the festive frock

We received an invitation to a wedding reception that requested that we "dress festive". My first thought, obviously, was to wear my wedding dress. It's extremely festive, and it must be appropriate to wear to a wedding or it would have a different name (I was thinking of forgoing the entourage to carry my train, though - no need to make a scene).
Sadly, my wedding dress is still splattered with the champagne and cake I drunkenly spilled the last time I wore it, so that was out.
The day of the reception arrived and I decided to try to finish a dress that had long been stuffed in my clothes-that-need-work bureau. The dress had never looked right on me - it was too high-waisted, too long, it had sleeves that seemed rather blah, and the overall effect was less than flattering.
After I bought it, I took the sleeves off and the sash apart, and then I lost interest in it and left it in pieces that went on to mock me every time I opened the drawer.
Finishing the job meant that I had to take in the dress under the arms (now that it was sleeveless, the armholes gapped obscenely), and then hem the edges. I solved the waist problem the easy way by making the sash wider than it used to be and wrapping it around where I wanted the waist to be, thus hiding the high waist and making a more flattering fit. I also shortened it to knee length. After lots of starching and ironing it was party time!
And have I mentioned how much I love my new petticoat?