Why I Carried a Tote Bag to a Wedding

AKA: How Target saved the day!

This post is not sponsored by Target, nor have they gifted me any items in return.

Happy day, dear reader!

Have you ever gotten yourself ready for an event, just to find yourself in a pickle? Maybe your tights have a run in them. Maybe your dress is too tight, or the slip too long for the dress. Maybe your feet are swollen, and you can’t even squeeze those puppies into your dressy sandals. It’s okay! It happens to all of us. Style is how you handle it (or don’t).

Allow me to set the scene. Our youngest son and his fiancee were getting married. I bought a dress last spring when I saw one I loved at Talbot’s, so that was done. I already had silver sandals to wear. All done, right? Not quite. After keeping eyes open during the summer, we found an outfit for my mother, and shoes for her as well. The shoes were the real challenge. They had to be pretty, practically flat, and work around her foot issues, but we succeeded! Woo hoo! Now we’re done, right? Not quite.

Neither of us had a handbag. I could have carried my trusty old pewter leather clutch, but that didn’t feel festive enough. (First world problem. I know!) Last Christmas I was eyeing a deep red beaded bag that I thought would add some festive to my holiday outfits, but ended up buying another that was more practical (and less sparkly). I decided that beaded bag was perfect, so I ordered a pile. One in deep red for me, one in bright red for the bride (Red is her favorite color.), and one in olive for my daughter-in-law. Yes, it’s weird for us to all have the same bag, but the colors are all different, so I doubt anyone noticed. Here’s mine:

(It’s not amazing, or particulary special, but it makes me happy, and that’s the important part!)

My mother still didn’t have a bag. Beaded would not be her thing. It was a daytime wedding. It was enough sparkle that we got her into gold sandals for the wedding. My mother has a generational issue with wearing metallics during the day. (That’s a whole ‘nother post.) I found her a matte gold leather wristlet at Talbot’s. (Again, they save the day!) All good, now!

Until I realize… Not only will I be carrying my bag, I’ll also be carrying my mother’s. And some books for my ring-bearer grandsons in case they wander off from their assigned spots and over to us. (Anyone who counts on active six and three year-olds to stay in their assigned seats for over an hour is out of their blinking mind! Although they did stay put. They had well armed child-minders. Thank you, Aidan, and Nate!) My goodies: lipstick, tissues, ID, more tissues, and powder, fit nicely in my beaded bag, but there’s no room for my mom’s wristlet, and books for the boys. I don’t want to carry it all in a grocery bag. That just feels wrong. Enter the superhero…

I found this problem solver at Target. It’s matte silver. Perfect for my palette! And it was big enough for the two handbags, some books, and a few extra goodies. And it didn’t cost a fortune. I Googled silver tote a few days before the wedding (when I realized my predicament), and they were either enormous, really cheap looking, or incredibly expensive. I had given up hope until wandering into Target for something completely unrelated and stumbling across our hero.

In the great scheme of things, did it matter? No. (But it did make me feel better.) Are they now married? Yes. Was a wonderful time had by all? Yes! Would I have bought it for an everyday bag? Nope. Will I get some more use out of it? I expect so! Only time will tell if it was a good buy or not, but it solved the problem, at just the right time, and at a very reasonable price. And I did NOT have to carry one of my reusable grocery bags to our son´s wedding. Yay!

Thanks, Target! What’s your saved-the-day story? (Or what style predicament have your found yourself in?) Please share in the comments below. I love to hear from you!

Stylishly yours,