Wedding Guest and Event Outfits 2023
How can you choose the perfect wedding guest and event outfit when there is so much choice? It bamboozles even the most prolific shopper when faced with an upcoming special event. You want to look your best, you don’t want to get it wrong so how can this task be made easy?
When confronted by so much vast choice, it makes total sense to do a bit of planning before you hit the shops. The best thing you can do is to work out what aesethic appeals to your inherent taste so you can focus on certain brands rather than ALL the brands.
This is important to spend a little bit of time on because if you are not a girly person then ending up in a pink tulle dress just isn’t going to make you feel good. Neither is wearing a structured Rouland Mouret dress or tailored dress from Reiss if in fact you are the BoHo queen and more Stevie Nicks in your soul than Victoria Beckham.
This applies to your normal non-event wardrobe too. It all comes down to working out what aesthetic feels like YOU. This is your taste and makes you YOU. It’s just as important to work out what isn’t for you so you can narrow down choice.
Super feminine/girly/attention grabbing tulle by Lace & Beads
Let’s kick off with the above example to help narrow down where your style preferences lie. The aim being to narrow down the choice of dresses and brands so you can find a great dress (or trouser suit) with ease.
This pink tulle dress by Lace & Beads is a bit ‘prom’ for my own tastes and too girly but this brand is a great choice if you like to grab attention and look very feminine.
Style types and how to choose your dress
For reasons of ease, I’m going to break this blog down into 5 main style types for events and suggest an outfit for each plus ‘go-to’ brands for each style type.
The 5 main style types are:
Romantic/feminine
Feminine/sexy
Edgy/fashionista/avant-garde
Androgynous
Classic
Here is a description of each type - which one resonates with you the most? How do you like to look in your event outfit?
Romantic/feminine - you love sparkles, bows, ruffle, tulle, pink, and ribbons, pattern - you get the drift!
Feminine/sexy - Not as girly as romantic, you prefer a slinky fitted dress to a big tulle skirt. Satin, silk and fitted silhouettes are great for you.
Edgy/fashionista/avant-garde - Looking fashionable and ‘on-trend’ is quite important to you but you don’t want to look like everyone else either. You’re happy to make brave outfit choices and relish putting together an unexpected outfit. Also very happy to turn heads and stand out. Statement sleeves and exaggerated shapes, little-known brands, and vintage.
Androgynous - The pink tulle dress above is your worst nightmare. Not a dress person most of the time and prefer comfort. A tuxedo or brightly coloured trouser suit with flats or heels would work well for your events.
Classic - Minimalist, clean lines, no fuss, frills or super trendy pieces for you. Prefer a groomed, simple and as it says, classic look to your outfit. Tailoring and block colour is always a good choice for your event outfit.
Which one appeals to you the most? Let’s narrow it down by outfit ideas and brand suggestions.
Gorgeous statement orange chiffon dress by De La Vali
Romantic/feminine.
The tulle pink dress right at the start of this blog or anything by brand Needle & Thread fits this style preference. Also, the Ibiza brand De La Vali fits this and De La Vali also works really well if you want to add a bit of sexy to your look. On the cheaper end Karen Millen does tulle and romantic-style feminine dresses. I absolutely have to mention Rixo London here who have an excellent choice of dresses. Their new Kings Road store is beautiful and well worth a visit.
Aqua satin midi dress - comes in a few other colours. I would wear this again after the event with chunky boots and a leather jacket. Would also work for most parties with heels not just a Wedding Guest or event dress.
Reformation green silk slinky dress. A very feminine and sexy option. Loads of great dresses on their site.
2. Feminine/sexy.
Not far off from style type 1 except you enjoy looking sexy in fitted clothes or maybe showing a bit of leg. As I’ve said, De La Vali works but my brand of choice with a huge array or dresses to choose from is the sustainable brand Reformation. It’s best to order online from here and try a few at home as there isn’t much stock in the Notting Hill branch if you live in London. They are also soon to be opening a branch on Kings Road which might be better stocked.
A little tip as the choice is so varied and vast - narrow it down first to a midi dress or a maxi. Do you like pastels or prefer something a bit brighter? What kind of bust line suits your body? In the descriptions, they helpfully suggest which dresses suit a bigger or smaller bust.
I love this dress above and have ordered it myself for upcoming parties. It’s slinky, fitted and silk so ticks a lot of boxes for my tastes.
Another slinky brand to try is Reiss who often do fitted designs.
A cheaper option for fitted dresses is House of CB. This brand is British-designed, good for curves, sexy and youthful.
Vampires Wife Aqua dress. The Dream.
Sister Jane sequin dress. This is so stand out and pretty - love it with gold platforms.
4. Androgynous
A great time for you right now if this is your style preference. The shops are awash with suits in all kinds of colours and it’s a very stylish choice for a wedding or event.
I think a tuxedo style or a pink suit with platform shoes and a dramatic pussy bow blouse with a big wide brimmed hat would be an awesome look for a wedding guest outfit.
I also think this would be a really stand out look for a mother of the bride or groom.
Pink suit from Reiss
Pale gold metallic platforms - Russell & Bromley.
5. Classic
Finally, classic. Classic is as classic says - classic and timeless, no fuss, simple clothes that stand the test of time. Elegant and sophisticated. This is so not me but maybe not is you? You don’t like to make a grand entrance and would rather spend more on quality items and wear them for years. You will feel most like yourself in tailoring. For me, this kind of look is lovely and I appreciate it on other people but I would feel too formal wearing it. This is how I narrow down choice when choosing outfits - your preferences and inherent tastes are so important and worth working out. It’s just as helpful to know what doesn’t work as to know what does.
There are many brands that work for this classic style type. Armani, Roland Mouret, Victoria Beckham, Ralph Lauren are a few that spring to mind. On the high street, Reiss, Hobbs and Phase 8 are pretty classic.
Victoria Beckham does a lot of simple, classic style dresses that work for weddings.
Reiss are a fairly classic brand. This bright fuchsia dress is good for events and weddings
So whatever you are up to this Summer, I hope you found this event outfit guide useful. If you were inspired by any of this I’d love to hear from you! Connect with me on socials below and let me know. :)
Lisa Gillbe is a personal stylist based in London, UK. If you’d like some help with your wardrobe read about the services here. Get in touch with Lisa here.