Stylish eye for the fashion-retarded IT 'guy' - HELP

So it's my step sister's wedding in around 2 weeks, and I have suddenly woken up to the fact that that means I had better get my ass into gear and get organised. There is a LOT to do!

I need to buy the happy couple a gift AND sort out all the Christmas gifts for the Gauteng contingent. Not to mention arrange get togethers with all and sundry up yonder.

On that note: I will be available for guest appearances (I mean meets) on Sunday 13 Dec (after lunch or evening) and/or Monday 14 Dec (anytime). I'll be staying in Pretoria Eastern Suburbs, but can get to anywhere within reason in JHB/PTA area. So please help me plan a get together! I am happy to do whatever everyone else wants - and am more than happy to do a day-time with-kids get together and/or evening drinks/jol etc. Just let me know, and let's make it happen! I have no clue where y'all from up there live and what are good venues there anymore etc. (I moved in 1996 remember!)

Anyhoo, back to the point of this post. I also need to figure out all the 'girly' stuff. Dress, shoes, bag, hair, nails. All that crap! Crap which I am so not good at. It does not come naturally and I am not that fond of it at all. I wish someone could just style me, because I do not know how to shop, coordinate, accessorise or anything. I don't even like shopping or trying stuff on. I KNOW I am a terribly defective female in this regard. *shrug*

Anyway, so I am asking the great people of the Internets to HELP me with this arduous task. So great people of the Interwebz; I need something formal to wear. It is a late afternoon/evening black-tie dress code event - a Bryanston fancy church & Pretoria Country club.

I have managed to get myself into 2x shops for long enough to find and purchase the following (on condition that I have the option to take either or both back by the end of this week-end, once my gurus have spoken) 2 dresses and pair of snake-skin strappy sandals.

So here are my options. Don't forget to HELP! I am pretty clueless when it comes to fashion & style.

Option 1:

Stretchy silky fabric 'Helen of Troy' type dress with empire waist line in white, brown, black and snake-skin type print.


(Excuse Griffin's crap photography)

Would this dress work for a formal evening wedding?
Do the shoes (also 'snake skin') match the dress?
Are either nice and/or do they suck?

Option 2:

Dusky blue knit dress from YDE with empire waist line and stain ties which can tie front or back...



Note the choices of shoes:
White or black slip on sandals from my wardrobe, or the higher new 'snake skin' numbers, (or something else completely...?)
-----

Oh and I was thinking of wearing my hair UP, with a few strands hanging down to soften the look, would that work...? Or down and cut/blow dried etc...?

Any advice, suggestions or scathing criticism welcome!