Fashionable Wedding Outfits for a Summer Wedding
Tips on What to Wear as a Wedding Guest
With this season’s diverse women's fashions, deciding on a wedding outfit is relatively easy. However, as a guest, what to wear at a wedding is always a dilemma: as author Camilla Morton, in How To Walk in High Heels, puts it, “comparatively simple for the bride, utter nightmare for everyone else.”
General Guidelines for a Wedding Outfit
Take some inspiration from the fashion trends of the season with bright-berry colors and chic black and white two-tone prints. Gone are the days when black (or white) was inappropriate for a wedding, the only unbreakable rule when it comes to fashion is, don’t upstage the bride! For some general guidelines, remember to go for non-slutty and unaggressive styles. If you want, check with the bride first how she feels about certain colors, or if she has a certain color theme for the wedding
From stylish and up-to-the minute ‘50s-inspired prom dresses, to the ultimate dress of the season, the maxi. Print dresses will minimize the need for accessories, whilst single-color blocks cry out for them.
Most women want to invest in an outfit that will serve them again, so consider the longevity of a monochrome print dress, in keeping with the emerging, sophisticated monochrome trend, currently favored by so many designers. Chic and stylish, a black and white print will serve you well, by adding some brightly colored coordinating accessories. Try fuchsia pink, red, purple or green. All will give you that extra style kick.
Alternatively go for a sleek, simple yet sizzling single-color maxi, with a ruffle or bow. Team it with some sky-high heels or some strappy metallic sandals.
Choosing the Right Hat
On the subject of fashion accessories, then a wedding is always a good excuse to wear a hat. Select one that does justice not only to your outfit but to your face and body shape. If you are 5ft nothing and choose a wide-brimmed hat, then, according to milliner, Stephen Jones, “you may look like an animated mushroom.” Jones suggests a hat with feathers or a veil, if you have a square face. If you have a round face, then asymmetric styles work well. A hat with a veil has the effect of making your eyes look bigger and gives them some sparkle.
On-Trend Dresses
Net-A-Porter recommends an on-trend pink satin bustier dress by Alexander McQueen or an elegant Hervé Léger color-block bandage dress, both will do double, triple or even quadruple duty at for a party or other special occasion. For girlie-girls on a low budget, In Style magazine’s UK online site suggests a pink ruffled dress from Monsoon with its tiered ruffle skirt, or a maxi with Missoni-esque appeal like Monsoon’s Isolde maxi dress; with its embellished waistband and dip-dye print. If it’s a city wedding, then a little black dress is a classy option, with a splash of red to brighten it up — consider Roksanda Ilincic’s coral drape dress or T-Bag’s black dress with poppy belt, both from Net-A-Porter.
Planning Ahead for Your Wedding Outfit
Before investing in a weding outfit is it is important to take into account some wedding fashion rules. Also, if you are likely attending a lot of weddings over the next few seasons, a good tip is to stock up in the summer sales. Says Morton, “weddings are like buses, you wait for years, and then three happen all at once.”
