Being invited to a wedding always lifts my spirits. It means that my friends have found happiness, and are ready to settle down to a life together. It also means a party, a chance to meet up with old friends and family, dress up, and generally have a good time.
The fact that few people get married in the colder months makes them occasions that are even more memorable. Winter weddings are a bright spot in what is often a grey and bland time of the year. As a result, I really look forward to them, but there is one issue, and that is finding something suitable to wear. For some reason, buying dresses for weddings in the winter months is nowhere near as easy as it is during the summer. I am not exactly sure why that is. Perhaps retailers are responding to the fact that demand for wedding outfits is not as strong as it is during the hotter months. However, if you know where to look, and think outside the box it is possible to find something suitable, and do so even if you are on a tight budget.
Rework what you have
If you have recently attended a Christmas or New Year’s Eve party, there is a good chance that you will already own something that is suitable. Often you can adapt a party dress and make it work for a wedding. This is especially the case if you will be attending an evening reception. The chances are during the ceremony you will be wearing a wrap, or coat to stay warm so a party style dress will not necessarily look out of place. Making the wrap yourself from a length of coordinating fabric is an easy way of keeping the cost of your outfit down, and ensuring that you end up with something that fits in properly with your dress.
Add warm accessories
Sometimes you can use a lighter dress, perhaps one you wore in the summer, provided you accessorise your outfit with items that will keep you warm enough in the winter. Pairing a lightweight dress with a slip adds an extra layer,(you know, the kind your nana wore!) and it makes a surprising difference to how warm you feel when wearing it. Making yourself a shrug is the perfect way to get past the problem of it having short sleeves. And don’t forget tights! I’m not talking thick, black, wooly tights, just a fine pair of nude tights will keep your legs a little bit warmer than going without. Of course, a coat is a must, and you can get away with a thick, long coat but keep the colours light for that wedding vibe.
Shop in the sales
Even though the sales started weeks ago on Boxing Day, they do traditionally continue to run throughout the month of January. This makes it easier to pick up a wedding outfit at a bargain price. Sometimes shops bring out old stock from past seasons just for the sales, so those glitzy summer wedding outfits might be back on the rails, giving you the chance to buy something dressy that wouldn’t usually be back in stock until the Spring. Did you know that charity shops also have sales at this time of year? Again, they’re usually making way for new stock so you can get a huge discount on a formal dress in the charity shops during January – just have a rummage and see what you can find.
Winter sales can also present the opportunity to find unique accessories like tanzanite earrings, which can give your outfit a touch of colour and elegance. Some gemstone earrings to coordinate with your best outfit could be the final touch you need for your winter wedding look.
Let me know if you have any other tips for winter wedding outfits and where you find the best deals on the high street by leaving me a comment below, I’d love to hear your ideas.
This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂
