Hi there, remember me? It has been so long since I posted here, but I wanted to share some pictures of this year’s feria. Last year, I think I disappointed everyone (especially Amelia) by not dressing up, so I really went for it this year!
And although I never got out my “real” camera, I still have some fun feria photos to share with you from my phone. At the end of this post, I’ll have some links to a local friend’s posts, where she shares lots of really gorgeous pictures from this year’s feria.
OK, first of all… I got dressed up!
People who know me know that I hate to attract attention to myself. So the idea of putting on a big, colorful (often wildly patterned) dress and lots of big accessories honestly scared me. I went to a flamenco dress store and (of course!) tried on a plain black dress. But I really looked like Elvira, so I opted for the same dress in hot pink, comforted by the thought that I could just do black accessories. Here’s my dress and shawl.
And I have a cool story about my shawl! I bought it over 11 years ago, when we were here in Andalucia on our honeymoon! It’s beautifully embroidered silk, and I know I wore it a couple of times in the U.S., but of course it was hard to work it into an outfit with super long fringe like that. So, it was really exciting for me to get to wear to the appropriate occasion here. I spent hours (with Jeff’s help) combing out and ironing the tassels.
After getting my dress, I had to also shop for other accessories, and honestly I probably should have done a little more than I did!
Anyway, here’s the finished look:
It was honestly really fun to get all dressed up like a Spanish doll! I have not put that much effort in since my wedding.
And of course, it was super exciting for Amelia, too! She still fit into last year’s dress, so we changed the accessories and shoes this year for a new look.
She definitely “owns” this look! I love it.And the back is just as sweet to look at:
Sadly for Jeff, the guys here really don’t dress up unless they ride horses. So he just wore a good collared shirt and a blazer like the rest of most of the gentlemen at feria, and paid Amelia and me nice compliments all evening. Because of some weekend plans we had made (that later ended up falling through) we only had one night that we could go to the feria in our town of El Puerto de Santa Maria. It also happened to be “kids night” with all of the rides and games half priced. When we parked and started walking to the feria grounds, I about had a panic attack– I did not see any adult women in feria dresses– only children! Maybe only kids dress up on that day… I just knew I was going to stick out like a sore thumb for being the only lady in a huge dress. Luckily, the no-dressed-up-ladies situation was just some kind of fluke at that moment when we arrived, and once we got in, everyone was at least as dressed up as I was!
We walked around, watched people dance, ate pimientos de padrón, drank wine, and enjoyed watching everyone walk by in their feria finery. The highlight was riding the ferris wheel and looking down at the feria grounds all lit up below us. Later that weekend, I got to do it again, this time during the warm afternoon. So here is the “daytime look” for my feria dress. Different jewelry (more black rather than silver,) plus a fan instead of my shawl.It was especially fun to go with my lady friends, all of us dressed up together!
We went to Jerez this time, and they danced Sevillanas. I am currently learning, so hope to be able to join in the fun next year!
Here’s a picture of the feria grounds in Jerez, with their beautiful lights.
We have a few more ferias coming up still in neighboring cities, so there will be more dressing up later. I want to get as much use out of that dress as I can!
Well, I am feeling a little bad about these grainy iphone photos. I want you to get to enjoy this year’s feria fun in full resolution, so you should check out my friend Kelsey’s posts on it, at the links below:
And of course, you can see last year’s feria posts!
Isn’t feria so much fun? I can’t wait to shop for next year’s dress!
Susan says
Girlfriend, you have a smokin’ hot figure and you are totally rockin’ that dress! So beautiful! Thanks for sharing your awesome pictures with us.
ariana says
Oh, my goodness. Thank you so much, and I am really glad you enjoyed the pictures!
Christina says
Wow, you and Amelia look amazing! I too would have been freaked out too if I was the only adult dressed up! lol
ariana says
Thank you Christina! And thanks for the solidarity on my fear of standing out in a crowd!
Amber Pixie says
Eres muy bonita! 🙂 Welcome back to blog land.
ariana says
Gracias, Amber!
Debra Dorn (@TheSaffronGirl) says
You look beautiful Ariana! And Amelia is a doll. I’m happy to hear you all enjoyed yourselves so much! Maybe I can join you in person next year. 😉 Debra xx
ariana says
Oh, I would love that Debra! You MUST let me know when you are going to be in town and I’d love to meet you!