I love singing Christmas songs. Have you ever listened to the lyrics to “Baby it’s cold outside,” yikes. You have been warned. I love nothing more than a winter wedding. They are so magical and really have the potential to be ah-mazing. But the problem lies with what to wear. It’s stinking cooooold outside and unfortunately wedding attire for guests/bridesmaids/brides really doesn’t change much throughout the year. I just wanted to share some ideas for all of the ladies to dress stylish and warm for a winter wedding.

Important rules for everyone:

Bride: When dressing for colder months you should think about the weight of the fabric. No thin chiffon or slinky charmeuse, unless you like being cold. Think heavier fabrics like heavy silk satin, silk faille, or rich looking fabrics like taffeta. Also, at the height of tanlessness, I personally would avoid bright white and opt for soft ivories or pale colors. Don’t even talk to me about tanning beds...Cancer boxes are never a good idea...if you need to tan find a great spray tan applied by a professional. I love the cold because that means you have another excuse to buy a fancy new jacket or cover up. I love pretty elegant Jane Austen like coats if you are wearing a tight fitting silhouette or try the ever so popular “fur” cover ups. It’s not necessary to buy the real thing anymore there are so many amazing fakes out there. I would do white, but as shown here a dark brown can be just as stunning. If you are going to be outside for any length of time wear closed toe shoes, otherwise just do whatcha want.

   Bridesmaid: Now bridesmaids dresses are a bit different. Since you have the added eleme nt of color a lined chiffon can be possible as long as it is deep or dark color. Amsale really has the best winter bridesmaids gowns. I know they are pricey, but your girls will love you for making them look so freaking hot. I like a high neck or a one sleeved arm. Winter is really the time to embrace jewel tones, unless your having a winter wonderland wedding and in that case I would stick with muted platinum and pewter. Just please stay away from red or green. None of your bridesmaids want to look like christmas trees, kay? Now unless you are going to make your girls stand outside in the cold for photos or whatnot, I wouldn’t dictate their outerwear. If you are, I would consider buying them shawls or cover ups as their bridesmaids gift. Otherwise you will sound like a jacket nazi and really you don’t want to sound like any kind of nazi, so just do as I say.

Guest:  Yay, being a guest is the easiest part, since there is no pre-ordering months ahead of time, you can hit the trends of the season right on the head. Just show up to any store during the holidays and purchase. At the moment, J.Crew and Banana Republic have wonderful and affordable choices. And pay attention to the way that the models are styled on the websites, they are all really chic. I love the fancy new silk jumpsuits too, sooooo fashion forward and wedding appropriate. I believe that there are only 2 rules when dressing for a wedding, 1: Do not for the love of jeez oh petes wear white!!! hello!?!? 2: Make sure you are dressed at the appropriate desired level of fanciness, for example no cotton sundresses to a black tie event, got it? See it’s that easy, so really just find a dress you love and wear it. If you are worried of being confused with a bridesmaid, it is perfectly polite to ask the bride what color her girls are wearing. Now, you can do whatever you want to insulate. I suggest a pretty sparkly blazer, velvet tux jacket, or even a fun “fur” jacket. You can wear fun thick stockings if you run particularly cool.

Until we meet again, stay bridal and have a wonderful holiday and I’ll be back after the New Year.

Lauren