FashBlog.com

Now that I am in my early thirties, I find myself being invited to more and more formal occasions than ever before. There are of course weddings of friends and family members, as well as graduations, christenings, office parties, and even funerals. All of these events require at least semi-formal attire. Since I never dress up for anything else, this means I usually have to buy a new outfit whenever another invitation shows up in the mail. This can get quite expensive, especially when you factor in the cost of shoes and/or any gifts associated with the events.

One way to handle this situation would be to simply have a single long dress in a neutral or dark color, and then wear it to every formal occasion that I'm invited to. Unfortunately, this plan is not very feasible since multiple guests attend the same functions. People would soon notice if I were always wearing the same dress. Plus, think of all the pictures. How would it look if I had the exact same dress on in every picture from every family formal in an entire year?

Luckily for me, there is a legitimate ways around my problem. First, I've altogether given up shopping at department stores for formal wear. There's just no way I could afford to spend over $100 on new dresses that I will only wear a couple of times. Instead, I've found several great websites that have formal dresses available at deeply discounted prices. Just how deep are the discounts? I've bought a few well-made formal gowns for less than $40 each. You definitely won't be getting a Jessica McClintock creation for this price, so if the label is important to you, you're obviously going to have to pay a lot more.

Because the prices of these gowns are so cheap, I've can afford to buy more of them. Now, I have 3 formal dresses in my closet for special occasions whereas before I only had one. This number is enough to get me through a whole year of events (yes, I probably will have to wear at least one of the dresses twice). Plus, all the money I save on dresses translates into more funds leftover for shoes or gifts. Yes, it's still a lot of money to spend, but at least I am able to be there in person for all of my loved ones' big nights.

The bottom line here is that all adults need to have access to at least one formal outfit. A wedding invitation can come when you least expect it and when you are least prepared for it (financially speaking). It would be a shame to have to sit out an important event just because you didn't have any money to buy an outfit. So the next time you receive an invitation to a formal event, think carefully about your budget. You should be aware that you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars in order to look like a million bucks.