What to Wear as a Wedding Guest: Dress Codes Explained & the Best Dresses for Every Occasion

There aren’t many occasions that span a full day - stretching from a midday ceremony into a late evening hitting the dance floor - and require a single outfit to stretch across the entirety of the celebrations.

Wedding guest dresses have to work hard to feel as good at midnight as they did at midday. As a fashion designer it’s one of my biggest - but most favourite - design challenges. How do we ensure a wedding guest feels her best throughout the day?

Dress codes will shape your options; Black Tie will vary from Garden Party. And location plays it’s part too; a town hall wedding calls for something different from a destination beach celebration. But whatever the dress code or setting requires, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable and confident throughout - so you can give your best energy to the happy couple, without fussing over what you’re wearing.

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Figuring Out Wedding Dress Codes

So you’ve been sent the formal invitation and the dress code says ‘Fancy Fizz’ or ‘Colourful Cocktail’. What on earth does that mean… and what should you actually wear?

Here I break down the most common dress codes:

• White Tie is the most formal of all the dress code options. This requires a floor length gown. This will most likely be used at a stately house or historic venue. I’m imaging a Scottish Castle or French Chateau Wedding.
• Black Tie is slightly less formal than white tie. It would be good to have a floor length gown, but you could also get away with a slightly ankle skimming style in a structured silhouette. A ‘wow’ factor dress would be great for this.
• Morning Dress is a formal daytime option. Almost a formal garden party dress, or something that could be worn to the races. It’s a great option to wear a formal daytime dress with a hat or fascinator to add an element of extra glamour.
• Cocktail is an elevated formal dress code that isn’t quite as rigid as White or Black Tie. For cocktail you can be more expressive with short or longer lengths, trouser suits or two piece sets. Weddings that opt for this dress code are often in Country Houses, Hotels or City Weddings where the couple might want their guests to embrace the elegance of the occasion while still feeling at ease.
• Garden Party allows for a relaxed but elegant feel to outfits. A flowing dress in a pastel shade would work beautifully. Imagine the dress flowing along beside fields of flowers.
• Casual or Relaxed doesn’t actually mean casual - in the sense of what we might kick around in at home anyway. A ‘casual’ dress code does not mean turning up in loungewear; it is casual by wedding standards - which means a relaxed elegance. It might be a dress code for a boho themed wedding, festival-style celebration or summer wedding on the beach. With this theme I’d suggest going for something that still feels elevated but has an easy effortless feel to it.

Generally speaking, it’s best to go more dressy. It’s nice for the happy couple to see their loved ones making a real effort!

Colour Palette is often being used to help guide guests towards tones that work with the aesthetic feel of the wedding. This could be bright & playful or softer earthy tonal palette. If the formality of the dress code isn’t specified - but the colour palette is, it’s best to go for a Cocktail dress in a colour that matches the colour palette. Unless you know the venue is particularly smart and then it might be better to go up a level to Black Tie.

• Bright, Colourful Palette - Bright Pink, Yellow, Blue, Orange
• Earthy Tone Palette - Pine Green, Chocolate, Navy Blue, Mahogany, Wine Red
• Pastel Colours - Blush Pink, Sage Green, Dusty Blue, Soft Yellow
• Black Dresses (only if specifically requested as the theme) - Black

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Designing the Dresses

As a designer, I lean heavily into figuring out how to make dresses that are timelessly elegant and equally effortless to wear. I have a checklist that I refer to when I’m designing, and the dresses we make must align with the list - or they get well and truly vetoed.

In my opinion, it’s not enough for a dress to just look good anymore. We deserve more from our clothes - they must support us and provide functional elements that actually make a difference to our experience of wearing them.

The Design Checklist

My checklist for designing a truly great wedding guest dress:

• It must make you feel fabulous; a flattering fit, an elegant silhouette. A confidence boosting shape that makes you feel great.
• It must be low-maintenance throughout the day. That means; no itchy seams, no awkward rising hemlines you keep having to tug down, no sweat-patches you have to frantically dry under the hand dryer in the bathroom.
• It must be lined. No body wants to be flashing their Bridgets to their great Uncle Bill.
• It must keep you feeling put-together effortlessly throughout the day. With matching styling options that allow you to keep your outfit cohesive while adding layers to keep you warm as the day goes from day to evening.
• It must be comfortable; which means stretchy material and adjustable waistlines.
• It must support you comfortably; which means allowing you to wear a bra if you want extra bust support - or go braless if you prefer, while having enough support built into the dress itself to allow you to do this with confidence.
• It must be made in materials that provide solutions; materials that won’t crease throughout the day, breathable materials that will keep you feeling fresh, and fabrics that feel buttery-soft against your skin all day.
• It must be timeless. Those photos are important to you, but especially to the happy couple who are getting married. It’s a great feeling to look back at photos and feel confident in hindsight about what you wore. For me, keeping a silhouette and palette timeless is essential.

Rating the Dresses as Wedding Guest Options

Of the dresses I’ve designed over the last thirteen years, I believe the following dresses are the best options to wear as a wedding guest.

The Venus Dress

The Venus Dress has so far been my favourite dress to design. It is sculptural, elegant and beautifully comfortable. We’ve had it in our collection now for almost four years, and it hasn’t dated at all. It’s just as popular as when we first launched it.

• Colour palettes it is available in: Brights, Jewels and Earthy Neutrals.
• Comfort = 10/10. It’s made in super soft stretchy material that feels like loungewear. It drapes over the body and can be tightened in to your preference, meaning you can loosen it too!
• Flattering fit = 10/10. It’s designed with thoughtful placement of gathered details, allowing for gathers to pull across the lower tummy area and hips and up to the shoulder. This combination works like a sculpting effect, literally sculpting the body. At the waist there are adjustable ties allowing you to create more definition at the waist and under the bust. This gives support and definition to make the fit perfect for your body.
• Bra friendly = 10/10. It works well with a bra, but it’s also double layered with lining so you can opt to go bra free and will still feel light support built in.
• Pockets = none. This style doesn’t have pockets, which might be the only thing that slightly lets it down. It was a tough decision in the development of this design, to leave out pockets. We ultimately made this decision as this dress is so stunning and such a beautiful fit that pockets would have ultimately ruined the shape over the hips - as they would have created a bulge at the side due to the dress being more fitted at the side seams. I opt for a clutch bag to wear with this one. Something like this works well.
• Styling options - Our matching short cape and long cape work beautifully layered over the Venus Dress.

Dress code compatibility:

• White Tie = 2/10 - it’s a little too casual for this one.
• Black Tie = 9/10
• Cocktail = 10/10
• Morning Dress = 6/10
• Garden Party = 7/10
• Casual = 7/10

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The Astoria Dress

The Astoria Dress was designed to be a sculptural silhouette with a fully detachable scarf detail to add a little extra drama.

• Comfort = 10/10. Designed with a plant based material that is buttery soft and breathable. We make this dress with covered seams so there are no itchy seam-lines on the inside of the dress. It’s cut to be comfortable around the body, not too tight and not too loose. You can tighten or loosen the dress to your preference with the waist ties that sit in the centre of the dress.
• Bra friendly = 6/10. It is designed with built in support, so that you don’t need to wear a bra - this is done with double layered material plus the waist ties that work like an under-bust strap. However, I know that some women feel more comfortable wearing a bra than not. It works well with a strapless bra (this strapless bra is a great option with good reviews), but a standard shoulder strap bra wouldn’t work due to the asymmetric neckline.
• Flattering fit = 10/10. The shape of this is divine. It’s gathered silhouette sits beautifully across the body, creating coverage across the lower tummy area and flowing into a beautiful frill to the side of the hip.
• Pockets = none. The dress design works better without pockets on this one. They would have caused awkward bulking at the hip point.
• Styling options - it comes with the detachable scarf which works well for draping over the shoulders in the evening.

Dress code compatibility:

• White Tie = 1/10
• Black Tie = 9/10
• Cocktail = 10/10
• Morning Dress = 7/10
• Garden Party = 6/10
• Casual = 7/10

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The Gaia Dress

The Gaia Dress was designed to be elegant and timeless. It’s minimalist silhouette gives it a power to transcend seasonal trends. It has a fully reversible neckline, so you can wear the high neck at the front, with the drape falling over your shoulder blades - or wear the drape at the front. I would suggest for a wedding that the drape at the back is more wedding-appropriate.

• Bra friendly = 10/10. Whichever way you wear it - it’s bra friendly - the drape is just high enough to hide the bra’s under-bust strap beneath it. We spent ages making sure it worked!
• Colour palettes it is available in: Rich Jewel Tones and Neutrals.
• Comfort = 10/10. It’s made in soft stretchy jersey material that feels like loungewear. It drapes over the body. The plant based material is soft and breathable. The gathered waist and wide sitting godets at the side allow the fabric to simply fall over the body from the waist down, creating a beautiful flattering fit that doens’t cling uncomfortably.
• Flattering fit = 10/10. It’s designed with a flowing shape that simply falls from the waist down, lightly grazing over the tummy and hips without clinging. The godets on the side widen the fabric to create this fit and it feels fabulous on the body as a result.
• Pockets = this dress doesn’t have pockets as we felt it would compromise the beautiful fit of the dress at the side seams.
• Styling options - works perfectly with our matching Cape in either the short length or longer length for more drama.

Dress code compatibility:

• White Tie = 2/10
• Black Tie = 10/10
• Cocktail = 10/10
• Morning Dress = 6/10
• Garden Party = 6/10
• Casual = 4/10

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The Juni Dress

The Juni Dress was designed with a simple concept in mind; to create the most versatile wardrobe-staple dress. I personally feel it’s achieved this well, and I’ve found myself wearing this dress for a multitude of different occasions - from weddings to meetings. A simple switch up of accessories can change the look entirely.

• Colour palettes it is available in: Pastels, Rich Jewel Tones and Neutrals.
• Comfort = 9/10. It’s made in soft stretchy jersey material that feels like loungewear. It drapes over the body and can be tightened in to your preference, meaning you can loosen it too! As a non plant based material, there is scope to add more comfort with breathability.
• Bra friendly = 10/10. So this dress is fully reversible, meaning you can wear it with a scoop neckline at the front - or flip it around and wear the high neckline at the front. Either way, it’s bra friendly and will perfectly hide a bra beneath it. It’s also double layered so has light support built in if you do prefer to go braless.
• Flattering fit = 10/10. It’s designed with thoughtful placement of gathered details, allowing for gathers to pull across the lower tummy area and hips and up to the shoulder. This combination works like a sculpting effect, literally sculpting the body. At the waist there are adjustable ties allowing you to create more definition at the waist and under the bust. This gives support and definition to make the fit perfect for your body.
• Pockets = 10/10. It is designed with pockets built into the side seams. Not only are the pockets there - but they are actually generous. They’re made with stretchy material and they expand in size. Not that you’ll be filling your pockets at a wedding - but they are a useful place to pop a tissue into ready to dab your eyes during the vows.
• Styling options - works perfectly with our matching Ballet Top.

Dress code compatibility:

• White Tie = 1/10
• Black Tie = 3/10
• Cocktail = 8/10
• Morning Dress = 8/10
• Garden Party = 10/10
• Casual = 7/10

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Dresses from AYM & the dress code they align with

Black Tie

• Venus
• Angelina Dress
• Ava Maxi Dress - worn with the high neck at the front.
• Keira Dress - this dress always gives me the feeling of the dress Keira Knightley wore in Atonement. Opt for the dark green shade to follow that feel.
• Gaia Dress

Styling Notes: style with the Ballet Wrap Top / Cape / Long Cape. High Heels. Minimal Clutch Bag without a strap.

Cocktail

• Venus Dress
• Juni Maxi Dress
• Gaia Dress
• Nova Dress

styled with the Ballet Wrap Top / Cape / Long Cape

Morning Dress

• Penelope Dress
• Juni Maxi Dress
• Ava Midi Dress - worn with the high neck at the front

styled with the Ballet Wrap Top

Garden Party

• Lulah Maxi Dress
• Juni Maxi Dress
• Emmie Dress

styled with the Ballet Wrap Top

Casual

• Lily Dress
• Juni Maxi Dress
• Ava Midi Dress

styled with the Ballet Wrap Top

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I’ve loved breaking down the wedding guest dress edit. Hope you enjoy it too! If you’ve found it useful, please do share it - and if you’re left asking more questions please pop them in the comments section below & I’ll get back to you.

Speak soon,

Alie xo