@BunsenBurner , that first link isn’t working for me. The second one, though,
http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/pretty-on-the-park-bench-dress-in-dots
looks nice to me.
What do you think of this one from modcloth? Very plain, needs a nice shawl and necklace perhaps? There’s a waist, but I wonder if it might be forgiving …
http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/i-love-your-dress-in-navy
The Santa Cruz mountains are spectacularly beautiful… but they are not always warm. http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/santa-cruz/california/united-states/usca1020 (that’s climate data for Santa Cruz, right on the ocean, but the mountains can be considerably cooler or warmer)
I looked up Big Basin Redwoods Park (which I used to take students to on field trips) (and which is a state park in the Santa Cruz mountains)–summer temps are “foggy mornings, afternoons 75-95”. That’s a big range. I remember taking students there on a HOT May day and all of us wearing sweaters or jackets for the hike in the woods. Gorgeous woods but very cool under those moist redwoods.
Like that Modcloth dress. Ive never seen anything from Modcloth in person, though
Bummer - the link works on my iphone. Here is the same dress just in a different color; this color has user posted photos. I guess if you scroll down a bit you will see them. Those are real byers, not models:
http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/i-love-your-dress-in-plum
Going back to @Consolation 's post #24, this cardigan is very appealing to me. I like the fabric, the drape, the lengthening lines, the simplicity. It’s WAY out of my price range, sadly, but it doesn’t seem so unusual that I couldn’t find a similar thing. … we’ve got months, still, to shop and think.
http://www.eileenfisher.com/drape-front-long-cardigan-in-fine-silk-linen/?&color=2159
Would a Komarov dress work? His creations look like this:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/komarov-long-charmeuse-chiffon-dress-with-jacket-plus-size/3996246
That last ModCloth dress looks like it would be very flattering, and it comes in a bunch of colors. You could really have fun with accessories. Nice find!
What is your hair like? If it has some length, you could maybe wear it in a style that’s newer to you and have some fun with that too. If your hair lends itself to some kind of ringlet look, that’s a way to fit it with the hippie / artsy look.
@singersmom , lacey open cardigan also sounds good.
@nottelling , I like the simplicity of Eileen Fisher, also, but the prices are higher than I was thinking. $248 for a simple but lovely cardigan is too much for me, but half that price I could rationalize. I’m seeing similarities between Eileen Fisher and jjill … have had some luck with jjill before.
@BunsenBurner , the solid-color modcloth dresses are very nice!
Those waterfall front cardigans are everywhere - J.Crew and Nordstrom have them for much less. I like the Komarov dress – an artsy look, but still dressy enough for a wedding. Minnie Mouse aside, I love polka dots and think they look quite artsy when paired with bold accessories. The combination of bright yellow, orange or red with black/white dots definitely has a retro artsy vibe. That dress particular dress is structured and skims over the lower half of the body – I bet it’s flattering on OPs body type.
I think you have to have a certain “look” to pull off that retro artsy, almost Dita Von Teese-ish look. It’s almost that zoom- pow- pop comic book effect.
I really don’t like the obviously fake shiny fabric look of the Komarov dress, particularly for an outdoor wedding. It looks to me like something you’d see in a NJ Rte 17 catering hall. The shape and style of it, in a better fabric, would work.
@Gourmetmom, it wouldn’t flatter me at all. It would define my largest parts and hide the slimmest parts. 
It depends whether the OP is relatively slim-hipped or not. IME, drape is all.
Not quite the same as Eileen Fisher but a nicer price: http://www.jjill.com/jjillonline/product/product.aspx?item=W6009I&BID=744214700&h=W&rPFID=0&sk=M
Or Eileen Fisher on sale: http://www.neimanmarcus.com/Eileen-Fisher-Merino-Jersey-Shaped-Cardigan/prod182280069/p.prod?ecid=NMAJ84DHJLQkR4&ci_src=14110925&ci_sku=sku160080212
Not sure if anyone mentioned it, but Anthropologie has some beautiful occasion dresses and some styles would be flattering on OP (said a fellow apple-body). I want to buy some for myself!
And, there’s a sale! http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/category/dresses/shopsale-dresses2.jsp?cm_sp=TOPNAV--SHOPSALE--DRESSES2#/
@jollymama , I think this one you posted is all kinds of fun! It’s pretty, a little quirky, looks flattering (not just on skinny mini’s) - I’m not a formal/fancy dresser - I think you should get this dress for the wedding or SOMETHING! https://m.chicos.com/store/product/handkerchief-hem-mixedmedia-dress/570172400?color=959&catId=cat40004
I’m vertically challenged with ample bosom. I like solid dresses, or items with smaller prints. I posted my black on black RL dress, which looks like it came from DA. I am a fan of polka dots, even if reto. That said, I have really liked many of the suggestion NS. Others, I find the print too big or loud. I hope the OP spends a little more for something flattering, as I suspect she will be finding this item wearable on many occasions. IMHO
Looking at ALL the ideas. Can’t say when I’ve had so much fun.
What’s making my heart sing now is one of these, with a shawl, perhaps …
http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/first-classic-dress-in-cobalt
http://www.modcloth.com/shop/dresses/i-love-your-dress-in-plum
(and I’d never heard of modcloth till today!)
or something like this look (maybe Eileen Fisher, maybe her cheaper cousins! … and deeper colors, I think)
http://www.eileenfisher.com/drape-front-long-cardigan-in-fine-silk-linen/?&color=2159
but still with a wild yen for this, maybe just to try on!
https://www.chicos.com/store/product/handkerchief-hem-mixedmedia-dress/570172400?color=959&catId=cat40004
That’s about all my brain can hold for now. Maybe I’ll buy one or more tomorrow! There’s still thoughts of hair and shoes and just “what” shawl or jewelry, but the wedding’s not till summer, so there’s time to figure it out.
Many thanks for all the consultation!
Just one more thought: Lauren by Ralph Lauren is a well-priced line with many dresses that are very flattering on all sorts of body types. I’ve mentioned it so many times on this site I sound like a broken record, but I’ve been very pleased with how flattering these dresses are. Here’s an example that is similar to the Modcloth one you like. There is almost always a decent selection of these dresses on sale at Macy’s, and with all the coupons and extra twenty-five percent offs, they often can be had for a song. I’m just posting a full priced one because it was convenient.
https://m.ralphlauren.com/#/product/68118616?_k=6q36iq
Anyway, they have tons of different variations.
PS Here’s the same dress on sale at Macy’s in a bunch of different colors.
I may have missed it, but is this a day or evening wedding? It can be foggy nights and mornings, but it can get quite hot in the Santa Cruz mountains too…I just checked the average July temp in Boulder Creek (kind of ground zero for Santa Cruz Mts) and it’s 85. So I’d take that into consideration if it’s a mid-afternoon affair.
@nottelling , I like that very much, too. The simple lines and flowiness. Thanks! And yes, there are always sales at Macy’s … do they ever sell anything FULL price at Macy’s?