Wedding Guest Dresses
With warmer weather comes an increase in weddings, and the chances of sharing a friend or family member’s happy day with them can become a daunting one as you start struggling to find unique, fun wedding guest dresses that you can wear to each individual occasion. The best wedding dresses must fill 2 simple criteria:
1. They should make you look and feel GREAT!
2. They shouldn't clash with or overshadow the bride!
Other than those two simple requirements, picking a dress to wear to another person’s wedding leaves a lot to an individual’s choice and style, so making sure you have an outfit that’s suitable to the kind of wedding you’re going to attend can help you narrow the choices down a bit further.
INDOORS OR OUTDOORS?
When selecting wedding guest dresses, think about whether the wedding and reception will be held indoors, or outside. A cute little minidress might be perfect for an indoor, cocktail-party-style reception, but if the wedding is being held somewhere with a breeze you might wind up showing off more than you meant to! Pick long dresses with more volume if weddings are being held outside, as this will help protect you from the elements as well as giving your dress motion and energy. Be careful not to be too over-the-top, though, as a long train or dramatic embellishments might wind up drawing attention away from the wedding party – a serious breach of rule number two!
HOW FORMAL IS THE WEDDING?
Sometimes, a wedding can be an extremely formal occasion, and multiple dresses might be required for alternate stages in the event. Families will often attend a rehearsal dinner, in which case another dress may be needed! If the reception is likely to be informal but the wedding is being held in a church, a more conservative look for the ceremony can be changed for a sensual party dress for later on. Gauge the formality of the wedding by your knowledge of the couple, the kind of invitation they send out (hand-engraved, or Facebook invite?), and the location where it’s being held. The more formal the wedding, the more formal the reception is likely to be, and if you find yourself picking a gown for both these occasions you’ll probably want something both conservative and full-length. No matter what kind of wedding it is, however, make sure that you don’t wear a white dress – that’s the Bride’s province, and guests should leave plenty of room in any shade to avoid stealing her thunder.
WHAT MAKES YOU LOOK YOUR BEST?
No matter what kind of dress you want to wear or image you’d like to project, if you pick a silhouette or style that isn’t flattering on your body, you won’t be happy with the end result. Take stock of your physical features and try on different styles of dresses before you choose the dress you want to wear, and remember that if you look best in a simple dress, you can always dress it up to create different looks at other occasions. Look for features in wedding guest dresses that can be used for other occasions, or that you wouldn’t mind going out on the town in – unless the wedding is extremely formal, in which case, refer to the previous section. By buying a wedding guest dress you can wear to other kinds of events, you’ll double your wardrobe for half the price – and that’s always a way to feel good about yourself.
REMEMBER YOUR ACCESSORIES
By picking cute, complimentary accessories to go with your wedding guest dress, you’ll be able to bring your own unique flare into your look. It’s a good idea to have a small bag or clutch with you when you head to the reception, as you may have makeup or other supplies that you want to bring to the table with you. Choose subdued, classic items – most weddings aren’t the place for bold, attention-grabbing pieces that buck general fashion trends – and buy quality, since high-quality earrings and jewelry can be worn over and over again, and looked at as an investment rather than a one-time purchase.
No matter what kind of wedding you’re attending, remembering the two rules of selecting the perfect wedding guest dress will help make your search much easier. If you find yourself with several dresses to choose from, ask yourself which genuinely makes you look and feel your best. Once you have that dress, try and assess whether it’s a demure and sophisticated piece which will help add to the tableau created by the event’s other guests, or whether it’s an attention-grabbing piece that will make everyone look your way. If the former, then congratulations – you’ve found your dress! If the latter, then you may want to take a moment to remember that as a wedding guest, it’s your responsibility to help make the bride and groom’s marriage day special – not to hog the limelight with your own fashion sense, no matter how stellar it might be.
Each of the wedding guest dresses here at www.newyorkdress.com has been selected for its beauty, quality, and appropriateness for a wedding venue. To get an idea of the kinds of dresses that are available for you to wear to the upcoming weddings on your social calendar, look through the options in this section. You’ll be sure to find the perfect wedding guest look for the occasions!