I Plan On Wearing This Under-$100 Dress to 5 Different Spring Weddings (2024)

Peak wedding season is almost upon us, which means a slew of invites is about to hit your mailbox (if they haven't already). And once you've RSVPd accordingly, then comes the hard part: what do you wear? Not all nuptials are created equal, so finding the best wedding guest dress for each event is no seamless feat. You need an effortless and breezydressfor the sand-set destination, a polished gown for your friend's black-tie affair, and an in-between style for a semi-formal ceremony. Where's one to begin?

Arielle Siboni, Ready-to-Wear Fashion Director at Bloomingdale's, advises you first take a deep breath—inhale, exhale—and then look to where you would for any other shopping decision: thefashion trendcycle. She shares with Marie Claire that the industry's method-behind-the-madness is a great starting point for you to consider when seeking a wedding guest dress. "And there are so many fun, more emotional trends to try this season in formal wear: bright colors, paillettes, fringe, and new exciting details like bows, ruffles, and rosettes are the trends I'd try to incorporate into my wedding guest look this year," says Siboni.

Ahead, the fashion director offers insight into which specific dresses to keep your eye on for the spring and summer 2023 season and breaks it down per dress code. (If you're looking ahead to winter guest dress season, we have a guide to that too.) You'll want to have your credit card on hand, too, because we've curated a ready-to-shop edit of stunning wedding guest dresses.

Formal Wedding Guest Dresses

"Black tie used to be about formal gowns, but rules have relaxed over the past few years," says Siboni. "Shorter lengths, for instance, are becoming more acceptable. However, I do love an occasion to get dressed up, so I would personally wear something more formal to a black-tie wedding." In particular, the market expert says she'll be "trying out paillettes or a strapless gown in a fun color" for a formal spring wedding. Look also to ruffles and dresses with excess volume for an all-out effect.

Semi-Formal Wedding Guest Dresses

"For a co*cktail-themed wedding, where the dress code is a bit more relaxed, I would experiment with a more fashion-forward trend: fringe and rosettes are two of my favorites this spring that I think they are perfect for any wedding," shares Siboni. And, as you can see with Self-Portrait and Amanda Uprichard's girly mini dresses, bow detailing taps into a fun and flirty feeling that's perfectly on theme with the romantic occasion.

Casual Wedding Guest Dresses

"I love trying something that isn’t traditional for a more casual wedding—a matching set is always a great option, or an easy dress with a bold print, for example," shares the Bloomingdale's expert. The key takeaway here is that effortless comfort reigns supreme when dressing for a casual wedding.

Beach Wedding Guest Dresses

Siboni says to lean into the laidback energy of the setting when picking out a dress for a beach wedding. Sartorially speaking, that might look like "halter and strapless silhouettes and sheer elements on dresses. Also," she adds, "what better time to experiment with a bold color than for a summer beach wedding?"

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