This weekend I’m celebrating with my future sister in-law and the rest of her bridesmaids. We’re going to sip drinks poolside, hit some fun brunch, lunch and dinner spots, drink a bit of bubbly and, shop for dresses.

In days past, the latter part of those plans may have induced traumatic memories of big pink puffy sleeves and royal blue (to match the stain glass in the church) madness, but today’s maids’ dresses are cute, comfortable and come in a range of colors, fabrics and styles. The rules of yesteryear have gone out the window!

Unfortunately, not all the dresses themselves have gone with them. Not for long. Dress designer, Dessy introduced their NewlyMaid program earlier this week. The general premise is that you send in your unloved bridesmaid dress and receive a credit to purchase one of their little black dresses.

Who couldn’t use a little black dress? Maybe you could even wear it for your next walk down the aisle!

I will second the adoration I’ve heard and read so many others express for Kate Middleton’s wedding dress. In my opinion, it was beautiful, but not overdone; classy and fresh; young, but still appropriate for the inherent conservative nature of a royal wedding; and, she seemed to be genuinely comfortable in it.

Her evening dress was equally as beautiful. I loved the little white angora shrug and just a hint of sparkle in the belt. It was reminiscent of the dress she wore for the ceremony, but more party worthy.

All in all, she hit the mark. As ABC News shared of their interview with Tim Gunn, the coach for Project Runway contestants read:

Gunn had nothing but praise for the newly named duchess of Cambridge, and her wedding dress. In describing her look, Gunn kept repeating the word “ravishing.” When asked to expand on this, he said, “Simply, she took my breath away.”

We’d be missing something not to note the beautiful, modern, streamlined look that was created across the wedding party with all the girls dressed in white. Although it’s common practice in the UK, wedding guests or members of a wedding party dressed in white is traditionally a no-no in the US. But, that may be changing.

A wedding party dressed in white can be appropriate for summer or winter and can lend itself toward almost any setting, especially a beautiful Colorado mountain wedding location where color just seems to detract from the landscape’s beauty.

It’s modern, it’s unique and hopefully, it will be trend that hops across the pond!