What to wear to a wedding: Fashion must-haves

PUBLISHED: 11:00 05 May 2016

Sarah Sturt

Claudine shift dress in pale peach punctuated by a monochrome crochet overlay, £295, and Georgia layered full midi dress in black and white geometric jacquard, £425, both by L. K. Bennett at Fenwick Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells, www.fenwick.co.uk

Archant

Black and white is always stylish and the fringing detail is very current, Dress Six, £275 worn with a Tyra disc fascinator, £59, Phase Eight stores and concessions in Kent, www.phase-eight.co.uk

Victoria says...

The wedding season is in full swing but with all the excitement comes a bit of a daunting feeling. You’ve got to get an outfit to wear.

Debut is a pretty floral dress with a striking blue lace overlay that could be picked out in shoes and clutch, £160, Debenhams at Westwood Cross, Broadstairs, westwoodx.co.uk

Clients always ask for something they can wear again which is ‘different’ to what I find in their wardrobes. While it’s easy to go for the dress, matching bag and shoes, what happens after? I find that people blindly spend £500-plus on an outfit for a wedding they’ll never wear again yet the thought of spending £700-plus on a new summer wardrobe fills them with dread.

There is the contrasting rationale that we don’t go out as much as we used to, so when a wedding comes along it’s a great excuse to dress up, but there is a balance. This season is feminine with pastel colours of lace, pleats, silk and embroidery, so finding an outfit for a summer wedding that you can wear again should be easy.

A classic neutral shade works perfectly for this elegant bag with a slim chain, £89 by Marks & Spencer at stores in Kent including Westwood Cross, Broadstairs, westwoodx.co.uk

Instead of just dress options this summer, there is an array of culottes, midi skirts and cropped trousers to choose from; so try something new, you may just like it. If you want to play it safe, a good-fitting shift dress with perfectly selected accessories and a hat is always a winning combo. If you already own a shift dress, maybe look to add a blazer or jacket to make it look more like a wedding outfit, add a belt, stunning necklace or statement earrings (but never all at the same time please ladies, pick one).

Rules have always been: don’t wear white, don’t wear black, not too short, not too exposed. However, in my book, depending of the theme of the wedding you can break these rules; as long as you don’t turn up in a maxi white or ivory dress, you’re good to go.

Add a pop of colour to your outfit with this tomato-red shoe, £89, by Jones the Bootmaker, stores and concessions in Kent, www.jonesbootmaker.com

Wedding venues and themes are so varied these days you can have more fun than what might have been traditionally expected. Even if it is a church ceremony, it’s such a small part of the day that you can wear a simple cover-up then remove it for the wedding breakfast and evening party.

Most department stores have a great selection of wedding guest outfit options, the only fear is that everyone will have the same idea, so the key’s in the styling; it personalises an outfit and makes it yours.

Gem-beaded hardcase clutch by Accessorize, £49, stores throughout Kent, including Westwood Cross, uk.accessorize.com

If you want something different, try your local boutiques, they will all have options available that no one else will. I personally recommend doing this and if you’re stuck with accessories ask the store buyer, they will already have considered that, so just ask.

Follow Victoria @wardrobefairy