Whether you’re part of the wedding entourage, mother of the bride or just a humble guest, deciding what to wear at a wedding causes many women incredible amounts of stress. But when it’s a winter wedding, multiply that by two. You want to look spectacular but you can’t do that if your skin is covered in goosebumps and your teeth are chattering. So what does one wear to a winter wedding?
Wedding Party
If you’re the bride or bridesmaid, the dresses could be velvet, with lace sleeves. To keep the cold firmly at bay, add a beautiful faux fur wrap, which will give an opulent, Dr Zhivago vibe. If you’re not into fur, faux or otherwise, then you could order bespoke alpaca shrugs or stoles. Alpaca is hypoallergenic, so even people who can’t wear wool, should be fine. A chunkier yarn will be warm and snuggly. If you don’t have an aunty who can produce these for you, you’ll find someone on the UK Hand Knitting Association website.
Mother of the Bride
The matching silk dress and jacket has surely reached saturation point. And it’s not really warm enough for a winter wedding (at least not if any of the photographs are being shot outdoors). Ideally, you need an outfit that will be warm, without being cumbersome, while making you look sizzle. A full winter coat is going to ruin shots and cover up your dress, so why not opt for something funkier and go for an outstanding leather jacket? You can opt for tailored or positively rock chick. It will keep you warm and will make a great contrast with what you wear underneath.
What about Me?
Even if you’re simply attending the winter wedding as a guest, you’ll want to look your elegant best. There won’t be quite so much pressure on you to stand for hours being photographed, so you can get away with a lighter cover up, such as a chic cardigan in cashmere. Evocative of an earlier era of style and grace, a feminine woolly, such as those from The Edinburgh Woollen Mill, is always a winner, whether you choose to team it with a dress or stovepipe trousers.
If you feel the cold and are seriously worried what else you can do, then layering should be considered. However horrible they may look, those control undergarments do more than smooth lines of flab; they keep you warm. If squeezing yourself into a sausage casing fills you with dread, then opt for thermal silk underwear. A lacy camisole, is light, unobtrusive and will allow you to eat as much as you like.
Choosing what to wear at a winter wedding doesn’t have to be a trade-off between looks and comfort; you can most definitely have both!