What time of year?

oop sorry -- mid October. (so how variable can THAT be lol)

Dinner and dancing - cocktail dress. The yachting angle would only come into play in a daytime event IMHO.

I second or third the cocktail dress....but do have some sort of shawl or wrap. It will most likely be a little chilly on the water.

I'm getting cold thinking about it... yes, a warm wrap will be needed, or you'll be subject to staying inside the cabin.

Thanks- that is what I originally thought but then I wasn't sure because of the on the water part. I will see what the invitation says (if anything). I do have a LBD that I will try on to be sure it still fits-. This is a dress I saw in TJM probably about 5 or 8? years ago, and bought with no occasion in mind. It sat in the closet for the first 2 years or so. I have since worn it at least 5 times. I do have 2 really nice wraps (though not so warm) that I have worn with it.

When I hesitated on buying it, I flashed to the sage advice my mom always shared in those situations. She would always say "you need to buy it when you see it. your closet needs it".

Still I will be on the gentle prowl to see if I stumble on something else new.

Love your mom's advice. Sounds like you have the right dress for the occasion. If you are still open to ideas, would you ever consider a fancy jumpsuit? I love me a LBD, but I think these two are kind of cool also:

Here's a link for the gold jumpsuit:

gold jumpsuit

link for salmon-colored jumpsuit:

salmon jumpsuit

Jo

Definitely cocktail unless the invite comes with a formal attire label. Something comfortable to dance in but not flowy or too loose. If you want to enjoy the deck you'll have to constantly grab and hold your dress down or you might pull a Marilyn. The jump suits are really cute! If you can pull them off, go for it! (I'm 5'4" and can never find one that looks good on me, lol). Take a thick wrap or coat! The wind on open water feels colder than on land since it's constantly blowing.

I'm hoping that they are heating the deck in some way.? Too much to ask? Whenever we have an October thing on our deck which is not on water we have heaters.

Love the jumpsuits! That is a fun modern-looking and practical solution. I haven't found one that I can wear however I'm build a bit to square and top-heavy :-(.

Gqood luck! Can't wait to see what you pick!

Definitely a cocktail dress! I'd also want to bring something like a wrap for warmth, but hopefully you'll have so much fun dancing you'll be plenty warm.

I love your mother's advice. I've purchased a few cocktail dresses over the years when I found one I love on sale. Nothing worse than a sudden invitation to an event and having to rush to find something to wear.

Yes, I think jumpsuit is a good and updated idea. I feel relieved that I do have the little black dress and just remembered another one that could possibly work.

It's so nice that my mom's advice was appreciated as well. There were times I might not buy something and then change my mind only to- of course- not be able to find it again.

She had lots of great advice.