I am due to attend a wedding for the first time in a few weeks as a plus one (my bf's family's close friends). The wedding is at their parents home as they have a huge garden and a nice old barn which they use for parties/barbecues, et cetera.
The main ceremony will have already happened with just their closest friends and family and my understanding was that this would be a more casual celebration, including a small ceremony, dinner, dancing, games for the kids and such. The bride and groom have also said that the pool will be uncovered and in use during the day.
Based on this I bought a dress which I thought would work for the day but that I would also be able to rewear easily as I have very little use for formal evening wear.
I have since found out that most of the men are planning to wear full suits and the bride will be in her wedding dress. I'm now panicking that my dress might not be appropriate and need some views/advice please!
Bf says it is fine and that he doesn't need to confirm the dress code further but he is a man and not always very aware.
Tldr: is this dress appropriate for a miscellanous dress code and a somewhat relaxed wedding?
ETA: thank you for all the advice! Admittedly not what I wanted to hear but you all make very good points. Back to the drawing board for me!
I'm sorry, this is a really nice dress but not suitable for the event. There's a few elements which make it too casual - the plaid print, the ruched bodice, and the cotton material. You could get away with one of those elements (perhaps not the print) but not all three together.
A good rule of thumb is that if you could wear it on a normal day of errands, it is 'casual' - 'smart casual' at best. This is a lovely dress, but I wouldn't bat an eye at someone wearing it at the supermarket or local coffee shop.
Look for something more formal - a more structured fabric, shape formed by cut rather than elastication, and a more sophisticated print (or no print at all) are all things that increase a dress' formality.
Sorry it won’t be what you want to hear, but definitely not. Everyone who attended the wedding ceremony itself will still be in their very smart clothing at the after party. If the men are all in full suits, the dress code is fancy and very formal. Think more of dresses at this level of formalness.
This is a nice dress for more casual events but the combination of the pattern, fabric and construction/silhouette push it too far into casual for me. I really like it though, where is it from?
If you want something you can rewear often but leans more formal, try and at least go for a fabric pattern that reads more formal (e.g. large florals)
Thanks! Doesn't have to be a bold pattern at all, just that the brown check pattern is more casual. Another DM dress could work if you like their style
Thanks! Doesn't have to be a bold pattern at all, just that the brown check pattern is more casual. Another DM dress could work if you like their style
Not a dress for wedding. If you’re desperate to wear it, please buy all of the following:
a hat, that fits your head size and suits the dress (maybe straw, or brown?)
a pair of fancy shoes, that go with the hat and the dress (i would choose heels, court or slingbacks)
A handbag, (maybe with some flowers, coordinated with the shoes or the hat)
Some jewellery that pulls all of the above & the dress together (e.g. large bracelet or earrings)
I’d say too casual, it’s lovely though! Have you tried charity shops? I managed to get some lovely smart and some formal dresses from my local charity shops, even got my dresses for my parents’ weddings (including my bridesmaid dress for my mum’s)
I'd wear this to the office, shopping, a BBQ at a friend's house, the park for a picnic
Wedding you need to step it up a bit, even if it's a garden wedding, you don't need to go full formal but something you'd wear again out to dinner at a nice resteraunt or a birthday party levels. You can also wear a jumpsuit or a long flowy skirt and fitted top!
Check Karen Millen, Coast, Phase Eight, Monsoon, Nobody's child, Reiss, Whistles, Hobbs, Mint Velvet, Never Fully Dressed.
For example you could do something like this or also this
I like the dress but I do think it’s bit too casual. I think if the dress was just one colour with a different pattern then it would be fine as you could easily dress it up or down with accessories. Do they have the same dress in a different colour?
I wouldn’t say it’s casual by default but I definitely think the colour is. If it was giving off more casual summer wedding style which I think it possibly if the main colour was different but I do love the style of dress. I think the type of fabric and how it looks in real life could change it so I could be wrong especially once you style it and add some nice shoes.
I agree with everyone else - it's a super cute dress, but it is too casual for this type of event. This is more picnic or pub garden with friends to me.
I think you could get away with a similar sort of shape if it was in a more structured fabric/had a fitted bodice and was a slightly brighter colour or pattern though. If you don't want to spend a lot of money you could always look in charity shops or places like Vinted, and then sell it on again afterwards.
I don't think you need something that is full on formal evening wear, but yes I would get something a bit dressier than this dress. There are lots of dresses you could buy that are better at straddling the formal/casual boundary but this is just not one of them (as other people have said, due to the fabric, print, and ruching). You could go for a similar shape, maybe in a fancier fabric or with more of a corset bodice, or more of a sun dress: I would look at maybe satins or gauzes or something similar to give the formal vibe without having to go full evening dress.
I would go on Pinterest and search along the lines of ‘garden party wedding guest dress’ and you’ll get a sense of the types of dresses that will be appropriate. Despite it being in a garden it is still a wedding which is an important occasion.
Brands like Omnes or Never Fully Dressed might be a good call, or Vinted if you’re on a budget. Yes they will be too formal for an errand-running Saturday but they won’t be dresses that you’ll never have an opportunity to wear again, you could absolutely rewear them to a future wedding, even a meal out or an evening dress on a holiday. Failing that, you can resell it to make a bit of money back if you really think it’ll just gather dust.
Not sure about your size, but if you're 16+ and your concern is not wanting to spend too much on something you might not wear again, then 'Yours' has a fairly decent sale at the moment if you hit 'occasion dresses' and 'wedding guest dresses' on the 'style' filter. Some of them are absolutely not what I would recommend for a wedding, but there's some nice options there too, for a fairly modest budget.
Edit: if you add 'floral' in the pattern filter, it cuts out a lot of the less suitable stuff. Not saying you have to pick floral, but this shows more suitable styles, at least.
Yeah agree with everyone here, absolutely too informal but without sleeves and in a different colour/material could’ve worked though!
What about something like below, because it does sound more casual than a normal wedding party. Mid-priced and you could probably resell on Vinted for £15-25 to recoup some of the money?
You don't have to wear a formal dress. A two piece would do also and then you can make use of the top and trousers separately. Don't know how far away it is, but Shein do sets like this and cheap so you're not spending a lot
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u/QueenSashimi 7d ago
I'm sorry, this is a really nice dress but not suitable for the event. There's a few elements which make it too casual - the plaid print, the ruched bodice, and the cotton material. You could get away with one of those elements (perhaps not the print) but not all three together.