Rehearsal Dinner Dresses and Outfits
Today, I wanted to make good on my promise to start showing more rehearsal dinner styles. I didn’t have time to put together a full look like I usually do, but I do have a slideshow of shop-able ideas for you!
As I mentioned in my rehearsal dinner dress for a bride, rehearsal dinners can really have a range in formality. My own rehearsal dinner was a casual backyard party where we were eating lobster. I didn’t want anyone wearing their fanciest clothing only to find it stained with lobster and butter, so it was a casual dress code where people wore everything from dressy jeans and tops to sundresses and skirts, and it was perfect. However, some rehearsal dinners can rival the formality of the wedding itself, and might require semi-formal or even formal dress.
Shop Rehearsal Dinner Looks for Guest
For females, I think unless attire has been specifically outlined, wearing something you might wear out to any nice dinner ( i.e., pants and a nice top, a nice top and a skirt, and certainly a pretty dress) is the way to go. I also think in general following the attire you might wear for a work or a client meeting (with a few more fun touches) are appropriate.
Another rule of thumb I follow is just picking something that’s just slightly less casual than what you’ll wear to the wedding. That means for a fall or winter wedding, you can wear a sweater dress, or smart tweed skirt. It’s nice because you can wear fabrics and silhouettes you might not wear to a dressy wedding, but that would be fine for a dinner out.
For spring or summer rehearsal dinners, it’s a chance to wear sundresses or maxi dresses, or pretty skirts that might be too informal for the wedding, but look nicely pulled together for the dinner. Some of the dresses I’ve picked out for dressy casual weddings, would certainly be suited for rehearsal dinners too.
When in doubt, I always think it’s best to err on the side of being overdressed, especially if you’re attending as a member of the wedding party ( as opposed to an out-of-town guest). It’s also just like the wedding in that you don’t want to upstage the bride-to-be, and with many brides-to-be opting to wear little white dresses for many pre-wedding events, an all-white ensemble should be considered off limits for any rehearsal dinner guests.
For men, a nice sport coat, button-down and khakis always looks nice to me. A suit and tie is often appropriate, or at least a nice shirt and dress pants, unless something more casual has been given the green light by the hosts. Here are some ideas for the fellows.
I promise to do more specific posts for more rehearsal dinner scenarios soon, but stayed tuned first for my coverage of all the new wedding dress collections that are showing this weekend. Happy weekend to you all! And follow me Pinterest for all sorts of wedding attire ideas.
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Pinterest Rehearsal Dinner Dresses for the Bride
