Appropriate Dress to Wear As Wedding Guest. Black? Red?

[Miss Caroline]

www.vivienofholloway.com

 

[CaliBombshell]

Thanks for the suggestions ladies. I really appreciate the direction. I'd be lost without you!
Does anyone know about sizing online? How do I measure myself to get it right? When I measure myself I get 35-34-36. Am I just too mishapen to order online or what?! All the dresses with 36 in hips have a 27 in waist or some equally tiny size or the ones with a 34 in waist have 40 in hips. What is the best way to go? I was thinking the larger size but I did that with ModeMerr once and my bust ended up way too small for the $70 shirt which still hangs in my closet :-( It's under the armpits, around the belly button and around the hips over your bum right?

 

[maggiethespy]

You should actually be measuring above your belly button. If you bend sideways, a clear fold will be evident in your side-- that's where your waist is.

 

[ZombieGirl]

Bump!!!

I'm bumping this thread because I could use some advice. My sister-in-law is getting married next month and I'm looking to go out in my first vintage dress... if I can find one that's appropriate. It's a morning wedding on a retired river boat (BTW I'm pretty excited as I've never been on a river boat) with a brunch to follow. What kind of dress would have been considered appropriate for this type of occasion in the 40's-50's? I'm in Minnesota so the weather could be cool but up here we never really know.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

 

[Odalisque]

I'm bumping this thread because I could use some advice. My sister-in-law is getting married next month and I'm looking to go out in my first vintage dress... if I can find one that's appropriate. It's a morning wedding on a retired river boat (BTW I'm pretty excited as I've never been on a river boat) with a brunch to follow. What kind of dress would have been considered appropriate for this type of occasion in the 40's-50's? I'm in Minnesota so the weather could be cool but up here we never really know.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

Oh, that sounds like a lovely wedding!
My first thought when I heard riverboat was a lace tea dress- something very southern belle.

I'd suggest whichever style you choose be understated and more classic then era specific. A big full skirted 50's dress might have all the wedding goers attention on you
My friends had a vintage themed wedding a few years back and I wore this

Luckily, everyone was in vintage so I got away with wearing such a bright color.


Depending on your budget and time constraints, you've got a few options.
I'm a big fan of online shopping- it's easier for me to scour 50 internet shops in 2 hours as opposed to 3 physical shops.
Try etsy.com
I know that TrashyDiva.com has quite a few 40's tea dress styles, they run between $75-$200.

You can try your local thrift or vintage stores. That's really the best (and cheapest) to start.

 

[ZombieGirl]

Love that green dress! Definitely one of my favorite colors! Her color theme color is sapphire blue and then the flowers, I think, are fall shades, so I was thinking the blue would be fun. I'm not actually in the wedding but as a family member I'd like to look like I belong.

 

[ZombieGirl]

Would something like this be appropriate?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140439113958&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[Drappa]

Would something like this be appropriate?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140439113958&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I think it's a cute dress and beautiful colour, but not sure corduroy is dressy enough?
I have the same dilemma, I am in a wedding this October and spent months looking, but then decided on a Trashy Diva rayon dress with bright red accessories. And the reception for my friend's wedding is also on a boat!
I agree that a full petticoat etc. could be a bit over-dressed depending how formal the bride looks, although that is what I love to wear. The lace dress sounds like a good idea, and they are often quite cheap in comparison. I have a black and a cream coloured one, neither of which is appropriate to wear I guess, but I wish they were.
Maybe a blue watercolour dress? There seem to be a few around and they are often really beautiful.

 

[ZombieGirl]

The bride will be in a full formal wedding gown and her bridesmaids, I believe, are wearing cocktail length bridesmaid dresses in blue. Good call on the corduroy. I wasn't sure and now I think I'll pass on it. I'll start checking out those lace dresses. Trashy Diva's stuff is beautiful (I usually need to wipe away the drool when I look that website) but a bit out of my price range at the moment.

 

[Drappa]

In that case you can definitely go more formal and dressy with lace, satins, taffetta, etc.
My friend's wedding will be a lesbian wedding with two brides, neither of whom are wearing a traditional wedding gown and kept changing their mind about colours etc, so it was a bit tricky. I have had to avoid blue, silver, black, white/cream etc (for obvious reasons) and apparently one of my friends just changed her dress completely from silver to black and purple, but thankfully I found one and they okay'ed it, so all is good. You never know how many blue and black and cream coloured dresses come your way until you have to rule them out. lol
Aren't weddings stressful...

 

[ZombieGirl]

The only thing worse than one woman planning a wedding has to be two women planning a wedding... especially if they each have a strong disposition I'm watching another dress on ebay but there are already 12 bids on it and it ends in 3 days so I'm guessing it will be far beyond my price range by then. It's a taffeta party dress and it's pretty darn cute!

 

[Drappa]

Oh, good luck on that one! Hope you win it and that the price doesn't go too high.
Yes, I can only imagine two women planning one, but it seems to be going really smoothly so far.

 

[scotrace]

I saw a recent wedding (relative!) at which the bride and her maids all wore cowboy boots with their gowns.

 

[Babydoll]

My niece was or "ring bearer", and she wore pink boots with her dress. I see nothing wrong with it, if that is part of the wedding's theme.

 

[sheeplady]

Cowboy boots are considered dress shoes in some parts of the USA. Just sayin'.

And I think that bridesmaid is *adoreable.*

 

[Babydoll]

She was 13 then, and I can't believe the amazing young woman she is now, at 20. She's even cuter! (But she's also smart, ambitious, and full of moxie.)

 

[sheeplady]

That is awesome. I hope you tell her that often- girls and women need to hear how smart and strong they are- as well as how beautiful they are!

 

[Babydoll]

I tell her that, and I tell my now 3 year old daughter that she is smart and can do anything she wants to do. Right now she wants to be a princess/doctor, and drive a pink ambulance. My response is she can do it, but she'll have to work hard in school.

 

[sheeplady]

I tell her that, and I tell my now 3 year old daughter that she is smart and can do anything she wants to do. Right now she wants to be a princess/doctor, and drive a pink ambulance. My response is she can do it, but she'll have to work hard in school.

I LOVE the pink ambulance... and I love that she wants to be a princess/doctor!

One of my girl friends is constantly telling her daughter (who wants to be a princess for everything) that she can be a princess, but she has to be something else too because just a princess is a little boring- princesses have jobs. So she's been a princess lady bug, a doctor princess (her father is a doctor), and a teacher princess for Halloween. It's hilarious to see her costumes. I'm not sure where the lady bug came from, but... it was cute.

 

[Babydoll]

At dinner last night she told me she wants to be a princess, doctor, ambulance driver, police(wo)man, and astronaut. I say go for it!