There’s nothing like a Really Big Wedding for giving you good ideas, so, when the season kicked off with the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster at the start of June, everyone was keen to see what the guests were wearing.
You might think that a society do attended by royalty is no place to pick up wedding dressing tips. Surely the aristocracy wear something made-to-measure with a matching hat and it’s all way beyond the reach of us Normals?
In fact British weddings are fairly conservative affairs, where the same conventions apply whether you’re heading back to the family castle or the Dog and Duck.
While some details change over the years (you won’t need a hat like the one Kristin Scott Thomas wore in the classic 1994 film Four Weddings and A Funeral), a lot of rules stay the same and apply across the board.
The marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster took place at the start of June
Most of the female guests at the ceremony in Chester wore dresses – including plenty of those floral prints that were supposed to have been retired
For example, it’s still all about a pretty dress. At the Westminster wedding most of the female guests of all ages, were wearing dresses, including plenty of those floral prints that were supposed to have been retired. I’d say, if anything, the floral dress, spruced up, has become exactly what you want to wear to a special occasion.
Pretty is a word we don’t think should apply to the over-50s, but I love a pretty dress and think they can look spectacular providing you keep the shape simple, avoid frills and floaty fabrics and make sure that, if a print is involved, it’s strong and bold not sweet and sugary (bright coral not candyfloss pink).
As a general rule, the older you are, the better served you are by a structured clean silhouette — flimsiness does you no favours — and for now, longer is always better: if a dress calls itself a ‘midaxi’, you’re already looking twice as modern as you would in a knee grazer.
For print dresses that fit this brief at the pricier end of the scale it’s worth looking at Cefinn. The label does longer short sleeve lengths and neat cut midaxis in fresh not girly prints, like the Irina bias cut maxi (£290, cefinn.com). Otherwise I’m taken by Monsoon’s bold oversize floral applique dress with a button front and full sleeves in coral (£160, johnlewis.com) and the brand’s striking red floral print tea dress (£130, marksandspencer.com).
You might want to wear a clashing coat on top for the church — another current wedding trend.
If colourful prints are not your thing, then a classic navy and ivory polka dot is always in the wedding dress top 10.
In general I’d say avoid wrap styles (not pulled together enough), but I’d make an exception for Phase Eight’s midaxi style (£139 phase-eight.com. Or there’s Marks & Spencer’s bestselling longer midi tea dress with those all important longer ruched sleeves in a dark pink spot on ivory (£39.50). You can get away with a polka dot at any age and this dress is easily smartened up with heels and a striking headpiece.
Princess Eugenie opted for a pleated olive green number at the event
A striking red floral print tea dress by Monsoon (£130, marksandspencer.com)
Something plain is often the choice of the mother of the bride and a bold fit and flare coat dress is both elegant and guaranteed to stand out. For her son’s wedding, the Dowager Duchess wore a fitted fuchsia pink coat dress with clashing red slingback heels and a bright red feather firework fascinator. For something similar try Phase Eight’s sienna tux style dress in lemon (£229, johnlewis.com) plus red slingbacks (£145, russellandbromley.co.uk).
As the Westminster wedding confirmed, hats are not the necessity they once were, and if you’re wearing one, it’s all about the once derided fascinator. When the mother of the groom wears a small explosion of feathers in her hair and it looks fresher and more youthful than a galleon of a hat, you pay attention.
Headpieces that have caught my eye since include Phase Eight’s freeform flower headband (£65, phase-eight.com) or its raffia twist pillbox (£69). Otherwise a medium sized disc fascinator in a neutral straw weave is a good bet; try Phase Eight or Fenwick (fenwick.co.uk).
Shoe rules have shifted in recent years and the velvet sandal, with or without a platform or wedge sole, has established itself as the year-round desirable shoe for standing all day and dancing all night (the new Duchess of Westminster’s wedding shoes were blue velvet).
For a wedding-ready pair try Esska Shoes (£160, esskashoes.com). Otherwise a slingback heel in a clashing shade like & Other Stories slingbacks (£115, stories.com) is right on the fashion money.
High wedge espadrilles have also made it onto the wedding appropriate list, but I’d say leave those to the Cressida Bonas generation.
Now all you need is sustainable confetti.