What I Wore On The Most Special Days Of My Life

A special event in our lives usually means an outfit for special occasions. Obviously. So many times we go shopping for something to wear for a specific day, whether it's a milestone birthday party, meeting someone for the first time, or the first day at work at your dream job. We tend to take our time in picking out what we want to wear for said important day — whatever it is.

Life is funny sometimes, though, and it's possible that several of the most important days in your life will be down to circumstances you never could have planned. And whatever we happen to be wearing on those particular days then becomes as much a part of the memory as the event itself. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has kept a piece of clothing because "that was what I had on when Justin Timberlake hugged me," or "when I met Obama" or "when I climbed Mount Everest." None of those things have happened to me, but you know what I mean.

Our clothes are important to us. I mean, I'm sure not everyone puts sentimental value into what they choose to wear for a given event, but as I started thinking about the biggest moments in my life, and what I wore on those days, it became undoubtedly fascinating to see what the clothes we choose to put on say about us.

Here are six special days in my life so far:

The Day I Got Baptized

The first momentous day I recall in my life (for which I specifically remember what I was wearing) happened when I was seven. I was raised in a devout Christian family, and I had made the decision to get baptized as well. I'm not sure if I picked out this dress or if my mother did, but I recall wearing a poofy dark purple dress with lace accents. I wish I had access to a picture.

I remember thinking how cool it was going to be to step into the baptizing pool with this big, poofy dress on — getting completely soaked in something other than my bathing suit. I remember the skirt floating in the water as I stood and listened to the preacher (who happened to be my grandfather) talk about the importance of what I was doing in my faith. That day of my childhood means a lot to me, but it wouldn't be the same without the memory of my fancy dress in that water.

The Day I Graduated High School

(I'm the one on the far left.)

I'm sure we all remember the day we could finally look back on our school years. You can't see my outfit in the picture, unfortunately, but I chose a lightweight, golden-colored blouse and a skirt (because the girls had to wear a skirt under their robe) with white heels (also because we had to). I wore the same blouse in my senior pictures, and I'm sure somewhere inside I chose that gold top because finishing high school was pretty golden. Call me cheesy, but I prefer sentimental.

The Day I Met My Husband

So I met my husband online, actually, way back before online dating was even a thing. We happened to start chatting on Napster (remember that, anyone?) in 2000 when we were teenagers. The next year, he came from England to meet me, so the first time I ever laid eyes on him was in an airport.

I had the unique opportunity to actually choose what I was wearing the first time we met in person, and it wasn't anything too consequential (or so I thought). As it was winter, I wore a light blue turtleneck sweater, my best-looking pair of jeans, and my American Eagle boots (those were totally a thing when I was 17). It was a pretty average outfit for me. But what I realized is that the color blue, as in my sweater, would be a pattern in the next important days I'll mention.

The Day I Got Engaged

Four years after meeting the man I would marry, he proposed to me. It was also in the winter, and I had gone to visit him in England. But he took me to Paris for a weekend and proposed on the Eiffel tower. Le sigh! It was a complete surprise to me, since we were just casually doing the touristy thing in that beautiful and freezing-in-the-winter city. You can't see it in the photo (taken earlier in the day as we walked the streets) because I'm bundled up in my scarf and pea coat, but I was wearing a blue sweater underneath and a pair of jeans. Sweet, huh?

My Wedding Day

So, I obviously mean the clothes I was wearing before I put on my wedding dress. It's pretty clear from the picture that the pattern of wearing blue is made complete here. Light blue is a common wedding color, and we were also married in the winter, so instead of Christmas-y greens and reds, I went with ice blue and silver.

I chose this blue top and, you guessed it, a pair of my favorite jeans to wear as I went about preparing for the day. I didn't know it at the time, but now it makes for quite a cool story in talking about what I wore in each of those special days. I also remember thinking this top was classic as it was a vintage blouse I bought in a consignment shop. I had a pretty traditional wedding, and it made me feel like someone from an old movie.

My 5th Anniversary Renewing Of Vows Ceremony

I didn't have any blue on that day, and this is the dress I actually wore during the ceremony, but it nonetheless stands out to me. Making it to five years is a big deal when it comes to marriage statistics these days.

Like I said, I'm the sentimental type, so I wanted to mark the anniversary by renewing our vows. It was fun to once again have a day where I got to pick out something special to wear. The necklace I'm wearing is something I still have, as well as the hairpiece.

Images: Author's Own