Help! Wedding guest dress. - YouLookFab Forum

Hey everyone,

I'm attending my boyfriend's father wedding and it is supposedly smart casual but we have been given some rules:

Must be a pastel dress
Must not have patterns
Must be linen or lace
No white or cream

It supposedly a fairly casual wedding! The only thing is, I am very tall and not many dresses are flattering on my figure. They are either too short or way too wide! I was hoping I could post some links to dresses that I thought might work and I would love some feedback because I am very anxious about what to wear to this particular wedding!

I love this one but I am worried that the top part might be breaking the "no cream" rule and that the tule bottom might break the "linen or lace" rule!
http://www.asos.com/au/jarlo/j.....8;clr=Mint

I love this but worried that the sheer top is too revealing.
http://borntobechic.com.au/col.....kialla-set

I think this is beautiful too but also the slight mid-drift might be a no-no
http://borntobechic.com.au/col...../akara-set

Also these:
http://www.asos.com/au/love-tr.....709942?iid

http://www.asos.com/au/missgui.....id=6784574

ANY feedback would be appreciated!

Thank you!

8 years ago

unfrumped

Veteran

I'd focus on color and style more than
lace or linen. With too many rules, something has to give, and usually white is the big no- no. Though if you get different insight from the bride or wedding party, great.
The ones you showed are pretty, but i would say the cream top and the white dress are off limits. Overall the styles , to me, are too revealing for smart casual wedding, too date- night.
I sympathize on dress lengths- phooey on most dress makers.
Ann Tstlof carries Tall suzes- as do somd others. Or, you might look for a full length or midi that might otherwise look too blah at those lengths, and have hemmed to just the right knee spot, can be above of course but for your height, and then could look good with fun shoes.

Bonnie

These are nice dresses but you want to let the bride be the focus of the wedding, so I suggest a more conservative style.

rachylou

The first and third aren't bad, but I do wonder if they're too revealing for your bf's dad's fiancée...

Jen W

Active Member

I know that you already have several parameters given to you by the couple, but I was wondering about the time of day and venue. The request for either linen or lace confuses me, as the 2 fabrics have different levels of formality in my mind. Knowing the time and place would help. A few of these might work for an evening wedding, avoiding anything with white or cream. If it is a daytime wedding I might try something with a little more coverage. These are just a few examples of styles that might work for a daytime event.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/el.....igin=keywo

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/bb.....-exclusive

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ta.....494870?ori

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/sh.....ort&a

Janet

(website)

I like Jen's suggested alternatives. That is quite a restrictive set of rules for a "smart casual" wedding! What time of day is it? It's hard enough to find a suitable dress just given the height/length issues and pastel color, much less dictating the fabrication. You might look at JCrew's bridal line, and Anthropologie's as well.

L'Abeille

You know what? That is such an unusually restrictive and prescriptive set of "suggestions", that I am willing to bet the bride is working off a Pinterest inspiration or something similar. I say this because, living near the shore as I do, I sometimes see photos of beach weddings or family reunions where EVERYONE is dressed alike in, say, white tops and dark jeans, from babies to grannies.

If you know the bride well enough, ask to see her inspiration picture. That will be better direction than our imaginations, which, frankly, seem to be failing us here...

Barbara Diane

I like the idea of asking the bride for more information. Lace and linen seem like two different levels of dressiness.

Ok, here's where I don't know if I'm old or conservative.

The dresses you picked all seemed a bit too much for a wedding-a bit too overtly sexy. I think Jen's choices are pretty and sexy but more subtle. But all of them are much fancier than smart casual to me.

At the same level of dressiness, another possibility might be separates that look like they belong with each other. A lace top with a sleeveless top or camisole under, paired with a skirt in a non lace fabric. Or a completely lined lace skirt with a non lace top that covers your torso (bra doesn't show, abs don't show, etc.

There are many linen dresses that are simple but can be perfectl for a smart casual wedding up with great accessories, shoes, and bag.

Staysfit

Smart casual? Linen or lace? Pastel?

This one isn't linen, and maybe not quite pastel, but I think something like it could work for a smart casual wedding for a tall narrow build. That's my build. It has the mesh at the bottom so even though the lining is short, the mesh provides some modesty while allowing some allure at the same time. Same effect at the top. It has a drawstring waist to pull in the volume, but this particular design isn't as voluminous as it appears, and doesn't look too wide. Trust me, I know that problem very well!

Nordstrom

Tracy Reese Embroidered Ramie Dress

$348.00 $139.19

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Jules

Wow, those requirements would make me nuts. Especially at this time of year in the northern hemisphere - is there any linen to be found? I personally dislike most lace and rarely wear pastels, which are also in shorter supply in the fall.

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