather glad I included the pink toned silk tee at the last minute, to spice things up a bit, but even so a nice dress and an additional dressy pair of shorts would have been a far better option.
Lesson learned
This was a wedding, people! A chance to wear some really lovely, coordinated and cute outfits that were meant to look good in photographs! The more I look at what I packed above, the more I am kicking myself for thinking that that palette and those options were even faintly appropriate for my standards and expectations.
Granted, I didn’t realise we would be staying 2 nights until the day we left, but this kind of proves that at the moment I suck at packing on the fly.
The upside of this lesson is that I actually don’t feature in any official photos because I was the photographer.
Phew.
At least this way I don’t have to look at myself and be reminded of this particular failure of a travelling wardrobe.
On the brighter side, great learning curve and for these short little stays I should be planning how to pack by outfits to ensure that I look appropriate and have enough clothes to last me all the various activities one might get up to.
I’m curious, whether you’ve ever packed for an event where you’ve been less than impressed with what you chose to bring along. Leave a comment and share your story if you’d like!
