I'm in my mid twenties, which means that the weddings on my calendar are starting to reach critical mass. Couple that with helping my mom with her businesses in Vermont, and I have no fewer than SEVEN weddings that I'm either attending or working this summer and fall.
Needless to say, I'm going to need something to wear.
First, I want to share my rules for wedding guest dressing with you.
1. This day is not about you.
When you are a wedding guest, you are there to celebrate someone you care about.
You aren't there to make a fashion statement.
You aren't there to pull focus from the bride.
You are there to contribute joy to someone else's special moment in time.
Don't wear something outrageous just because you're excited for the opportunity to dress up.
Wear something flattering but not ostentatious.
2. Dress for the location and time of year.
You'd think this would go without saying, but I can't tell you how many times I've seen women wearing stilettos to an outdoor ceremony, ruining their shoes as they sink into damp grass.
Or they wear a strapless sundress to an October wedding in New England.
If it's going to be chilly, wear something with sleeves or bring a wrap.
If it's going to be warm, don't wear sleeves.
Use your brain and think these things through, friends.
3. DO NOT WEAR WHITE OR BLACK.
This is something that fills me with irrational rage.
The bride is the ONLY person allowed to wear white/cream/offwhite/ champagne etc. at a wedding.
WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU IF YOU'RE WEARING WHITE AT SOMEONE ELSE'S WEDDING?!
If you're considering a floral dress with a white or cream background and you wonder -even if only for a second- if it's too much white, IT IS TOO MUCH WHITE.
If the bride isn't wearing a white dress, you STILL should NEVER WEAR WHITE to someone else's wedding.
The one and ONLY exception is when the bride specifically asks you to wear white.
Like if she's Kate Middleton and you're Pippa. Or if she's Solange Knowles and you're Beyonce. What the bride wants, the bride gets.
Black is a little different. There are many sources that say you can wear black... I disagree. Wearing black doesn't make you a monster, I just don't understand why you'd want to wear something that has cultural connotations of sadness on a day of joy. If you want to wear a darker color, go with navy.
It's just my personal opinion that adhering to tradition here is appropriate.
Again though, if the bride asks you to wear black, you wear black.
Here are a few options that I'm planning on wearing to wedding festivities over the next few months:
I'm a little bit obsessed with the concept of eShakti. You can customize your dresses in a variety of ways- measurements, sleeve style, neckline, and more. As someone who knows precisely what styles do NOT work for me and my body type, this is such a godsend. I'm currently waiting for this dress to arrive and I'm really really really excited for it to get here.
Another eShakti dress that I'm waiting to receive in the mail- I'm so excited for this one! I've been dreaming of finding the perfect sleeved maxi dress for a long time (dream big, right?) and I'm hoping this is the one. This might be too relaxed for some weddings, but it could be perfect for a rehearsal dinner or a more chill reception. That said, it could also be jazzed up with the right shoes and accessories and perfect for a dressier wedding!
Oh, and did I mention that eShakti dresses generally come with at least one pocket by default?
I wore this dress in purple to a fall wedding and I'm leaning towards wearing it in blue to a wedding this spring.
It has pockets! It has a forgiving design so that you can eat lots of cake! It's warm!
If you haven't tried Rent the Runway yet, you're missing out.
You pick a dress (with a backup size), and they mail it to you. After the event you seal it back up in it's shipping bag and send it back. You don't have to worry about tears or stains or getting it dry cleaned. If the dress arrives but doesn't fit, don't worry! Just call RTR and they'll mail you a replacement.
You can also rent accessories, bags, and other clothes.
I've been obsessed with RTR for years now because it's so simple and very cost effective if you have a taste for nice fashion. I've rented dresses and accessories for just about every event I've attended in the past six years, and it's worked out beautifully every time.
One of my favorite things is that when I'm traveling I can have the dresses mailed to where I'm staying, whether that's a hotel or a friend's house.
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