Boise was really showing off this week with some gorgeous sunsets—this photo is completely unedited, if you can believe it. I spent the whole week at home for both Thanksgiving and to be a bridesmaid in my friend’s wedding. It was kind of a whirlwind of a week, and I felt so grateful to be apart of her big day. She’s my first friend from pre-college days to get married, so it was crazy to think how far we’ve come from when we first met in middle school!

Monday, November 25

I still had to work Monday through Wednesday this week (remotely from Boise, obviously) and just wore sweats today. It’s that time of year where everyone is feeling a little burnt-out and ready for the holiday break, so work has been really slow for me lately.

Tuesday, November 26

I wore almost this exact outfit back in 2021 for my Pantone Color of the Year blog post—by the way, did you see the color announced for 2025? Mocha Mousse. I’ll have to see what it looks like in practice but my gut reaction is that I don’t love it… Your thoughts?

In other news, I had to get my first cavity filled today (boo). Thankfully it wasn’t as bad as I expected—half my face couldn’t move for the rest of the day, though, and it was absolutely hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing at how weird I looked. My parents said I reminded them of a Batman villain.

Sweater: Hand-me-down, last worn here | Grey Jeans: Express, $19 ($0.29 per wear), last worn here | Black Boots: JustFab, gifted for collaboration, $45 ($45 per wear) | Purse: Gift, $50 ($2.27 per wear), last worn here

Wednesday, November 27

I tried wearing my leather jacket over my shoulders like the cool girls do—sure, it’s a cute look, but it’s so impractical! You can’t move at all. Still, I really liked how this outfit turned out and it was perfect for grabbing dinner out (with everyone else in town—‘cause who wants to cook the night before Thanksgiving?).

Button-Down: JCPenney, $30 ($0.88 per wear), last worn here | Leather Jacket: Blank NYC, $25 ($0.36 per wear), last worn here | Jeans: Express, $40 ($0.49 per wear), last worn here | Black Boots: JustFab, gifted for collaboration, $45 ($22.50 per wear)

Thursday, November 28

I think I may have mentioned in a previous blog post how I cleaned out my brother’s childhood bedroom when I road-tripped to Boise over the summer. I found this super cute green Banana Republic sweater in his closet that I decided to take as my dues for cleaning his room. I wore it once a couple of weeks ago, washed it last week, and was devastated to find that it had shriveled up. I figured the reason my brother never wore it was because he had shrunk it on first wash (it looked small for him, hence why I took it). But then I, the fashionista, made the same mistake…

I’m so annoyed with myself that I shrunk it since it’s so cute and had previously fit me perfectly. I decided to wear it one last time (well, only the second time) for Thanksgiving dinner. I hate the static-y, polyester sweaters that are so common these days, but I guess I don’t love the expensive, true wool sweaters either if it means not really being able to wash them. A good thing for me to keep in mind when buying sweaters in the future… (For the record, I take great care when washing all my clothes and never dry anything, but I guess I draw the line at handwashing a sweater.)

Anyways, we had a lovely Thanksgiving, even if my sweater was too tight. It was just my parents, one brother, and me this year, so we downsized the meal a lot but still got to enjoy all the favorites.

Sweater: Hand-me-down | Grey Jeans: Express, $19 ($0.28 per wear), last worn here | Black Boots: JustFab, gifted for collaboration, $45 ($22.50 per wear)

Friday, November 29

I had my friend’s rehearsal dinner tonight, and I realized about halfway through the day that rehearsal dinners are kind of a fancy occasion! And I didn’t pack anything nice to wear for it! What was I thinking?? A closet full of beautiful dresses and of course I missed an opportunity to wear one of them. All I packed with me for the week was jeans and my bridesmaid dress—obviously neither were suitable for a church rehearsal and dinner.

I quickly rummaged through what few clothing items I had in the closet of my childhood bedroom (mostly stuff I intended on donating—so either didn’t fit or I didn’t like). I found this striped maxi skirt, which I wore on high school mass days, and thankfully managed to throw together this wintery outfit. It definitely wouldn’t have been my first choice for a rehearsal dinner outfit, but I think it turned out pretty well for pulling it out of my ass.

Black Sweater: Scout and Molly’s Boutique, $89 ($4.45 per wear), last worn here | Maxi Skirt: Dress Barn, $30 ($7.50 per wear), last worn here | Black Boots: JustFab, gifted for collaboration, $45 ($15.00 per wear)

Saturday, November 30

Wedding day!! I had to be at the reception venue at 8am this morning to get ready in the bridal suite (I paid to have my hair done but decided to do my own makeup, since I like it light and natural). This was the only photo I got of my outfit—I wasn’t really on my phone all day so I could enjoy the moment. We spent a couple of hours leisurely getting ready and eating breakfast, and then we made our way to the cathedral for the Nuptial Mass. It was the first Catholic wedding I ever attended, and it was really beautiful. It was actually held in the cathedral I grew up going to, right next to my elementary school, which was nostalgic (and it’s just a gorgeous building).

The mass was at 1 o’clock, the bridal party took a limo to the reception venue, we took some photos, and then we had the rest of the evening to just enjoy the food and dancing. It was such a beautiful wedding—everything went off without a hitch and the venue, table settings, bridesmaid dresses, etc. were all so pretty.

The bride let us pick our own bridesmaid dresses, but they had to be one of three dark green shades from Baltic Born, had to be long, and had to have sleeves. I don’t know how much I’ll wear mine again but I do really like it. Baltic Born was so much cheaper than David’s Bridal, and I didn’t have to get it hemmed (such a win!). The bride requested we wear white heels (mine are technically off-white), and I carried my vintage green clutch that belonged to my grandma. I finished the look with my citrine necklace—I thought the yellow/gold color was so pretty with the dark green!

Bridesmaid Dress: Baltic Born, $72 ($72 per wear) | Beige Heels: Vivaia, gifted for collaboration, $145 ($18.13 per wear), last worn here | Green Clutch: Vintage, last worn here

Sunday, December 1

I didn’t really drink at the wedding but still felt like I needed to recover today, after the 15 hour day yesterday. My mom and I started to decorate the house for Christmas, and then we had some family friends over for dinner.

Top: Francesca’s, $25 ($1.09 per wear), last worn here | Grey Jeans: Express, $19 ($0.28 per wear), last worn here | Black Boots: JustFab, gifted for collaboration, $45 ($11.25 per wear)

. . . . .

I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving if you celebrate!

 

Miles of smiles,
Grace