HOW TO DRESS FOR A WEDDING

. DRESSING FOR A WEDDING . STYLE 101 .

Dressing for a wedding is always an exciting occasion, it’s that excuse to treat yourself to a shiny new outfit, and a chance to get dressed up in a way that you don’t otherwise get to do (unless your a frequent ball attendee). But with the glamour & the excitement does come stress & pressure, not only to find the outfit you love, but to also dress appropriately … after all there are some cardinal wedding guest rules which must be obeyed. Number one, is of course no white!

This year i’ve attended a few weddings & have one more to go (although i’m bridesmaid so that makes things a little simpler) and a few super exciting engagements which means more weddings next year, so i’ve become well versed in dressing for the occasion. Today I thought i’d share my styling tips, general wedding guest rules, my favourite dress stores & some looks from the high street this season!

. HOW TO DRESS FOR A WEDDING: 5 STYLE TIPS FOR WEDDING GUESTS .

#1 NO WHITE

It wouldn’t be a wedding guest style feature if we didn’t discuss the main dress code rule, no white. And more than that, no colour matching with the bridesmaids either. It’s always worthwhile checking any dress code requirements with the bridal party before the day itself, some brides want to ensure guests don’t where similar colours to the parties, others are so relaxed it’s free reign on what you wear … regardless of the situation, it’s always best to check.

I wore this Reiss dress to a couple of wedding this year, because of the blush colour tone i’ve been sure to run it by the bride first, to check she’s happy with me wearing it. So far, so good!

#2 SHOP SAVVY

When it comes to buying yourself a new outfit for a wedding, it’s always worth remembering that whatever you wear, comfort is the most important factor. I don’t just mean comfort as in material & fit, I also mean how comfortable you feel in the outfit, how confident it makes you feel, how ‘you’ it looks & ultimately how much wear you’ll get from it. When it comes to dressing for special occasions, those that feel comfortable in their outfit are the ones that shine out of the crowd. The last thing you want to be doing is tugging down a dress so as to not showcase your derrière, constantly feel like you need to breathe in, or non stop having to hoik your boobs into place. Whilst the dress of your dreams might look great on the hanger, if you don’t feel comfy in it, then it’s not ‘the one’!

A few things to think of when you’re dress shopping: Length, food room, appropriateness, dancing potential, colour & the ‘lust’ factor. If you’re ticking those boxes then you’ve got yourself a winner! A good dress won’t just last you that one wedding occasion, a classic style can be worn over and over without going out of fashion!

#3 DANCING SHOES

Shoes are another essential wedding outfit item, and another item where comfort is an absolute must. There’s no point wearing your most glamorous and beautiful stilettos if you can’t walk, dance or last all night in them. When it comes to wedding shoes, I always tend to go for a block heel as I find it far comfier to wear & I can dance all night without a single whelp of pain!

At the last wedding I went to I wore my Jimmy Choo stilettos for the 30 minute ceremony and then swapped into these block heeled sandals. It was the best style swap I could have made … I was dancing until they chucked us out!

Shoes aren’t the only accessory to consider, a classic, timeless & quality clutch is always a worthwhile investment too!

#4 ‘GO TO’ STORES

I have a few ‘go to’ stores which I always find 100% reliable when you’re looking for an event dress, not only do these stores have a brilliant collection of wedding guest suitable dresses, they’re mostly classic styles that will last forever, quality material so you’ll look chic & the dress will get good wear, but they’re also not over saturated … you might find a few people with the same dress, but never at the same wedding event. I would recommend checking out Reiss, French Connection and Self Portrait, they’re my favourite brands for special occasion dresses.

#5 RECYCLE

If you’ve shopped savvy, then your dress (or outfit) will last you years & years, and do for tons of occasions. In fact, the sign of a good purchase is that you get more than one wear out of it, and more than that, it will be the perfect dress for multiple weddings where the attendee list is different.

The key to recycling is a) shopping well, but b) looking after your dress too. I always keep my investment dresses hanging in a dress bag & get them dry cleaned post a wedding so that it’s like brand new for the next occasion!

. SHOP MY FAVOURITE WEDDING GUEST LOOKS .

Have you been to any weddings this year, what’s your wedding style?