Wedding Guest Dresses From PrettyLittleThing + Style With a Smile Link Up

Wedding season is in full swing, which means many of us will be hitting the shops in search of the perfect dress. Comfort is paramount because attending a wedding can be a very long day.  Sitting down for the meal and all the speeches requires a comfortable dress – anything restrictive will be cause for regret. On the other hand all the standing around chatting/having photos taken/dancing, demands shoes that won’t have you hobbling by the end of the night. All of these considerations can pose a dilemma when you still want to look stylish. So what are the tricks to looking great while feeling comfortable as a wedding guest?

PrettyLittleThing has a wide range of wedding guest outfits to suit every style…

I favour dresses over separates for weddings as they are easier to accessorise and look more put together. PrettyLittleThing has a wide range of wedding guest outfits to suit every style, all at a very affordable price point. I’ve chosen four dresses to show you, which were kindly gifted to me in exchange for a review. I’ve opted for a couple of more traditional style dresses, as well as two that push me a little out of my comfort zone…particularly the last one!

Neutral accessories and pearl jewellery is all you need to add to an elegant dress like this.

Pastel hues are always popular – soft shades of powder blue, blush pink and lemon look especially pretty with a few well-chosen accessories. This dusty pink midi dress is a very flattering style. It’s a lightweight chiffon fabric with a pleated crisscross top in a sweetheart neckline. The straps are adjustable so they don’t slip off the shoulder (a pet peeve of mine). After checking the size guide I played it safe and ordered size 12 in all four dresses, but I think a 10 would have been fine in this style. It does gape ever so slightly around the side of the bust but it’s not really noticeable. I love the dusty pink shade which would suit most skin tones. Neutral accessories and pearl jewellery is all you need to add to an elegant dress like this.

PrettyLittleThing Gracelyn dusty pink dress (also available in ice grey) | Pia pearl necklace (similar) | M&S white pearl bracelet, handmade coloured pearl bracelets | Costume National perspex heel sandals (old) | Michelangelo white bag (from eBay, old) | Moschino sunglasses (old, similar)

This dress fits me perfectly and feels amazing on. I just love everything about it…

I’ve chosen a second pastel- hued dress, this time in lemon. I know that yellow isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it (as you probably gathered from my last post). This dress fits me perfectly and feels amazing on. I just love everything about it – the ruffles, the colour, the length, and that it has a side zip so it’s easy to do up. This dress also has adjustable straps which score extra brownie points. I think neutral accessories can look a bit insipid with pale yellow so I’ve opted for some bling!

I’ve had the silver beaded clutch for years, and while it might not be the most practical size it is very elegant. I made the necklace and bracelets myself (except for the natural pearl bracelet, which is from M&S). The Swarovski crystal pendant is actually a snowflake, so not very summery, but it looks so pretty when it catches the sun. But let’s talk about these shoes for a moment…aren’t they just gorgeous?

When it comes to choosing accessories for a wedding guest outfit you simply can’t go wrong with metallics…even better if they sparkle!

When I saw these shoes in TKMaxx I think my eyes lit up lie a Christmas tree! I’d already seen them in silver which were gorgeous, but when I spotted them in rose gold I gasped with delight! My daughter was with me at the time and she was just as excited…the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! One of the reasons I love metallic accessories is that they go with everything. Another pastel shade would work well with this delightful shade of lemon but I love an excuse to break out the glitter…and what better occasion than a wedding? I even blinged up my face with Glitter Lips…this stuff is amazing and has serious staying power. When it comes to choosing accessories for a wedding guest outfit you simply can’t go wrong with metallics…even better if they sparkle!

PrettyLittleThing Dallia Lemon Ruffle Dress | Accessorize beaded clutch (old, similar) | Betsey Johnson glitter shoes (similar) | ring bought in France | Glitter Lips by Beauty Boulevard in Vintage Pretty

While this dress might not be appropriate for more formal weddings I think it’d be perfect for a beach wedding.

Floral print will always be a hit for summer wedding outfits. The lightweight chiffon fabric of this dress makes it perfect for wearing in hot weather. This gorgeous wrap dress has an inner tie to keep it firmly in place as well as a lining to mid thigh so it’s not see through. The ruffles and off the shoulder straps are really pretty details. While this dress might not be appropriate for more formal weddings I think it’d be perfect for a beach wedding. I continued the floral theme with these fun sunglasses and a necklace that I made myself. I also made the rose quartz bracelets…I’ve made tons of jewellery over the years yet I still keep buying more! I didn’t have a clutch bag to go with this dress so I chose this green beaded ring handle bag. Simple white wedge sandals completed the look.

PrettyLittleThing floral cold shoulder maxi dress | Jeepers Peepers sunglasses (version in pink reduced to £12!) | white wedge shoes (old) | green beaded bag (old) | handmade necklace and bracelets

I completely understand that some people might baulk at the idea of wearing white in case they’re mistaken for the bride, but accessorised in the right way it can work.

Lastly, I’ve chosen something a little bit controversial: white lace. Of course, lace is a big wedding outfit trend – my mum wore a cobalt lace dress for a family wedding recently. However, white lace is usually reserved for the bride so traditionally it’s been off limits for guests. This dress is also available in black and I pondered over which to order. The traditionalist in me eventually decided on the black as white is right out of my comfort zone, but I was sent the white dress so I took it as a sign to be daring! I completely understand that some people might baulk at the idea of wearing white in case they’re mistaken for the bride, but accessorised in the right way it can work.

The style of the dress is modern so it doesn’t scream bride, but to emphasise its guest status I’ve chosen a turquoise clutch bag and taupe shoes with a silver heel. Wearing my hair down also steers the look away from bride territory, as do the oversized sunglasses. To be honest, I’m hopeless at putting my hair up – it just doesn’t stay where I want it to. I’m surprised at how much I like this dress; the quality is great and the lace isn’t at all scratchy.

My only concern with wearing a white dress with a high neckline is getting makeup on it…as well as food spillages!

I don’t usually wear tops and dresses with high necklines – as well as feeling restrictive they can be tricky for busty shapes. To my surprise I quickly got used to the high neckline and even did some ironing in it while waiting for the camera battery to charge up (rookie error not checking first!). My only concern with wearing a white dress with a high neckline is getting makeup on it…as well as food spillages! No red wine for me…oh well, there’s alway champagne 😉

Which is your favourite dress? Would you ever wear white to a wedding? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

SHOP THE POST

PrettyLittleThing Ellina white lace fishtail midi dress | Anna Dello Russo for H&M clutch (old, similar | Ted Baker shoes (old) | Roberto Cavalli sunglasses (old) | Azuni cuff (similar) Les Nereides cat ring (similar)

Now the link up is getting established I’m selecting three favourites from the previous week…picking just one is impossible!

Congratulations to Debbie from Fashion Fairy Dust, Edwige from Hypnoz Glam and Nicole from High Latitude Style!

An InLinkz Link-up

Linking up with: Shoe and Tell, Flashback Fashion Fridays, Passion4Fashion, Spread the Kindness, Turning Heads Tuesday, Visible Monday, Color and Grace, Fancy Friday, #iwillwearwhatilike, The Saturday Share, Friday Favorites, Midweek Inspirations, Brilliant Blog Posts, Style Swap Tuesdays, Currently Wearing, Ladies Who Link Up, Confident Twosdays, On Mondays We Link-Up, Trend Spin, Hello Monday, Tina’s Pink Friday, Northwest Mountain Living, Thursday Fashion Files, On Trend Tuesdays, Beautiful Style, Mix It Mondays, Weekend Wear, Foxy’s Domestic Side, Style on the Daily, The Style File, Style Sessions, Fashion Frenzy, Wearable Wednesday, Jersey Girl, Texan Heart, Oh, Hey Girl!, Fun Fashion Friday

Disclaimer: The dresses were gifted to me in exchange for review. All opinions are completely honest and unbiased. This post contains affiliates links which means if you click on them and/or purchase via a link I may earn a few pennies, at no extra cost to you. This helps towards the running costs of the blog and is much appreciated.