Wedding Dress question (as a guest)

[anchor31]

I'm on a posting spree lately...

My brother's getting engaged soon (I swear I'll post pics of the ring as soon as I can; I helped him out and it'll be a beauty!), and he and his FF have set a date and booked their venues for November 1st of this year. I know it's a little early to be worrying about this, but I won't be in the bridal party (they have a very small one and I'm not very close to his FF) and I still need to find a dress. Thing is, I have a disability and I'm extremely self-conscious about my legs... So I wonder, is it inappropriate for a guest to wear a floor-length dress to a wedding?

 

[mercoledi]

If it''s an evening wedding in November and your dress isn''t ivory/white/blush I can''t see why a long gown wouldn''t be in order. Or really dressy slacks. Do you have any more info on the type of bash they''re throwing?

 

[oobiecoo]

I would be hesitant about a floor length dress... mainly because I think it would be really hard to find an appropriate one if the wedding won''t be really formal. I think a long skirt or pants would work well though. I guess it really depends on the dress so maybe post some pics of styles you were thinking about.

And congrats to your brother!

 

[golden]

I have seen A LOT of evening GOWNS at weddings as well as floor length skirts, (I myself was going to wear an evening gown to a wedding I went to in December), I don''t think it matters what time of year/time of day it is either especially since there are a lot of casual and elegant gowns and floor length dresses.

 

[robbie3982]

I think a long dress is perfectly acceptable. One of my cousins wore a long dress to another cousin''s wedding and she looked gorgeous! Not out of place at all. I''m in love with the dress she wore, can you tell

?

 

[neatfreak]

I think long doesn''t need to mean "formal". I am sure you can find a long dress that is appropriate! I wouldn''t worry. I would just stay away from long gloves and a tiara.

 

[rockzilla]

I see no problem with a long dress at all...though you may want to make sure its a "dress" and not an "evening gown" unless it is a very formal wedding. Maybe something nice with florals or a lace overlay...

Or you could do skirt/top combo. Your only challenge will be making sure its not "matronly"

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2975858?refsid=174554_3&refcat=0%7e2376776%7e2378685%7e2380947%7e2380968&SourceID=1&SlotID=1&origin=related

Something like this would be REALLY cute (a bit pricy, but just to show that there''s stuff out there...)



http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2975216/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6014174?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014174&P=5

This is also cute - but you may want to add something to cover your shoulders



http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2963364/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6014174?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014174&P=6

Also super cute! Gosh, this is making me want to spend $ when I''m saving for the wedding!


http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2910553/0~2376776~2374327~2374331~6014174?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6014174&P=6

A little more evening-y but at $70 it is a great price! I have a similar dress from this brand - amazing construction...

 

[musey]

No, I don''t think it''s ever inappropriate to wear a floor-length dress to a wedding, unless it''s casual enough that you could wear slacks if you wanted!

A little off-topic, but are things getting complicated with two engagements at once and the weddings only 3 months apart? My brother just got engaged last week and I''m starting to worry about conflicting event schedules and travel plans for family!

 

[VRBeauty]

Ditto the consensus. Also, if tea-length (or lower calf) is an option from your standpoint, I think that''s pretty much always appropriate.

 

[bee*]

I think that a long dress would be beautiful to wear to a wedding, I wouldn''t worry about it.

 

[Sabine]

I think it''s totally appropriate, and I think a good idea for not looking like a bridesmaid is keeping it to ankle length and not actually floor length, like the ones Rockzilla posted! I love that halter dress!

 

[parrot tulips]

My sister loves long dresses. For no particular reason, she just likes them. She has a wedding to attend in a few weeks and still hasn''t found anything, so I sent her this link:

http://www1.bloomingdales.com/catalog/index.ognc?CategoryID=9107&PageID=9107*1*24*-1*-1&kw=Maxi

These are cute, will never be mistaken for a bridesmaid dress, and aren''t too formal. I''m not sure if they might be a little summery looking for a November wedding, though...

 

[anchor31]

Thanks everyone!

I''m not very fashion-savvy, so I feel better having your approval. Thanks for the links too! I HEART those two dresses (both in blue):

James Perse Maxi Sundress

Hard Tail Gauze Maxi Dress

Here''s a bit more about my brother''s engagement/wedding, for those who asked:

It was a bit of a surprise for everyone. They had never mentioned anything specific, and my mother told me they were thinking about maybe Spring ''09. However, my brother is in the Canadian Royal Navy and he got his first orders about a month ago: He''s going to be stationed in Halifax starting January 6th ''09. So the wheels started turning and they probably realized that they''ll be missing out on important advantages if they''re not married, plus it probably wouldn''t be possible for them to have a wedding until 2011. So, it was either ''08 or ''11 and they chose this year.

The last 3 weeks were pretty hectic. My brother has been bombarding me with wedding planning questions, and he wouldn''t answer my questions and tell me what''s going on until last Friday; he even mentioned "beating me to the altar" (his words, not mine). J and I have been having a two-years engagement and I know I can''t ask people to put their lives on hold until I get married, but them planning at the very last minute to get married just before us seemed kind of spiteful...

What worried me the most was that our families will indeed have to drive 2-3 hours to come to both wedding and a few are elderly and/or don''t drive, so I was concerned that after all the time and energy (and money) we''ve put into these plans, we''d end up with half our guest list not coming.

Fortunately, they decided to pick later date (even though it''s a lot colder up here in November, and there are no more leaves in the trees) to make it easier on everyone. Three months minus a day is close to our wedding, but it''s pretty much the farthest they can make it without risking a snowstorm (and then they would have no guests at all). They are sending STD postcards asap, and my brother told me yesterday they''ll send their invitations just after my wedding. So I hope it won''t interfere too much with our plans.

As for the wedding itself, it''ll be a military wedding, so it implies a certain formality. From what my brother has told me, it''s going to be a very standard "afternoon church ceremony, sit down dinner and party into the night" kind of event. So I think I could pull off one of those dresses (perhaps with a bolero)...

 

[oobiecoo]

Those are both really pretty but I would vote for the 2nd one!