Elegant Occasionwear Dresses Guide: Wedding Guest Edition

Bonjour everyone. Today we have a special guest for a special occasion. What's the occasion? I'm embarrassed. You're embarrassed? That's always an occasion. But there's another special occasion we're going to talk about. Your life changed in a way, unexpectedly. That's all due to your wedding. On your wedding day, you filmed a special moment of you dancing with your mother-in-law. That went totally, totally viral. And the rest is history. Yeah, I mean, I didn't even... It wasn't my phone. It was just a friend of mine. She's not on Instagram, she doesn't have this whole artistic, creative plan. She was just like, that's a moment. She was like, there she is dancing with her mother-in-law. And that was the one that went viral. And that's why I love it so much because it was just real life. And it was just like, she was obviously just standing in front of us. And over the wedding, we had like a shared folder where all my friends dropped some stuff. And I was like, that's really cool. That's cute. Let me share that. Yeah, but it was literally like three or four months after the wedding that I even posted it. I was like, oh, wow, do I need to post this? What's the reason behind me posting this? Like, is it going to add value to someone's life? Or I don't know. So at the time, I was like, this is just me and my mother-in-law on a wedding day. Why do I need to post it on TikTok? And since that day, you've decided to kind of dedicate and now you're working in it full time, sharing with people the wedding guest stories, trying on dresses. I think it sparked something in me, a passion, which was always underlying. And the fact that my dresses, the essence of it, the dresses are what caught people's attention. Of course, the moment with my mother-in-law, but it was in the comments then, all about the dress. I think that the fact that they then got such an amazing response, really just encouraged me and gave me a lot more confidence to start then sharing more about my personal style, because they were such personal pieces to me and they were kind of like an extension of me. OK. And the fact that people felt like they were so unique and so different and just they really like vibed with it. Just gave me more confidence to then explore and share more about my fashion, because I didn't feel inspired before to do like street style every day. It didn't really fit into my lifestyle either. And so it just gave me this new motivation. And I was like, you know what, this is actually a really nice niche because I'm getting DMs from future brides who are like, I have no idea where I'm going to wear my weddings in six months. And I'm like, I genuinely want to help people. I've been a model for magazines before when I was younger, and I just I kind of know what goes into all elements. So is it safe to say that maybe you've tried over a thousand dresses in the last three years? Yeah, very safe. I think I shoot a lot of different dresses. Well, that's why you're also here to talk about. So today we're talking about wedding guest dresses. We've chosen five occasions or five, I would say, locations and five different formats. And with your help, we've kind of narrowed it down to only five. Yeah. Five dresses. Yeah. Five dresses. That sounds impossible in your world. It was hard. It was a hard decision. It was? But I've picked some of my favorite ones. And I think it always comes down to like easy, classic, effortless, something you can feel good in, something you want to wear. It's effortless. It doesn't look like you're trying too hard, which I think with certain events, it can feel like that. Even when you're not just the bride going to a wedding, it's like, I need a dress for this person's wedding. And like you put a lot of pressure on it. So I think effortlessness is one of the biggest parts. So you're going to tell us all about it. I feel like it seems easy to you now. Yeah. Trying so many dresses and thinking and like working in it. But I think in the audience, it's not all that easy. We're going to talk about all of those four parts and what to do, what not to do and grey areas, right? OK, so let's go and have a look at the dresses, right? Let's do it. Yeah. Can't wait. Candleless. She's standing out. She's standing out. Definitely. So what to do, you know? Let's start with the rumours or stereotypes that wearing red means that you've slept with the groom. Yeah, that's what I've heard. That's what you've heard. OK. The rumours, I don't know if they're true, but I've also been told and I've heard from a lot of people in Sweden, I think. I'm not sure if that is just Sweden or maybe in Spain as well. OK. That wearing red to the wedding means that you've slept with the groom. And your wedding was in France. Mine was in France. I would say that red in general as a wedding guest, I mean, it's got connotations of being very sexy colour. So my loved ones getting dressed up for this occasion and they don't get dressed up all the time. I was like, they looked incredible. One of them was single. I was like, you know what? Great. There's a lot of single guys around. I want to hear all the rumours. I want to hear all the stories tomorrow. I love the cut of this dress, so maybe we go with that rather than just the colour. It's again, it's super elegant. It's slightly open at the back. It's a halter style. But this in any colour is great. I love a style where it's a timeless style that it's wearable. You could have this in black, butter, yellow. You could have it in an olive. It's great. It's unique because it has a high neck. Could be for summer or winter because it's open back. The fabric, again, is super light. I just think it's a great style. It's not just a simple straight slip either. It's a little bit more interesting. And again, you could wear this for other occasions. I feel like there's a few main questions that you ask probably people over and over again when they come to you for recommendations. Yeah. Did you notice that you asked them the same questions? I'm kind of like, I can't just give a one word answer. It's literally that we're all so different. And the same goes for dressing and especially occasion wear. Where is the wedding? What time of year is it? It's, again, very varied. It depends on the occasion and event. And if it's like a cousin's wedding or my son is getting married, you know, like mother of the bride looks can be quite stressful, I imagine. If it's going to be in a city, is it a town hall? Is it at someone's house? Is it a chateau? Is it in the garden? Is it summer? Is it winter? Is it on a beach? Like, how do you dress functionally as well, seasonally, and still feel comfortable and still feel yourself? So what about wearing black? I think it depends on the dress code. I was, I would not be against it. I don't see why. But I know that some cultures, it's, it's not encouraged. Also in Spain, I think a lot of brides traditionally wore black. So it was not to kind of compete with the bride. But I personally find it really elegant. It's very timeless colour. Everyone can wear black if you're doing a winter wedding. I like the fact that it has a black and white contrast. So it's very Chanel, black. Yeah, it's it's got so much body in the skirt. It's again, full length. It's quite similar to the polka dot. It's really effortless, really easy to wear. It's cinched in sort of at the waist. It's very flattering. So this, I would say, works for the chateau. And I think I also found this under black tie. So it's formal, but with the right accessories, it can be kind of played up or played down. And I think for a chateau, it fits with the landscape of a lawn or an old country house. And at the same time, it works for a black tie kind of occasion because it's such a classic kind of slick colour. And I feel like French appreciate an outfit or a dress when it's chic. Yeah, black is very chic. It's the colour, it's the colour, non-colour of Paris. Yeah, so that works. I don't want to overuse the word, but it's timeless. And it's, you can't go wrong. So I think that accessorising is something that's quite overlooked or it's kind of a last minute thing with event dressing. And you can kind of dress up or down each look, depending on how you accessorise. This dress, I usually go for a black stud like this with a gold detail. I think it kind of, it's timeless. It's classic, but it's a little small. So also I've styled this dress before with something a bit bigger and bolder like this, which I kind of love. It's a bit vintage and it's, it brings kind of more of a statement to the full look. So I think accessories can really play a strong part in the final look. And I'm going to go with these today. These are some of my favourites. And I would again kind of wear different accessories depending on the venue or depending on the occasion. I would say these earrings are also really versatile. I wear them with like a jean look, but also they're really effortless for a black tie look or something super elegant. They are really good. These ones are a little safer, I would say. And I think the gold here just adds something to this for a more formal look. I generally try to match my shoes to the outfit. So I would go with these black suede mules from Reformation or I would go with a cream kind of white basic shoe. This is also easy to style with everything, but it's not quite the same white as the white of my dress. So I'm quite specific about things like that. This black shoe, you don't even see them really, but it's comfortable. It's easy to wear if you want to be on your feet all day. So I just bought obviously a few options today, but I love this little black bag I got recently. It's the perfect size for an event. It's small, but you can fit things in it, which is practical. And I love this detail on the front. So I would style with a black or a cream bag for this look. But I think the black works nicely because the main part of the dress is black. And that's the final look. Maybe you have some advice when it comes to go-to brands. How do you approach that? I definitely have a few go-to brands. I think it's good, like I said, to get to know your style and to just have the kind of brands you know and love. It would have to come down to, again, just being something you love to wear and that you can see yourself wearing again. And it's not just for this one event and it's not just a dress guest moment, but that can also work for something else as well. Yeah, for other events or for what you can do during the year, I guess. Or maybe you can chop your dress and... Yeah, you can customise it. That's a better, that's a more chic way. Chop it, but do it well. Yeah, chop it. Just customise it. Don't chop your dress. What would you say is the most popular wedding location? Hard to say, but I think obviously a civil is quite common because it's the legal part. What do we need to know about dressing as a guest for a city? So I've chosen, I've pulled this one, which is super timeless. It's a really nice fabric. It's really effortless to wear. It's a full length, so it's kind of floor length. It's beautiful with like a flap or a heel. But the fabric is great. It's just really like, it's light. So for summer, it's great, but it's such a timeless print. It's safe. It's not too revealing, but it's not too simple. It's not too plain. It's not just a straight down slip. You have a lot of volume in the skirt. It layers, it flows so nicely. It's such a good fit on everyone. It's kind of universally sized at the back here almost. And it's just one of my favourites. I wear this on vacation. I would wear this to a city sitting kind of thing. It's a little bit more formal, less party party. I feel like it's very versatile. So choosing something in the city, which fits the city, so you can just walk out and not look too much, even if you are walking the streets of Paris. So I feel like this is something very easy to transform. You don't want to feel too overdressed walking around the streets, like I was saying. And I think it's easy if you have to travel. Sometimes you have to take a taxi or something between venues and it also works for other occasions. What are we wearing now? This is one of my favourite dresses by Lesley-Ann. It's a little polka dot number. It's so nice with a bit of wind as well, actually. And we are alive back home. Okay, I'm going to tell you a story, a little story, a little secret. I was kind of wondering, shall I share that or not? Because no judgment, no judgment. Maybe a few months ago, I was in the countryside with the family, with my husband, and we had guests over. And this couple comes in and I don't remember who they are. They come in and they say, oh, yes, you've been that girl that we've met 15 years ago at the chateau at the wedding of our cousins. I said, oh really, was I? And then they say, yeah, you've been that girl who's been wearing that beautiful cream dress. Oh, that's so nice. They remember the dress. Well, and then they say, which was totally not allowed. Oh, okay. Yeah, that's why they remembered it. So I was like, oh, have I been wearing a cream dress? Is that not allowed? I mean, I know better now. It was probably one of the first weddings, if not the first wedding that I was attending at the chateau in France with my now husband. And literally I was wearing the wrong dress. And 15 years later, his relatives are coming. And the first thing that they remember is that I was wearing the wrong dress. You want to avoid that. So. But you never knew that. I mean, and also some brides don't care. I mean, personally, I don't know if I would have cared too much, but it is kind of like the first rule of wedding guest dressing. There are some faux pas things you're not supposed to do. Let's talk about the consideration of comfort and how comfortable your dress is. And that's why we spoke a bit about a garden party and you've selected those two dresses. So this one, it's a very nice option at first, but then you raised questions about how comfortable you could be if the wedding is happening in the jardin. So this kind of thing, it's a little bit more on the formal side because of its fabric and its length. So it's not super practical if you're in like a garden or on a lawn, but it can be done. Very open at the back, so it kind of depends how comfortable people are having a really revealing back, which I personally love. It's a little more snug on the front. So I feel like just for me personally, if I'm going to a wedding all day long, I want to wear something that's kind of loose fitting or comfortable that I can eat in and stand and sit, so this one, it might crease a little bit. It might just not be everyone's thing. For something like this one, it's a lot looser and I could wear that all day with no problem. I feel like a garden wedding or party invites for more prints and it's more joyful somehow. Especially if it's a spring or summer wedding, it's nice to play with prints and if that's your style. This one feels a little beachy. This one has a little bit of red that matches the design of the dress. I think I'm going to go with this one. It's a little bit more vintage as well. Again, I always like to try to match the shoe somehow to the dress, so choosing these mules, which match some kind of red tones in this dress, that will sort of be comfortable. How do you feel about an expression or a statement that we are dressing for pictures first and not for the event? Yeah, it's hard. Life has changed so much that I think a lot of people, even if you're not an online creator, say, yeah, maybe people feel that because it's true. There's a lot of photographers and videographers, so you want to look good, but for me, it's all about how I'm going to feel on the day and I want to show up at the wedding in a room full of people I maybe don't know and just feel kind of as confident as I can in myself, so not like, oh, is this dress too tight or is this a bit too low-cut or is this a bit bright? I don't really wear this color normally. I think it's just about really knowing how you feel in a dress. I think then in photos, it comes through the way you feel and I've always been a big believer of that. If it's just dressing for a photo, it's not got so much depth to it and it's a little more surface level, so for me, I think first and foremost, you're going to the wedding to experience the wedding, not to do a photo shoot, so go there feeling good. And the last choice, tropical, right? Yeah, so these are just a few options. Looking into a different color scheme, so you have your fresher colors for garden party here. Black tie, dark. This is a little bit more rich, bold color. Here, we're moving into kind of more neutral, soft, powdery kind of colors. If you're on a beach, if you're in a warmer country, here, this is a two-piece, so this is actually, I would say almost a bit too casual for a wedding guest, but if you've got a beach wedding and you're literally barefoot in the sand, this is stunning. That works. You can't go wrong. It's super elegant. It comes in a lot of different colors. Super elegant. This is a little top that's open at the back, so again, it's quite revealing. It's a mini top, I would say. It could also even work for the day before or the day after the wedding if you're going to a destination wedding. So I hope you guys have enjoyed watching what I picked out for us to go through today. It's one of my favorite topics to talk about, as you probably noticed. I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you have events coming up as well, let me know. I'm always available on DM if you have any questions. I'm happy to help.