Hello from the West Coast! We’ve been in California this past week, visiting family and celebrating our dear friends’ wedding (congrats Bobby & Jenny!). My in-laws offered to babysit so we weren’t initially planning on bringing baby Nori to the festivities, but got a hotel room last-minute to be closer to the venue. As Nick was in the bridal party, it was a full day affair so I needed a nursing-friendly wedding guest outfit with quick and easy access!
Update: Per your requests, here’s how this dress in sz S looks with a pillow “bump” as maternity wear (right), and also on me at 5 feet, 95 lbs (left). The other photos in this blog post show how the dress fits when I was around 100 – 105lbs. If you’re petite, I suggest pairing with a snug belt and elongating skin-tone shoes.
Tiered Pleated Dress
The dress I originally packed did not work, but thankfully I found this dreamy one from Morning Lavender. The shoulder and waist are elasticized so it’s very stretchy and forgiving, and the top pulls down easily for a breastfeeding or pumping session. Several of you asked whether it’s maternity-friendly, so I just tried it on with a pillow stuffed in the belly and thought it looks so cute with a bump! The dress is lined, the tiered pleats flow as you walk, and a major bonus is this is travel-friendly and doesn’t wrinkle. I had jammed it into my diaper bag, and the pleats survived just fine.
Fit-wise, this dress is fairly true to size. Unfortunately size S is the smallest available – it works on me postpartum (I wear 0/XS in most brands currently), but may be loose at the waist on very petite ladies. I liked it unbelted, but ordered a wide belt just to add some waist definition (this one is very average quality, but I was short on time and all my belts were in Boston!). I had only packed nude heels and a blush bag for my original outfit, so this look ended up monochromatic with some of the shades slightly off…oh well!
Bra situation: If you’re not nursing, a standard strapless bra would work or I recommend my trusty Bristols 6 adhesive nippies (several mamas have said these still work for them between breastfeeding sessions!). I only had a regular bra with me so had to make do with the straps tucked in, but ideally for nursing I’d suggest a soft fabric bandeau bra (like this one or this one) that can fold down easily from the top, with your own nursing pads tucked inside if needed.
Measurements of sz S when lying flat: 12″ across the waist, stretches up to 15″ across. 17″ across the armpits. 16″ across the elasticized top that goes across the shoulders, 38″ total length.
Circle Bag
This mini circle bag is from one of my favorite mid-priced handbag brands. See how else I’ve styled it here and here! I also own and love their chic box shaped bag (see it styled here and here) which is a dupe for Marc Cross for a fraction of the price. Both of the TDE bags I have are petite-friendly, great quality, and made of durable saffiano leather, plus have detachable shoulder straps for versatility!
Block-heeled Sandals
Since the ceremony was on a grassy surface, I made sure to bring my stable block heeled sandals instead of stilettos that’d end up aerating the lawn! See these shoes also worn in my maternity photoshoot. This style sandal has been around for years and comes in dozens of colors and materials, but I went the safest neutral, classic nude leather. The Sam Edelman site is the only retailer I’ve seen that carries them down to a size 4!
Baby Gear
At the suggestion of a friend, we ordered these noise reduction baby earmuffs for the wedding last minute and were so glad we did! There were several other young attendees at the wedding with the same exact earmuffs. Despite loud music and noisy chatter, Nori was able to sleep soundly for the majority of the reception in our Baby Bjorn “Mini” carrier. I’ve gotten lots of questions on this carrier via Instagram since Nick uses it everywhere! The downside is you can only use it the first year because it’s Mini and designed for newborns, however it is MUCH smaller and more compact than the “transitional” carriers we tried on. We love the size and streamlined style, and Nori fusses a little initially but ends up getting comfy in it pretty much every time.
Right: Nori fast asleep in her L’oved Baby footie, with Banz earmuffs on in the Baby Bjorn Mini (top folded back)
