At long last, I am pleased to share some findings and thoughts on how to dress for all of the events leading up to your nuptials! If there’s a time in your life to treat yourself and feel fabulous the whole weekend, it is your wedding! For the past few months, I’ve had a perpetual “white, metallic, floral, beaded” radar on… and have collected things I am so excited to wear.
My thought process while shopping for and selecting every outfit is a) find something very me and feel amazing in it (duh) but also b) have fun with it. It’s a party, after all!
I thought I would break it down by the events I celebrated over the last few months, and hint my bride style for our soon-to-be wedding day…
Engagement Party
We actually didn’t have a formal engagement party, but we celebrated with a bunch of friends over champagne and apps at our friend’s home. I ended up wearing a simple summer dress but if we did have a more formal affair, I would go with an elevated summer dress or a cocktail dress. Maybe not white, right off the bat, too. I have really loved our whole theme of garden dinner party thing going on, so florals have been a big part of my style as a bride. If you have a certain theme or vibe, run with it.
Bridal Shower
For my bridal shower, I wore this linen Staud dress. It obviously depends on the time of year, but for me (spring/summer celebrations), a fun linen/cotton dress is exactly what I wanted to wear while sipping wine with my girlfriends in the sun. One note is that I have been watching my favorite designer sites regularly for bride-y things. Pieces I know I will feel so good/special wearing for these events, but also something I will be excited to wear aplenty in the future.
Bachelorette
This one was fun! But of course. As I mentioned, florals have been a big theme for me, so I loved peppering in floral outfits throughout the weekend so I wasn’t in white every moment. I like to break the rules. I loved wearing skirts with cropped tops, easy dresses, my beloved straw visor. I wanted to wear more beads/sequins, but it was a bit warm for the things I found around the web at the time. I made sure that everything felt very me and my style, and I wasn’t just shopping for a white dress online and calling it a day. Take your time with this. I did, and I love every single item I got and have been wearing them non-stop since.
Rehearsal Dinner
Our rehearsal dinner is going to be in a little modern building with a big beautiful window that overlooks a vineyard. I have yet to find the dress, but I did find my shoes! DYING over these… I really couldn’t love them more and how amazing will they be for our honeymoon?! More shoe talk below. Okay, so for the dress, I am thinking something white, simple, and short. I LOVE square neck dresses and smocking, so if you see anything… you know where to find me!
Post-Wedding Celebration
We are hosting everyone to a wine tasting/lunch/pool party the day after our wedding, so I am planning on wearing a swimsuit and my new Nanushka coverup, or a dress– pending how I’m feeling! Another perfect opportunity to track down a beautiful summer dress that you can wear all summer long…
Shoes for All
I have had the best success in finding shoes I love for our wedding weekend. I could not recommend jumping on these Stuart Weitzman heels while they are on super sale… favorite shoes ever. I also just got these (over MDW sales) and am in love. I also am really into the barely there look, so may add one more pair for my lineup… ah, can’t believe we’re less than a month away now! I can’t wait.
See my whole bride shop here
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Hi Ashley! Getting married in June and looking for dresses for all the similar bride occasions. Would you be open to doing another round up?