Wedding season is upon us. I don’t know about you, but nearly all of my weekends in April and May are booked because of upcoming nuptials. And as much as I love attending a wedding, they can be stressful. Travel arrangements must be made, gifts must be bought, hotels must be booked — and you have to decide what to wear! This is a lot of decision making — and it all comes at a steep price!
To relieve your stress, I’m going to share some tips on what to wear to this spring’s weddings. I’ll include advice on how to get these looks for less, so you can hopefully save a buck!
If you’re invited to a true black-tie affair, your invitation should state this. A white tie wedding is the most formal, and a floor-length gown is appropriate. A floor-length dress is also recommended for a black tie wedding.
You can get a lot of mileage out of a classic, floor-length black dress. If you have the chance, go shopping for a gown just after prom shopping season is over; chances are you can find a formal black dress (even in the woman’s section) at a discount price. When you’re buying a black gown, think about its cost per wear — the price of the gown divided by the number of times you predict you’ll wear it. Say you spend $100 on a gown and wear it to 4 weddings — that’s a $25 cost per wear.
With a simple black dress, you can accessorize it differently — and no one will be any the wiser that you’re repeating. Wear a shimmery pashmina to keep your shoulders warm, carry a glittery black clutch, and get some inexpensive costume jewelry to mix up your look.
If your wedding invitation says “black tie optional,” then you can wear a cocktail dress. If the invitation doesn’t specify formality, just looking at the presentation of the invitation can cue you in to how formal the event will be. You usually can’t go wrong wearing a cocktail dress to most weddings.
When shopping for a cocktail dress that you can wear again and again, think basic. You can always change up your shoes, evening shawl, and jewelry to give the dress a new look every time. For added style and elegance, look into the type of jewelry you wear that can elevate your outfit. For example, Deciphering diamond clarity can help you to choose diamond jewelry that will make your cocktail outfit stand out for all the right reasons. The dress above features the silhouette of the moment: peplum!
If you receive an informal wedding invitation, or if you know the bride isn’t a fussy gal, you can wear a flirty and fun dress! This is good for your budget, because you can find cute and casual dresses at any price point. This spring, think florals, pastels, and romantic fabrics like chiffon. If the casual wedding happens to be outside, be sure to wear a pair of flats — you do not want to deal with your heels sinking into the grass all day. Also, whenever you attend an outdoor wedding, do not forget your sunglasses. Hopefully the bride and groom considered the position of the sun at the time of their ceremony, but a sun-in-the-eyes wedding happens more than you think!
Do you have friends getting married at some tropical locale? You lucky bum! This is a great excuse to take a little vacation. Beach weddings tend to be casual, and maxi dresses are perfect for this occasion. Maxi dresses are very trendy for spring, so you’re sure to find one within your budget. Again, don’t forget the sunglasses — and be sure to have a lightweight linen scarf in case the sea breeze gets chilly at night. Wear some sandals that can easily be removed. And please, please don’t forget to lather up the sunscreen. I know too many people who have gotten fried at beach weddings because during the bustle of the wedding day, sunscreen is forgotten!
I hope my tips and tricks for wedding wear help you out as you attend weddings this spring!
You have terrific taste, but I don’t envy you having to go to all those weddings. One a year is enough for me!
The only wedding I’m going to this Spring, I’ll be the one in the big poofy dress. :P But this is super helpful as all of my friends have started getting engaged!
What a cute dress for a beach wedding! All of the styles look great!