This past year I went to several weddings, day and night, and here are the choices that I wore.  Many people ask me what they should wear to a wedding. These are my choices, but keep in mind that I don’t mind showing my arms. My arms are not the problem, it the midsection, so you better believe that there is some serious shape wear under these gowns.

This first gown by Diane von Furstenburg was perfect for a Sunday afternoon wedding. Don’t you get sick of wearing dark colors in the winter?  I hate it, and so when I find a dress with flowers, I cannot resist.  This is such a beautiful mixture of colors and patterns, it just says “be happy” looking at it.  I wore vintage drop earrings. These were in my mom’s jewelry box, and she has passed away, so I will never know their story. But now I am creating a new one.  This dress is literally like wearing a nightgown because it could easily be. So, if you are going to a wedding in the day and it’s summer, don’t be afraid to go for the florals. You may even match the centerpieces! This dress is Ageless, even for the woman Over Fifty.

This  gown I wore to my niece’s wedding. This was a very special day and so I wore a really really nice gown that I got at a Neiman Marcus consolidation sale. One of the salesladies who knows me, called me that I needed to be there on a Friday at 8:00 am because things would be going fast.  If you have never heard of a consolidation sale, it is where one store picked by the company and every sale item from all of the other stores is sent to that store. And, the items are marked down substantially. This Kaufman Franco dress was originally over 4,000 dollars. In fact I saw Juliann Hough in a magazine wearing it on the red carpet, but in white!! This elegant dress was perfect for the occasion. If someone special to you is getting married don’t be afraid to get a formal gown. The invitation said “dressy”, so I went with it.  You can too. Black tie weddings can be fun, day or night.

Of course there is going to be a black dress somewhere.  This was for a winter wedding at night.  I got this dress at a super good sale as well at Bergdorf Goodman’s in New York. It was just hanging in the sale section. I thought, am I dreaming?  Why is this dress still here?  It was under $200 reduced from over $600.00. What a find. Once or twice in your life to make a find like this is something you will never forget!!  If you are ever in New York you must go to Macy’s in Herald Square.  It is the shoe sale of your dreams. There are 2 rooms full of sale shoes. These sandals with the pearls, that match the collar, were $29.00. It was the end of the summer, so they were practically giving them away. How fortunate was I to also find a purse with just a few pearls?  Normally, I am not so matchy-matchy, but I couldn’t resist!! This wedding was a black tie wedding and so this gown fit the bill perfectly.  Wearing a floor length gown is really fun.  You don’t have to worry about panty hose either!! (By the way, I didn’t know I was going to have a black tie wedding before I bought it!! Meaning, if you find a good deal, grab it and run.

I hope this gives you some ideas for wedding gowns, day or night.  By the way, if the invitation says ‘Cocktail Attire” you can wear a long gown, but it shouldn’t look like a black tie gown. Do you know there is a new type of dress code? It is called Creative Black Tie. Your guess is as good as mine.  For most of us, going black tie requires a lot of creativity since it isn’t everyday we go to weddings.  Remember if the dress is plain, to add accessories.  Brooches are back, so a beautiful rhinestone brooch on a plain black dress can make an ordinary dress look very special. By the way, my new logo is a rendering of me in this dress.

If you are invited to a Creative Black Tie Wedding, you can try something new. You might even have the separates in your closet.  I put these two pieces together just by chance.  I think it would work, what do you think?

I would love to see some of your wedding gowns. So many women are asking what to wear, the more we share, the better we can inform each other.  I look forward to hearing from you soon.