Dresscode: Wedding Guest

i have to be honest with you, i only attended 3 weddings in my entire life. this september will be my number 4 and the most exciting yet. with attending weddings always there's always that question "what to wear?" being involved in weddings so much lately i couldn't escape thinking about guest outfits as well.

first i have to warn you i'm not talking about bridesmaids, since usually bride and groom select a theme which dictates the bridesmaids dresses, but merely about wedding guests. having this in mind sometimes there's a theme or a dresscode for that as well. like my wedding in september for instance, it has a mint and gold color scheme so guests are advised to dress in those two colors.

i was quite lucky to have found my dress so much in advance (even the bride doesn't have her gown yet), it was an impulsive purchase that turned out to be the perfect dress for the occasion. if that hasn't happened i would probably go in panic mode a few weeks before the wedding, trying to find something appropriate.


go above your casual outfit
appropriate. what's appropriate for a wedding? i would say anything casual is out of the question unless the invitation strictly advises a casual outfit. so first thing i would consider is to choose something classy, something elegant and above what you normally wear. pretty obvious right? i sure hope so.


consider the venue, theme and color scheme
second i would think about the venue and color theme of the wedding. is the wedding held at a historic garden, a horse barn, luxury resort in caribbean or a castle? is it a black tie wedding, a rustic wedding or a traditional one? if the invitation doesn't advise a specific dresscode than simply ask the bride or the groom. respect their wishes and really make an effort with your outfit. the least you can do is to color coordinate your dress, it will contribute to the whole atmosphere of the wedding.


test your dress beforehand
now that you've got a direction it will be easier to choose the right look. if there's no clear theme and you have all the freedom with choosing your outfit than still go for something elegant and consider the venue. next thing i would have in mind is to dress comfortably. not sweatpants comfortable but close. you'll spend most of the day and probably dance long into the next morning in this outfit, so make it as bearable as possible. avoid tight cuts, textiles that don't stretch, fabrics that wrinkle, shoes that give you blisters. make sure all the straps fit, the skirt is long enough and all the zippers work. take your dress for a test drive before committing to it. if there's a malfunction it will be harder to fix it once you're already at the big event.


make room for romance
weddings are all about romance, so it's almost impossible to go wrong with incorporating that into your outfit. it really depends on ones style and what feels closer to who you are, there are countless choices out there... since pastels are a big trend right now, choosing a softly colored dress could be all the romance you need. you can go for some lace, soft draping, nice flower print or some transparency. all very tasteful of course, not too much cleavage or slits too high. but i'm sure i don't need to teach you about that!


make it your own
once you decide on the main piece of your outfit, whether it's a nice flowy dress, a jumpsuit or a suit, work on the styling. you might want to go quiet or show all your fashion expertise... whatever you do don't steal attention from the bride. saying that try to avoid white or any other color the bride may choose for her dress as well as black. black can be too morbid for something as festive as a wedding. back to the topic, don't be afraid to add some sass to your outfit, make it fun and flirty as well as your own. my dress is quite outside my comfort zone - elegant and feminine, so i tend to style it with a leather jacket to make it more my style. you can also consider a bright pair of shoes, a headpiece or a statement piece of jewelry.


still in doubt?
pinterest is a great reference for dresscode dressing such as weddings. browse through the images and see what you're drawn too. skip the tacky satin dresses and you should be fine. if you have a specific question about what to wear to a wedding, than fire away, i'm more than happy to help.


photo: pinterest, sheinside, asos, lookbook, polyvore


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