It’s wedding season and we couldn’t be more excited! Weddings are happening and dresses are back, thank goodness! The goal when deciding what to wear to a spring or summer wedding, is to find a wedding guest dress that is comfortable, makes you feel your absolute best, and fits your budget. We recently found several stunning and affordable wedding guest dresses that check all those boxes!
how to find the best wedding guest dress
Recently, we met with our friend, Sandy of @stylishsandy, who is a stylist at Nordstrom in downtown Seattle. Like kids in a candy shop, we filled our dressing room and began the grueling job of trying on all the beautiful frocks we could find! Tough job, we know…
Afterwards, we sat down with Sandy to find out how to find the best wedding guest dress:
LSW: So Sandy, when your clients come in to Nordstrom to shop for a wedding guest dress, what advice do you give them?
Sandy: Well first, I look at their figure…that’s really important. You want to get the right dress for the right figure. Right now, I think a sheath dress is really nice. It’s a really flattering, classic style. Sleeveless or with a little sleeve. You could wear it to a wedding or even to work. Another really popular dress right now is the prairie, tiered style. That could be a very fun dress to wear especially if it has a nice waistline. You’ll nip in that waist and the dress just flows!
LSW: What are some of the spring and summer trends for guests of the wedding right now? You mentioned prairie dress styles…what else is trending?
Sandy: I’d also say there’s a lot of ruffles. You don’t have to have a huge ruffle–it can be an embellishment on the sleeve or down at the hemline of the skirt. Also, cutouts, if you’re comfortable with that…a little cutout at the waist or the shoulder. There’s a lot of tiered dresses and also sleeve embellishments. You’re going to see a lot of the big puffy sleeves, like a mutton sleeve. It’s fun–you have to be careful putting a jacket over it, but if you have a sleeve you might not need a jacket.
LSW: There’s a lot of outdoor weddings right now, where you’re going to be outside for part of the time and inside for part of the time. And you have this pretty dress that you don’t want to cover up. So, what should we be wearing for jackets to a wedding?
Sandy: It might not have to be a jacket! I would use a wider pashmina. I would take it and just effortlessly throw it over my shoulder so you look very chic. When you get into the wedding, you can bring it down and just wear it on your arms. That’s a trick too–if you have a sleeveless dress and you don’t like to show your arms, have your pashmina draped over that part of your arm you don’t want to show. Then when you get cold, do the effortless over the shoulder toss and voila! (mimes shoulder toss) That’s what I do!
LSW: Ha! Yes so lovely! Adds the drama too!
nordstrom dress try-on
Any dress that caught our eye, we took back to the dressing room, even if we weren’t sure if it was right for our body type. It was so fun & informative to try on so many styles! Not every dress made the cut–smocking turned out to be a huge “no” for me, but Krista discovered the smocked skirt trend worked great for her! Here’s some of our favorites:
Julie–This gold floral dress is so feminine and pretty and was my hands-down favorite wedding guest dress pick! So much so that I actually bought it! It looks way more expensive than it is, and the style is so wedding perfect! Really gorgeous details.
Krista– This beautiful maxi dress checks all the boxes for me! I love the colorful print and flattering, criss cross halter neckline. This dress would totally stand out at a wedding, date night, or any type of celebration or vacation!
Julie–For a more casual wedding, this dress would be ideal! It would also double as a great work dress. This is an example of the mutton sleeve trend Sandy was talking about…I love the balance it gives to my figure. It brings width to my shoulders to slenderize my hip area. A very lovely dress!
Krista– The sheath style of this floral print halter mini dress is totally “me!” I love this flattering, fun dress! Wouldn’t it be perfect for a tropical destination wedding? t’s at such an affordable price point, and it would also be perfect for your next beach vacation!
Julie–We tried on dresses at all price points, and found there’s something to love for every budget! I loved this sweet floral dress. It’s flattering, comfortable, and can be easily dressed up or down. A great buy under $50!
Krista– This sweet dress is an example of smocking done right! I love the way the smocking flatters my waist/hip area, and the ruffles on the skirt are so pretty! It’s also nice to have a long sleeve dress in your wardrobe for cooler spring temperatures. The V-neck on this dress is perfect for adding a pretty necklace!
more wedding guest dresses from our try-on!
We don’t get to dress up very often, so when we get the chance, we want to make the most of the opportunity! When your wedding invitation comes in the mail, we want to encourage you to plan your outfit ASAP. You don’t want to be scrambling for a dress, shoes, etc. at the last minute. Hopefully our advice will have you feeling confident in your look and you’ll have an amazing, memorable experience at the wedding!
xoxo Julie & Krista
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So many good dresses! I’ll never get over those polka dot ones!
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Thank you! Living out our Pretty Woman dreams! 🙂