Fashion Dilemma

My sister just got married last summer (yay!) and the slowpoke just now sent out pictures of their honeymoon. So beautiful! They went on a cruise in the Carribbean. Seeing those pics just made me super excited for our upcoming Alaskan cruise! But for now I need to focus my attention on a small trip we're taking this coming weekend - to San Diego!

It's only for a few days but I'm super excited! It's to celebrate my mother-in-law's retirement. How cool is that?? She's having a big party so, of course, I had to figure out what I was going to wear. I initally thought it was going to be a fancy affair so I wanted something elegant and classy, like this:

Or this:

But then I learned that the party is going to be much more casual, with a Mexican buffet, beer, and maragaritas, and the men are not supposed to wear ties or sports coats, so I thought a dress like that would be over the top. So instead I thought about something like this:

Ha! Just kidding! I don't think I'd be caught dead wearing something like that!

I actually ended up with a simple little black dress a lot like this (except my skirt is just a little less full):

It's comfortable, I can dance in it, and it's not too dressy. But I thought I needed a little color so I added a very skinny leopard print belt and it looks great! I was worried about finding the right ensemble for such an occasion but after adding the belt, black patent peep toe stilettos, and some sparkly black beaded bracelets with matching earrings, I think I'm all set!

This weekend is going to be so fun!