Wedding Season 101: How to put together a great wedding guest look

Summer is the most popular time of the year to get married, which is great for happy couples but can be a bit of a headache for their stressed out friends and relatives. Dressing for a wedding can be a minefield: there are so many unwritten rules, it's hard to keep track. Is it okay to wear black? White? What about the same colour as the bridesmaids? Keep your preparation stress-free by following these top tips to get the balance just right. 

Keep it Simple

This should be your golden rule. Weddings usually involve a bit of travel, and you don’t want to sit in a car or train in your Sunday best. Have an outfit that you can throw on quickly once you arrive at the hotel, to prevent last minute panic or sudden creasing. 

Comfort is King

You’re going to be in a lot of photographs so you want to look your best, but don’t sacrifice comfort. Weddings are lengthy affairs, so you need to wear an outfit that isn’t going to dig into your skin, and shoes that aren’t going to leave your feet looking like a war zone. Prioritise colour over heel height - silver shoes are glamorous enough to look formal either as heels or flats. 

Keep it Classy  

You’ll be drinking and dancing in the evening, but during the day you’re probably going to be in church with the couple’s elderly relatives. Flashing too much leg or cleavage could be seen as disrespectful. Try to choose an outfit that transitions easily from daywear to evening wear. Make sure you don't wear something too eye-catching, as upstaging the bride is considered the biggest wedding faux pas. Keep it demure and remember that it's the bride's big day.

As for Colour...

Apparently, official etiquette books do allow wearing white at a wedding, but since you can bet most people don't know that, it's probably still best avoided. Stick to pretty brights and pastels, and try to avoid anything too sombre. You can usually avoid looking like a bridesmaid by choosing a dress with a pattern.

After that, you're ready to enjoy yourself! Just go easy on the champagne and avoid literally stepping on anyone's toes, and you'll be the absolute model wedding guest. 

Summer Style: This Season's Hottest Trends

With the summer showing no signs of slowing down, now would be a perfect time to breathe some fresh style into your wardrobe by picking up some clothing that reflects this season’s hottest trends. Catwalk fashions are making their way into the shops so that we can afford to look fabulous and with George at ASDA, our money will go further too.

What do we look out for? With plenty of styles and fashions to choose from, take a look at these bang-on-trend ideas for a little inspiration and take your pick from the great selection at ASDA without overstretching your budget.

Animal Print

This funky print constantly comes and goes, and this summer season - it’s back! From the simple tunic tops to the fab dresses at George, if you want to get a little closer to nature and show off your animal magnetism, there are some great choices available.

Take a look at the animal print midi dress for a figure hugging look that will accentuate your curves, or a chiffon blouse with leopard print detail, teamed with a simple pair of leggings or skinny jeans. Zebra print is also a winner – be bold and beautiful with some standout prints this summer.

Aztec

Aztec is everywhere at the moment, with plenty of statement outfits to choose from to make you stand out and look sensational. From the subtle touches, such as a pair of Aztec print woven wedged sandals to a bold Aztec pencil skirt or all-over print playsuit, you could get the tribal look in no time.

Choose a pair of cowboy-style ankle boots that would look great with dresses, shorts and skirts alike.

Crop Tops

You may have seen these on the catwalk and in the high street and while we don’t all have the luxury of a sleek, toned body to flaunt a crop top, they look just as great of a plain vest top too. Opt for a plain black crop top with a bold and bright skirt, or choose a graphic print crop, such as the G21 Aztec Crop T-shirt from George which would look fab with a simple pair of denim shorts.

Prints

The bolder the better! Mix and match to really stand out from the crowd and layer with accessories to show off your style. From polkadots to daisies and funky brights, the plethora of prints available is impressive and would suit most tastes and styles.

Monochrome

You can’t falter with black and white, especially not in this summer season. Whatever your style or the trend you’re hoping to find, monochrome continues to be a massive hit. From black and white polkadot skater skirts to geo print skater dresses and woven cardigans for cooler days, monochrome is all over the catwalk and the high street. Head for the supermarket for some great monochrome styles at favourable prices.

Whether you’re a sucker for fashion or you’re happy to wear whatever you feel like, regardless of the latest styles, George at ASDA has something for everyone. Take a look and add some new threads to your summer wardrobe.

7 For All Mankind cut offs and Topshop- Thrift outfit of the day

Hi everyone!! I hope you all had a great weekend. Yesterday was spent at a new to us boot sale and sailing along the river in a little electric motor boat which was a lot of fun, especially as a passenger! No photos unfortunately as I was enjoying the tranquility and scenery too much!

I decided that for clambering in and out of a boat required a fairly casual outfit, so I wore my 7 For All Mankind cut offs which I remember buying as jeans around 2002 in a now disappeared charity shop. I can't  believe that I can still get into a pair of jeans that are more than 10 years old, hehe!! I paired them with another thrift find from the boot sale a few months ago, a metallic silvery gold textured tee by Topshop which was just £2:

It looks like it's a heavy material, but is really quite lightweight and airy and I really like the design of it too-this was my nod to the metallic trend this Summer season:

I've also been wearing my hair in bunches a lot lately, it's been so windy and my hair is at that in between stage in that it can't all go up properly into one ponytail but in all honesty it feels so much more comfortable and cooler this way. Footwear are just some leather and sequin slides that are so sturdy and comfy- I seem to have used that description a lot in this post- I suppose I'm showing my age!!

I've been so slack with posting regularly and commenting so apologies to all my regular readers and commenters if I've not visited you lately. I do actually read a lot of posts via bloglovin' which is a really guilty pleasure of mine when I'm in between working at home and my volunteer work.

Wishing you a really good week ahead and I'm linking this post to the lovely Patti at NotDeadYetStyle for Visible Monday.

My Gok Wan Glasses from SpecSavers

Hi everyone! I was recently contacted by the lovely people at SpecSavers asking me if I would like to do a review and have a pair of their designer glasses-well as you all know I wear glasses every day so this was a really kind offer that I couldn't refuse!!

I was in need of an up to date sight test too and I must say it was very thorough, with full explanations given of how my eyes have changed and how healthy they were. Thankfully I have no major concerns, but I do need glasses not just for distance but for reading too-the options being two separate pairs of glasses or varifocals which you can train your eyes to do the job in one pair.

I decided I would rather have separate glasses and chose a pair for distance as these would be my day to day glasses and get a separate pair of reading glasses at a later date.

The glasses I chose were from their Gok Wan designer range and are tortoiseshell on the exterior and blue on the inside, with a hint of the blue on the side too:

The frames I chose are the GW56 which are a perfect choice for those who have a smaller face and they will also flatter curved, arched eyebrows too:

For me they are an ideal choice for Summer and are very lightweight too. The mix of colour ensures they are great for any season and also go well with any outfit choice too:

 Being a customer of SpecSavers for many years now means I have been very happy with the level of customer service received and the quality and price of their glasses means you can always stay on trend and within a budget too-they have some great deals not only online but instore too!!

Because I have a complex prescription, my lenses took longer to prepare as I required them with a super thin finish-generally the turnaround for choosing, paying and picking up your glasses can be as quick as the same day or the next day. My glasses were also sent from London to my local branch so the whole process for me was around 5 working days. Everything went without any hitches and I must say I am very happy with my choice!

So a big thank you to Specsavers for my new glasses, I have worn them straightaway from picking them up from the opticians and have had no problems with getting used to them-they are also very comfortable and easy to wear.

Regarding my outfit choice I am in 'casual mode' as I am waiting for the rain to stop so I can get on my bike for some gentle routine exercise- my loose thrifted Coca Cola tee and 7 For All Mankind cut offs are the order of the day for a relaxing, chilled day with some housework and cycling thrown in for good measure!!

I hope you are all having a great week and enjoying the school holidays too, wherever you are!

Thrift Inspiration........Doing it Net-A-Porter Style for Floral Trousers

Hi everyone! One item that has been on my summer wishlist for a while is a pair of printed cotton summer trousers. I've been a bit late to jump onto this trend, but with enough summer dresses in my wardrobe I really wanted to try and hunt down a pair of stylish comfortable pants that would see me through this season.

There are certainly lots of prints and styles available and on Net-A-Porter they have some really inspiring and colourful designs that are perfect for Summer. Here are my favourite picks- I so love the Erdem pair which are currently in the sale, but sadly out of my price budget!!

Chloe pants, £410

Erdem pants, £168

Michael Kors pants, £250

Rag & Bone, £189

So I was really pleased to find my perfect pair early this week- they are by Marks and Spencer and were bought from the Cancer Research charity shop for just £3.50. They have a nice slouchy feel to them and tapered to the ankle, which was the sort of style I was after. The colours of the pants are black and beige, perfect neutrals which will work with practically any colour tee or vest top too:

I'm wearing them with a pair of thrifted Topshop sandals from last years boot sale, I'm sure they were only a couple of pounds:

 

I know these are going to be a favourite to wear over the next few weeks and I'll certainly snap up any more similar pairs that I see- better late to the trend than never, haha!!

Are you wearing printed trousers this summer- if so, what brands do you recommend for quality, fit, design and print? Wishing you all a really good weekend too!!