Happy #fashionwednesday! As we continue on with the trend of this week (WEDDINGS), today’s post is my easy guide to classic wedding attire. It can be hard to determine what is and is not appropriate to wear to a wedding, so I’ve broken it down for you in a few easy questions you can ask yourself! Take this quick quiz as wedding season approaches to make sure you look and feel amazing the whole night long (but not more amazing than the bride, of course). Let’s jump into this.
Easy Guide To Classic Wedding Attire
Question #1: Is it WHITE?
I know. This SHOULD be obvious. However, people still commit this fashion fauxpaux every year despite the constant reminder it is SO not cool. When it’s YOUR wedding, you can wear white. Otherwise, leave it to the bride. It’s her day, after all!
Question #2: Is it more suited for the bachelorette party?
Wedding dress should be classy. While that doesn’t mean you can show a little bit of skin, if the dress is better suited to a night at the bar, it probably doesn’t belong at a wedding. If you can see your bra, that is a no-no. I know we all wear them, and there certainly isn’t anything shameful about them, but they are underwear. And this is, in fact, a wedding.
Question #3: Could you also wear it to your backyard barbecue?
Dressing up for a wedding should be expected. Skip the causal tee shirt dresses and go for something more formal. This should also be a no brainer but I see it ALL the time. Jean skirts, flip flops, cotton tees…no thank you!
Question #4: Does it completely disregard the dress code on the invitation?
Most couples will happily include a a dress code on their invitations for your viewing pleasure. Be sure to keep that in mind — even if it is dressier than you would like, it’s their day and you should definitely respect it.
Question #5: Can you wear black?
The answer to this question is YES! Tons of people think black is taboo, but considering it is one of the most flattering colors and so easy to find dresses in, it is TOTALLY okay! The dress I’m wearing is perfect for a summer wedding. I added some cute, bright earrings to mix it up. Its fun, cute and still fancy (but not fancy enough to outshine the beautiful bride).
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Here’s the deal. It isn’t hard to dress appropriately for a wedding, but somehow people still manage to ignore age old rules to dressing for a wedding. Take a leaf out of this handbook and look amazing at your next wedding.
Let me know in the comments below what you think of this checklist. Do you agree or disagree? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
These are all excellent tips for choosing what to wear to a wedding! I tend to just go for a classy black dress, myself. never white! lol
-MG https://malissagreenwood.com
Yes! Black is totally best!
You’re SO STINKING CUTE. Slay girl slay. Lovelovelove the dress AND heels!
Coming Up Roses
THANKS E!!
I have to say I love being comfortable…and this dress looks comfy. I can definitely see myself wearing this to a wedding.
You’d look AMAZING.
Some lady gave me sh*t for wearing black to a wedding! I told her to wake up and smell 2015 (when it happened). And yes to the “Do not wear white to a wedding!” My mom is still mad at my aunt for wearing white to her wedding 40 years ago! HAHAHA!
LOL. Your comments on my blog are always my FAVORITE. A cousin of mine wore a white dress to my wedding. I was furious. LOL
I hate to say it, but I disagree about black attire, unless it’s an evening black tie wedding, I don’t think it’s appropriate. But to each their own.
It is totally okay to disagree!! I think black is classy no matter what! 🙂 I didn’t have a black tie wedding (it was during the day, and in spring!), but thought the people who wore black to my wedding looked amazing!
These are all great tips! I really like #3! If the answer is yes, then no you shouldn’t wear it!
I think wearing black to a wedding is OK too. Actually, at my friend’s wedding where I was a bridesmaid, she chose black dresses for us!! On the wearing white thing, I think it depends. My cousin said to me before my wedding that she had found a dress that she loved, but it was white, with lace over, but short and asked if it would be OK. I said to her that so long as she wasn’t wearing a wedding dress I wouldn’t have a problem with it! She wore the white dress and it looked fabulous on her (and seriously, no-one is going to get the bride confused with a guest!!) I think someone said something to her about it, and I told them to leave her alone because she had checked with me, and she looked awesome 🙂
That is great, too! Of course — it is TOTALLY up to the bride and groom what is and isn’t appropriate. 🙂 If she checked with you, then absolutely!
Great tips! It’s definitely not cool to wear white to a wedding if you’re not the bride lol, you’d think people would know that but I still see it happen all the time. Also, you look gorgeous in these photos. Those earrings are adorable!
Thank you Cara!!
Read the comments as well as the post and will jump in the discussion…Rule of thumb: if you have to ask if it’s ok to do something, don’t do it. And in this case, if you don’t know how the bride (or her mother!) would feel about your wearing black or white to her wedding, why risk it just because you feel entitled? On that day, it’s not about you. [mike drop] (Did I do that right? Cause I’ve always wanted to do that in a comment. ????)
That’s a great rule of thumb. 🙂 I always think black is a classic color, no matter what. But you should definitely always check with the bride or groom before hand if you aren’t sure. 🙂
I think a lot of it depends on the wedding through. Mine, for instance, added in a bonfire with s’mores and little smokies. Definitely didn’t require a cocktail dress! I think these days you just need to be aware of how formal or informal it is and go from there.
Absolutely! That’s why I made sure to include to pay attention to the dress code on the invitation 🙂
Love these tips! These will definitely come in handy for the next wedding I go to 🙂
– Kristen
http://www.sophisticatedgal.com
You look lovely in this dress! We actually don’t have any friends getting married this year but I so wish we did because I love weddings.
You look beautiful! I love the sleeve on this dress!
Ahh, wedding season. I always want to dress up and be fancy-ish for a wedding (it IS a wedding after all) but in my neck of the woods it is an impressive feat if more than half of the people are not wearing jeans. So I always end up going down like 2 steps down on the casual-ness that I think I should wear and still end being one of the fancier dressed wedding guests.
Most of the weddings I’ve been to, I’ve also been in because they were family members getting married, etc. My one question is: is it appropriate to wear a color dress that fits their wedding scheme? I just don’t know if the bridesmaids dresses will be that color, too! But I am curious because I wouldn’t want to offend anyone if I happen to wear a same color dress (navy) and it turns out the bridal party is in navy. Or does this not matter at all? Haha thanks for this Taylor!
I would say it is ok. Most likely, the bridesmaid dresses will be completely different!!!
I love getting dressed for weddings; however, I only wear black if the wedding is taking place during the night. I like the dress you modeled here though.
I completely agree! And I LOVE this dress- the sleeves are so flattering on you, and I’m really liking the pop of color from the earrings. So cute!