Wedding Guest Dress Ideas

Happy Tuesday everyone!! It’s odd to be posting on Tuesday, however I am doing so because I have some exciting news. Starting today, I will be on the local radio station, 93.1 Jamz in Madison every Tuesday morning at 7:40 am CST for a new series called, Fashion On the Fly. I’ll be talking mostly fashion, along with some hair, beauty and lifestyle thrown in. If you’re not in the area, you can listen live on the Jamz website here. Each week I will have a corresponding blog post for what I am talking about on air. It will be a challenge to talk on the radio about fashion since it’s typically more of a visual topic, but I’m excited because it challenges me to create a visual through words, while also directing listeners to my blog post and the Jamz Facebook Live to see what I’m talking about. If you’re new from the radio show, welcome! I’d love it if you would subscribe too so you can get notified of each new post. I typically do 1-2 posts a week. No spam emails either!

On to today’s topic. I recently got back from my trip to Europe for my cousin’s wedding. He got married in Santorini Greece and it was the most beautiful wedding at a winery on the cliffs of the Aegean Sea. The attire was semi-formal, which is common with most weddings, so I wanted to share some spring and summer dress ideas to wear as a wedding guest, as well as the do’s and don’ts of wedding guest outfits.

The Do’s and Dont’s of Wedding Guest Outfits

I’m going to start with the don’ts first to get those out of the way. They are the most important ones anyway. 😉

Don’ts:

No wearing white!! NO NO NOO. For some of you, you’re probably like, duh! Everyone knows this! But, there is most always that one person that does it so I feel that it’s very important to touch on this! WHITE is for the bride, not for you! This also goes for cream colors. A true white wedding dress is less common these days. This also means any outfit that has a lot of white/cream in it. If you question it or you have to ask the bride, then odds are you probably shouldn’t wear it. The bride still may say yes, but they may not be 100% happy with that. If the dress has a lot of pattern and not a lot of white or cream, then you’re probably okay. My suggestion would be to avoid it as much as you can.
(The last 3 weddings I’ve been to have had at least one person wearing white or a white/cream dress with some pattern on it)
Don’t be too revealing – this day is for the bride, not to give everyone a show. You don’t want your tatas hanging out or a skirt/dress that is too short. If the dress is low cut, that’s fine, but if there’s a lot of cleavage and you look like you might fall out of the dress, avoid it. I love a great low cut dress, but I usually wear pasties so it doesn’t push the goods up and out! 😉
Don’t try to match the bridesmaids colors – unless the bride specifically asks you too. You’ll look like you’re trying to be part of the wedding party. It confuses people.
Don’t outdo the bride – don’t wear something nicer than the bride. Again, it’s all about the bride that day. Save it for something else.

Do’s:

Consider the dress code – the invite should tell you the dress code. If it does not, ask a family member of the bride and groom. Try not to text/email/call the bride and/or groom if you don’t have to.
Dress for the venue, theme, and weather – I always like to find out what the theme of the wedding is and dress accordingly. For example -rustic barn weddings can be a bit more casual, so sun dress and some espadrilles work – maybe even cowboy boots depending on the couple. If it’s black tie, you will want to wear a floor length dress. Etc. You also need to account for the weather. Will it be indoor or outdoor? Does the venue have a/c or heat (depending on time of year)? These are all things to research before picking out your outfit.
Wear comfortable shoes – this is a must if you are going to be dancing. If you’re the type of person who takes off their shoes on the dance floor, then you do you, but I however, do not like stepping in other peoples spilled drinks on the dance floor, so I opt for a comfy pair of shoes. Find a shorter heel – either wedge or block for added comfort.
Wear appropriate undergarments – if it’s outdoor or you’ll be moving and grooving – you will want some coverage. I LOVE wearing this shapewear piece under all of my dresses. That way I know I’m good if something happened.

Other Tips:
Floral prints are fun for the spring/summer
Think of how you want to look in photos that will be around for years

Wedding Guest Dress – Santorini

I went back and forth between a few dresses and even polled my followers on Instagram to see what they liked. They were between two of the three dresses and ultimately I ended up with this beautiful orange flowy dress from ASOS. With the setting being on the cliffs of a winery and the blue sea being in the background, I knew the orange would compliment the blue nicely. I also wanted something flowy more than fitted. My husband ended up wearing blue as well (not planned) and it matched well.

Orange Dress | Earrings | Shoes | Pasties | Shapewear

ASOS has a ton of great dress options, especially wrap style dresses that are shorter and longer. I wish I would’ve brought a travel steamer for this dress because traveling overseas left quite a few wrinkle lines. I have a wedding that I am traveling for next month, so I will be bringing the steamer with me next time!

I chose to wear espadrilles with this dress because it was a type of shoe I could also wear with other outfits on my trip. I didn’t mind these shoes, but if I wasn’t traveling for the wedding, I would opt for a nude low block heel like these here.

Below are some great wedding guest dress options, ranging from solid colors to floral patterns and both long and short dresses. Hopefully you find one that fits the venue and weather for your weddings this spring and summer!