We all know that for brides-to-be, finding the perfect fairy tale dress is the concern in a whole sea of ‘em when it comes to planning the big day. It can be a stressful, perilous journey; pitfalls, mishaps, budget limitations and time constraints make the job of finding the ideal wedding day attire one hell of a bumpy ride.
Do spare some thought for the guests, however. Yes, the day is of course the brides’, but attendees do, too, have their own crosses to bear. There’s the dilemma of trying to find an outfit that goes from champagne in the afternoon to Cotton Eye Joe on the evening dancefloor seamlessly, as well as avoidance of clashing with others in style or in colour. Once that minefield is navigated, only then is it time to let your hair down. Or should that be up? Aaahhhh. Anyway, here are 5 IDEAL tips on what to wear to a wedding.
AVOID WHITE & CREAMY COLOURS
This might sound like a too obvious tip, but it’s so essential that it bears repeating, LOUDLY; do not, we repeat, not, wear a white dress when attending someone else’s wedding, unless it’s been explicitly stated as fair game. Sure, it flatters any skin colour. Sure, it looks sophisticated, bright and optimistic. But, there are so many other occasions when you can wear it. This time, let the bride take the limelight. Same goes for cream, ecru, beige and any other hue with close ties to the fair, frosted shade.
DON’T SPEND TOO MUCH
When it comes to wedding guest dresses it’s all too easy to panic buy something you’re not even sure you like, that you’re sure you’ll likely wear only once then banish to back-of-the-cupboard purgatory. And given that it now costs over £1,000 to attend the average UK wedding. (yep, about a grand, just to attend) you’ve got to tighten the belt somewhere.
In our humble opinion, you should prioritise versatility, so the outfit has longevity and staying power well beyond the wedding day.
SWAP & BORROW
If you want a sustainable and affordable answer to your wedding guest dress woes (who doesn’t, hey?) without having to wear the same dress more than once or twice, why not swap or borrow one with one of your nearest and dearest? It’s an easy way to keep things looking fresh and financially viable. No doubt your girlfriends will be under similar pressure during wedding season; a mutually beneficial arrangement for sure. Should we coin a term? ‘Bridesmaids with benefits’?. ‘Guests with gains?’. Hmm, maybe we’ll just leave it there.
COORDINATE COLOURS
This is a lesser known trick that few will share with you. If you’re going to a wedding with your partner or family, then coordinating the whole squad’s colours looks bold, suave but, most importantly, doesn’t take the limelight from the main people that matter on the day. With a little luck, this will result in the perfect wedding photos, and in years to come your skill at both matching tones and organising your ragtag bunch into something synergetic will stand out and be admired.
AVOID SEQUINS
Sequins are often a part of luxurious and elegant dresses; a marker of a sense of glam and occasion. However, unless the dress code is about all things glittery and sparkling, and sequins have been explicitly encouraged, when it comes to weddings you should stay away from them. A dress that is entirely made of shiny sequins is not so photo-friendly and also has that dreaded sense (intentionally or otherwise) of trying to take a little too much of the attention. It will reflect the light physically, steal the limelight metaphorically, and generally just look a little overblown. Subtly and sophistication are the watchwords here, so steer clear.