ritacardosohenriques

I’m going to a wedding in the lake district this weekend, (I'm actually writing this in the car on the way there)  I can’t wait! I love weddings. I love the romance, I love the dressing up and I love dancing to the cheesy wedding tunes. I normally know exactly what to wear, but with the wedding being at the beginning of January and in the depths of the Lake District, it’s not been so easy to pull together an outfit.

I’ve recently booked in quite a few clients looking to get outfits sorted for weddings in the next couple of months, so I thought it might be useful to write a post about what to wear, and how to find it. If I struggled, then I’m sure I’m not the only one.

The first problem with getting sorted for a winter wedding is that the stock isn’t very inspiring. The best time to find an outfit is either before the sales hit, in November, or leaves it as late as possible, and wait for the new collections to come through. If you’re looking before the sales you’ll probably be sifting through a mass of eveningwear that’s in for the Party season and, well, leaving it till last minute, that can be very stressful. Add to this complication, the fact that the weather will be cold and (most likely) wet, and we’ve got a difficult event to dress for.

The first thing to do is to go and open your wardrobe, and remind yourself what you’ve got in there. Sometimes the perfect outfit is staring you in the face, you just can’t see it. Pull out anything that you think might work, this was my haul…

Dress options: Black Mango jacket that's a couple of years old, the black dress I wore to the fashion bloggers party here, my favourite blue Whistles dress that I’ve worn to death (but never tire of), a floral Marilyn Moore dress that I’ve had for over 10 years, the spot sheer dress from Warehouse a dipped hem dress that I bought recently from Zara, a green vintage dress and a fur cape that I got married in a few years ago

Bag and shoe options, a which are years old. Cream clutch from Marks and Spencer, my Mum's old clutch, LAMB giant clutch, Vintage metalic bag, navy clutch from Jigsaw, Shoeboots from Faith, Leopard soes from Topshop and buckle shoes from Hobbs NW3.

Jewellery

Not all of these are obviously weddingy, but then I’m being open minded, and with a little styling, they might just work.

Now for the fun part, start to mix and match them a little. Try different combinations and a variety of accessories. Take photos if it helps. If you still can’t find the right look, then think about whether or not you need to buy a whole new outfit, or whether the addition of a new pair of shoes will do the trick. If it’s a whole new outfit then that’s fine, but at least you know you’ll not be wasting your money on something you’ve already got hanging in the wardrobe.

If you need to go shopping then here are my top tips to help you find the perfect outfit.

1. It’s going to be cold, so think about your hosiery. There are some great choices around now, my favourites are Wolford and Falke but they’re not cheap, so head to Marks and Spencer if you want to save a few pennies. Opt for a nice high denier as this will be the warmest, it also holds the leg beautifully.

2. Think about your footwear, a strappy pair of sandals might look great at a summer wedding but in the winter you’ll just freeze. How about going for a pair of fabulous knee high boots with your dress? It can look very elegant and you’ll be able to wear a pair of warm socks inside without anyone knowing. If you don’t want to wear boots, then go for a sturdier pair, which will give you more coverage like a pair of shoe boots.

Boots from Office

Shoes from Topshop

3. If you want to wear a thin fabric, then wear a good quality slip underneath for a bit of warmth and the added bonus that it will help give a smooth line under un-forgiving fabrics.

4. You may end up doing some standing around outside, especially if there are lots of photos to be taken so give some thought to your coat. This will make or break your outfit, so it needs to be right. There’s nothing worse than spending ages pulling together the perfect look and then throwing on any old coat. If you don’t have the right one, then now is the time to find one in the last of the sales.

Pea coat from Oasis

5. Embrace the fur trend! I intend to wrap up in a faux fur coat for ultimate warmth and style. If you don’t want to go, full on fur, then there are fur collars and tippets that look just as good.

Fur coat from Reiss

6. Avoid wearing a lightweight hat or fascinator that will more than likely end up blowing away. The shops are currently full of wide brim hats, fedoras, and cloches in an array of colours, these will be far more fitting, and may keep you that little bit warmer.

Hat from Oasis

Hat from Accessorize

7. Wear a pair of glamorous gloves. There’s plenty to choose from, but my favourite is a long leather pair like these.

Gloves from John Lewis

8. Try and buy something that you might be able to wear again. If you opt for separates, then think about splitting these up and teaming them with something else.