Wedding Season

This time of year many of us find ourselves with at least one wedding invitation and then we have to figure out what to wear. Considering that weddings can run the gamut from super casual to black tie, it can sometimes be tricky to chose the right wedding attire.

I recently “rediscovered” this pink maxi dress in my closet and realized it would be a great summer wedding-attending dress. While this dress is no longer available, I’ve listed a few similar options here (on sale!), here (super affordable!) here, and here (obsessed with this one and it has sleeves!).

IMO these heels are the perfect shoes for any formal-ish event. I can’t believe how comfortable they are! Plus, they are very affordable! Kelly & Katie is a new brand to me, but I’m so keeping it in mind for the future. The 3 inch heel and wider toe strap help the comfort factor a lot. They’re not real leather, but for the price I’m okay with that.

The pearl bracelet I’m wearing is from J.Crew, I bought it for my own wedding. But I found a very similar one that’s majorly on sale!  The clutch actually came free with some Victoria’s Secret lotions. It’s pretty darn cute for a freebie! I also love this trio of pouches that could easily double as clutches and this oversized clutch, which comes in 3 colors – both currently on sale! For a really dressy occasion I would carry this minaudière or this sparkly clutch. I love rose gold.

Not all invites will specify a dress code and when that happens you can usually get an idea of what’s most appropriate by taking the venue, style of invitation, and time of day into account.

For example, for a church wedding you’ll want to make sure you cover your shoulders and keep hemlines appropriate for a place of worship. This one would be a great choice. Also, if it’s a daytime wedding it’s usually a good idea to avoid wearing black and go for brighter colors instead.

I spotted this purple maxi dress, which is quite similar to the dress I’m wearing in this post. Here’s an adorable cocktail length option. And how cute is this black and white number for daytime weddings and beyond? I love a dress that can be worn for many different occasions.

Even when an invite does offer a dress code they can sometimes be hard to decipher. Here are some tips on the different terms you might encounter in order of dressiest to most casual:

White tie: floor length gown

Black tie: floor length gown or dressy knee length cocktail dress

Formal: long gown or dressy cocktail dress (keep in mind separates can work here too, as long as they’re not too casual)

Semi-formal: cocktail dress

Casual: this could be anything from BBQ attire to a cute summer dress, depending on the couple

When in doubt I say it’s better to err on the side of fancier than risk being too casual.

A knee-length cocktail dress is almost always a safe bet. My go-to place for wedding appropriate dresses is White House Black Market. They have a ton of classy options and the website even has a section for “wedding guest dresses (FYI they are all on sale right now!).”

If you have any other wardrobe related quandaries let me know in the comments. Hugs, Kate

Photo credit: Leo Amar