Rose barrettes - or, why is it so hard to find an outfit for this wedding?

Dear Sister is getting married next month. And for whatever reason, I think I’m having more trouble getting my outfit together than she is! What I had in mind was a coral dress, but I couldn’t find any (some I saw online but they are no longer available, some I saw in stores but they didn’t fit). I ended up buying this orange dress, which is slightly too big in the upper back. Unfortunately, after some investigation and basting trials, I think it is beyond the scope of what I can fix. If I could just find a nice shawl, shrug or wrap, though, I could keep that problem hidden most of the time… I’d feel a little white trash, but no one would have to know. I managed to find shoes and a purse to go with it, though, because none of what I owned went with orange! That’s really what I’m dealing with for the shawl; orange is a tough color to coordinate. The other dresses I own don’t seem nice enough for this wedding, with the exception of one that is unfortunately a bit too short (come to think of it, that’s why I never wear it; I should consider adding fabric to make a new ruffled hem or something).

In an effort to look nice, I wanted to put some color in my hair, and I had thought of a flower barrette, like this one or that one from Etsy.

In the end, I decided to make my own, using this tutorial from The Purl Bee. The result is surprisingly similar to what I had in mind, and even goes with the dress. The problem is that when I put one on, I’m not sure it looks quite right. So I’ll take them with me and decide on the spot whether I’m wearing one.

All this to say: I’m not 100% sure what I’ll wear to my sister’s wedding, and I’m not 100% sure I’ll wear this rose barrette. But I like this rose barrette and hope you will, too.