Fashion Fix Friday
Fashion Fix Friday 30th May Edition
Wedding Guest Etiquette – some dress code dos and don’ts!
Inspired by one of my customers, today’s Fashion Fix Friday is all about wedding etiquette – what to wear and, of course, what not to wear!
Dos
- Follow the dress code if the invitation has one.
- Dress for the venue, e.g. formal settings should have a formal outfit (dresses or suits and hats) or it’s OK to wear more casual outfits to a beach wedding.
- Go for demure and classy, boobs or legs not both – showing too much skin means people will be looking at you and not the bride = bad.
- Look at the colours on the invitation as this is likely to suggest the colours of the wedding. Most likely the bridesmaids or mother of the bride / groom will be in one of these colours so you may want to steer away from it.
- Consider the time of year when the wedding is and dress appropriately – think about fabrics, coats, hats, scarves etc. You don’t want to be too hot or too cold during the ceremony or in the photographs.
- Go for smaller handbags to compliment your outfit – only take the essentials! A massive handbag, whilst practical will detract from your gorgeous outfit.
Don’ts
- Never, ever outshine the bride.
- Don’t wear white, cream or ivory UNLESS you’ve OK’d it with the bride.
- Underdress for the occasion – picking a dress or suit tend to be wise decisions. Jeans are likely to be frowned upon, even for evening guests, unless the bride and groom have requested that as the dress code.
- Wear anything too loud or bright as you don’t want to draw attention away from the wedding party. Yes, put away the neon pink body con dress!
Here are some additional pointers once you’ve figured out how formal the wedding is:
- Informal – you can wear a short dress or separates or consider a suit. Jersey fabrics are acceptable for this type of wedding.
- Semi-informal – you’re expected to wear something a bit dressier here so consider a cocktail dress. Again, a suit or smart separates would be acceptable. You can also consider “accessorising up” your informal outfit by using jackets, footwear, jewellery or a hat / fascinator. If you are going to do this, you need to honestly think about if the dress is suitable, for example, a strapless or halterneck jersey dress is easier to dress up because the necklines are often associated with cocktail dresses. The long-sleeve wrap dress that you wear to work is going to be harder to pull off.
- Formal – formal dresses that are more structured, perhaps with matching jacket. Hats will be accepted and embraced at this wedding. Choose garments in more luxurious fabrics. If dresses aren’t your thing, suits and formal separates will be OK but make sure it’s special or think about what you wear under the jacket.
- Black tie – think the Oscars here – long or dressy short dresses will be expected. Think beads, sequins, glamour, luxury! This is a less common type of wedding and likely to all be in one venue so you won’t need to think about outwear. Make sure your hair & make-up oozes glamour to match your outfit. If you have to do trousers, think YSL tuxedo a la Angelina Jolie!
Hopefully this has given you a helping hand to finding your perfect outfit. Remember, if you’re in doubt, you can always ask the bride or pop by the boutique for some suggestions!
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Happy shopping,
Gail x