WHAT TO WEAR FOR A WINTER WEDDING

Attending a winter wedding is quite different to a summer wedding!  While that may be stating the obvious, it means that what you wear as a mother of the bride or groom, or even a guest, will be completely different. Summer weddings – particularly if the sun is shining, means bare arms, high heeled shoes and a light hat, fascinator or hatinator.  And while we are not advocating you wear a bobble hat for the winter wedding, there are some things to consider. Firstly – yes it may be cold! Winter weddings when it’s snowing can look beautiful but who wants to stand around waiting for your turn to be photographed when it’s freezing?  A coat is the obvious answer, but winter coats tend to be in dark colours, so the trick to looking the part is to go for a beautiful wool or dress coat in a vibrant colour, such as red, with a toning dress or suit underneath.

Because the light is different during the winter months, avoid pale colours such as grey or silver, since you will disappear into the background, particularly if your hair and colouring is fair or pale, and the weather is dull. Wear something bright and the colour will pop and make you stand out on those all-important photos.  If you do have a darker coat, add a bright pashmina over one shoulder – which can double up as a shawl if you don’t want your photograph taking outside in a coat or if the venue inside is chilly. If it’s raining or snowing, you will need an umbrella, and there are some beautiful designs around.  Either that or a transparent one will allow you to show off your lovely hat or fascinator, since most will be ruined by water.  Most wedding hats are made from sinemay which is a natural fabric woven from the leaves of the abaco plant.  While it is strong, it won’t survive in rain or heavy snow. This season, Simply Devine has added some darker fashion colours to its collection to tone with an autumnal palette – we especially love our juniper green collection.

There are also some fabulous felt hats available in beautiful colours this Autumn – and they will tone beautifully with a dark colour.  Try a pink or mustard felt trilby or fedora with navy or black. And spikey heels won’t fare well if you’re standing on soft muddy grass, particularly if you’ve gone for a silky satin or suede pair to match the dress.  Instead, try to find a good leather pair which will be much more sustainable, and easier to clean afterwards. We have always said that you don’t need to be all in one colour, and so long as you can co-ordinate some parts of your outfit, you won’t look out of place with black shoes.  Match your shoes to either your bag or your hat, your dress to our shoes or handbag.  Back in the day it was always matching shoes and bag, but nowadays, you can include your lippy, nail varnish or jewellery to bring an outfit together. We are always happy to talk to you or help you with your winter wedding style.