Dressing for a Wedding

Whether you are the bride, bridesmaid, mother of the bride or guest......

It can be difficult to find an appropriate and sexy outfit. You need to find a dress that matches your own unique clothing style, as well as looking formal for the church.

Styles vary greatly, and it is important to know whether or not the wedding is themed, which will totally influence the way you put together an outfit for the special occasion.

What Should a Guest not wear to a Wedding?

Do not choose anything white, and a floor length dress is not usually appropriate (unless its a beach wedding and more of a floaty sundress than a structured one). Try not to match the bridesmaids, but compliment the shade. Its always lovely to have a rainbow of colors at a wedding, and if you aren't sure what colour to go with, turquoise is usually a safe one to go for!

This beautiful blue dress that blogger Slanelle Style has chosen is an absolutely perfect outfit for a wedding guest. It is a summery color that compliments her skin tone and hair colour. Its also a very versatile dress, so she can wear it to many different occasions.

The dress also has a romantic, grecian feel to it, because of the neckline and the gathering and draping. It looks feminine as well as appropriate.

How to Choose the Bridesmaids Dresses

Start by chatting with your bridesmaids about what sort of things they might want to wear, pay attention to everyone, but closer attention to the ones you know have a fantastic sense of fashion.

If your bridesmaids all have different figures pick a very forgiving silhouette; structured halternecks and 50's strapless dresses are perfect on lots of different body shapes. Also be careful with the colour, this is perhaps the most important thing to give a lot of thought to, dark purple and turqouise work on all skin tones, as well as being timelessly elegant.

Elegant Mother of the Bride Dresses

The key to selecting a flattering formal style for a wedding is to make sure that it fits you perfectly. A well fitted garment should skim lightly over lumps and bumps and highlight your assets.

The fabric should be the same distance from every area of your body, and the only way to get this effect is (usually) to employ a seamstress/tailor. This isn't an expensive process, but can make all the difference to how you feel on your daughter's special day.

A skirt suit is a classic option, but a more up to date tailored knee length dress can be a lot more flattering. Especially if you can get a great wedding hat or fascinator in a matching color.

Bridal Couture

Finding the perfect wedding gown is usually a long process, but as long as you end up with the most flattering and stunning dress for you, thats all that matters!

Decide on a no-go list, things that you know don't suit you, or things that you don't want to wear. Ask your future husband if there's any style he likes you in...he will usually have a very accurate idea of what does and doesn't suit you, so listen!

Keep an open mind when you are shopping for your dress, take reliable, critical and honest friends with you. Try on styles that you wouldn't think of, and bring a Polaroid camera with you, so you can remember what you look like, as well as knowing how the dress looks in a photograph. Ultimately you should buy the dress you fall in love with; the one that you remember in your mind without a photo in front of you!

See some designer websites for trendy inspiration, Amanda Wakeley has a bridal collection overflowing with luxury and elegance, and Ian Stuart has a lot of different catwalk inspired bridal trends.

Your Questions Answered:
 - Can you wear beige to a wedding?
As a guest, absolutely! It's a perfect pastel colour to wear, but be careful as not all skin tones can take this colour. Try it out, and be honest about whether the color looks right on you: does it wash you out? do you see your face or the dress first?