WINTER WEDDINGS DON’T DESERVE A COLD SHOULDER
SUMMER WEDDINGS MAY BE COSTLY but dressing up during the warmer months is considerably less challenging than mastering style choices for winter ceremonies. Throw on a floor-length number, earrings and sandals and you’ve mastered the dress code effortlessly, whereas wedding guest dressing in chillier months is decidedly trickier. First of all, you need to look good enough to make a good impression, without stealing the bride’s thunder on the day. Secondly, the weather is 10/15 degrees colder so you need extra layers and a statement cover-up that will enhance your dress. Lastly, you’re already dressing for an array of other events, trying to squeeze in Christmas shopping and get the house ready for festivities, so the prospect of finding wedding guest attire requires extra time, effort and money.
Such occasions throw up a multitude of questions but I do have a few simple tips. Like, you can wear the same dress to your Christmas party and then a week later to a wedding ceremony, if you’re clever about it. A few important tweaks can dramatically transform the mood and style of what your wearing.
Take, for instance, a tailored party tux, worn with a silk cami and heels for a Christmas bash, with a lace blouse, velvet mules and a metallic clutch – that you can recycle for New Year’s eve celebrations – for a winter wedding fairy-tale.
A statement suit – Whistles in Arnotts, & Other Stories, and Acne or The Kooples at Brown Thomas are all good options for flattering shapes – will keep you warmer than a sheer embroidered dress so there’s a good chance you’ll get much more wear out of it.
If you prefer the sweet, feminine sentiment of a dress or skirt, then my best advice is to go for rich luxurious fabrics like jacquard, brocade and silk alongside statement separates – voluminous, ruffled bell sleeves, embroidery and jewel tone embellishment detail on skirts and blouses will boost the overall feeling. Self Portrait and Needle & Thread in Brown Thomas, Ganni in Arnotts and ASOS Premium are all reliable shopping haunts. Don’t be afraid of colour either, just because it’s colder and darker outside – rich, romantic jewel tones compliment darker shades like black and navy brilliantly.
Footwear? I say this repeatedly but your shoes need to be wellheeled, worn in and provide comfort on a par with your office stilettos because weddings require a lot of time spent on your feet. Hats, dresses, designer bags aside, one of the most important ceremonial functions of a well-planned wedding outfit is the right pair of shoes. Your role as a wedding guest is to bring the party, which means lots of dancing, not owning the best looking pair of heels in the room. Leave that triumph to the bride.
“YOU CAN WEAR THE SAME DRESS TO A CHRISTMAS PARTY AND A WEDDING IF YOU’RE CLEVER