Getting engaged is a really sweet moment. Yes, people will bombard you with questions of, “Did you guys set a date?” 20 minutes after your proposal, but really- everyone is just so genuinely excited for you!
If the family/friend commentary doesn’t overwhelm you, finding your wedding dress might. And then once you find that, you need to find outfits for all the other wedding related events- potentially an engagement party, an engagement shoot, your bachelorette party, maybe you have a shower, the list can go on and on. Either the thought of searching for these outfits excites you, or you are like, ‘SOS, someone do this for me!’
If you are feeling underwater with picking outfits for your special day(s), let me help you out.
Where do you even start?
The good news is there are WONDERFUL wedding stylists floating around these days. Shout out to Something White Styling, a Chicago based stylist- and there are definitely more out there, too!
These gals are professionals, and will style you up or down as much as you’d like. For the ball-out bride, this is such a treat; hire yourself a stylist if you are looking to treat yourself!
For those brides who prefer to style themselves, are a little more laid back, or want something a bit more within budget, I recommend our good friend, Pinterest. Pin/screenshot 3-4 outfits/ hairstyles that you like per event. That way, you can kind of set the vibe of what you are going for. As you keep looking through those 3-4 photos, you can kind of begin to visualize- which one will I be most happy looking back at in 10 years? Will this look highlight who I was at the time?
For an example- I saved a picture of Margot Robbie as my inspiration for my wedding shower look. I knew I wouldn’t look exactly like this pic, but it gave me an idea to run with! I ordered a pearl necklace, did an up-do, and did my best Barbie pink lip. I was really happy with how this look turned out, and I will always remember my inspiration was Margot Robbie, since the Barbie movie had just premiered as we were doing all of our wedding festivities!
Another example of using an inspiration pic- Even before I was engaged, I was obsessed with this photo that I came across on instagram of a bride and groom eating pizza casually in the street.
I always loved that vibe, as I feel that it resonated with Alex and me. We definitely have had our fair share of eating Paulie Gee’s on the curb. But- I felt like we could make it more us. So after stewing on it a little more, I landed on taking casual pictures eating outside of one of our favorite burger places, Small Cheval. I found a larger than life Bronx And Banco dress, second-hand, from The RealReal. We wore Nike Dunks. It felt so ‘us’, and still matched the vision!
After you find your inspiration pics, I recommend starting to shop around for pieces that fit the vision. Order yourself a couple sizes of a dress if you aren’t sure! (Just make sure you double check return policies!) Try on a big dress with some sneakers if that feels like you. Only YOU know what is YOUR vibe, which is the cool part.
You want to feel good- it is your special occasion!
Here are some of my favorite places to shop (or even rent!) wedding items:
-Reformation (gotta start out with these classics, right?)
-Aritzia – In love with the little silk white dress I found here.
-Nuuly* – I was able to find the cutest pearly white button down and white dress with feathers on the sleeve from Nuuly for my bachelorette party! Also, get $20 off if you use that link!
-Grace Loves Lace (This is where I found my dress for AZ!)
-Selkie (This is where I found my dress for our church wedding!)
-Amazon (for bachelorette picks) (Linked a cute fringe suede jacket; also got a pearl bralette on Amazon that was SO fun!)
-For guys, Alex LOVED his experience at Suit Supply!
You’ll notice those asterisk’d are either resale or rentals. Shopping secondhand for wedding outfits can be an AMAZING option for those who like the treasure hunt of finding a unique, or perhaps vintage piece. I was actually thrilled with the dress I got for our engagement pictures from The RealReal, and I rented the white Moto Jacket from Nuuly! Budget friendly, environmentally friendly, and it was so much fun to search through those apps in the excitement that I was looking for an engagement pic outfit! Eating french fries and a burger in a fancy dress was so unbelievably fun.
If you catch yourself getting more stressed over outfits than excited for your wedding, please- take a deep breath. This is supposed to be so damn fun, and I hope all future brides remember that! 🙂
I am at your service in the DMs if you’d like some help finding inspo!
Happy wedding shopping, gals (+guys if you made it this far! ha)!
This has become one of my favorite blogs. When I’m depressed and feeling down, I turn to a beautiful smiling pic of my sweet Neice Ellie Rose and all my troubles flitter away to never never land. ❤️
Hahaha aw! Uncle Paul, thanks for reading!!