This dress for a date night with hubs...

[cantwaitforlanza2019]

Hi :)

It is my birthday weekend this weekend , me and my Husband are off out to Stratford upon Avon for a meal at Bella Italia, and then off for some cocktails .

Is this dress too much ? ( pic included ) I am in love with it, just not sure if it is too much for just a meal and cocktails?

All opinions welcome... (p.s, dress already purchased, but backup outfit not planned yet )

Echoing everyone else. Do you really want to go to Bella Italia? The dress is lovely

I don't know Stratford particularly well, but I do live in a similar-sized tourist town and people do dress up a lot more for a night out than they would in London. If you were going to one of the more upmarket cocktail places in my town, you would not look out of place in that dress, but if you wore it in the majority of London bars you'd stick out like a sore thumb. Having said that, Bella Italia is the same wherever you go and it's definitely more of a jeans and t-shirt sort of a place.

Could you go back to your hotel or whatever and change into the dress after you've eaten?

What a lovely, beautiful dress! You will look fab in it @cantwaitforlanza2019

And your hubzington, will LOVE it too.

And you'll be making memories. You could even wear it on your holibobs!

Just teasing.

Have a lovely time, both of you!

I love the dress, and no idea about Bella Italia.
Hope you have a great time, and all your fantasies come true!

What's wrong with Bella Italia?

I love it - although I'd wear jeans to Bella Italian tbh

Who’s choice was Bella italia?

Do you want to wear the dress or eat there more?

@bluegirlgreen nothings wrong with it - it's just that Bella Italia is where you go for dinner after you've been shopping on a Wednesday and can't be arsed to cook. Pizza Hut/ Nando's level good, not date night.

Oh right, I see. I guess it's OK then, but the dress may be too fancy for it?

Bit dressy for Bella Italia, but don't go knocking the restaurant! I like it and would go for a dinner there in the evening.

Show us a pic of you in the dress when it arrives? What shoes are you styling it with?

Enjoy your night out!

Oh my god! All these people telling you to not wear it!

Do you like it? If yes, then go ahead and wear it wherever you want. Life is too short to worry about being overdressed (unless you're going to a funeral, my only rule). Why not order it and see how you feel wearing it? If it makes you feel like a million dollars the wear it even if you're going to the supermarket! Have fun

Oh and happy birthday!

Bella Italia is... Fine. It's just, you know, very very chain blah. It's "I've been shopping with the kids, I'm worn out and they're driving me nuts, let's just get some pizza here because I can't face cooking" not "special dinner out".

If I wanted a nice birthday date and cocktails I'd go for dinner elsewhere, preferably somewhere not a chain, is all. I'm totally down with the desire to wear a hot dress, but you would be overdressed AF in Bella Italia.

@bluegirlgreen it's crap. And don't have the spaghetti bolognese. Lukewarm cat food

Gorgeous dress op

Life's too short

You'll look da bomb 💣

Okay, stop obsessing about Bella Italia. OP is then going on for cocktails for the glamorous part of the evening. And it's her birthday. Why shouldn't she dress up?

It's a beautiful dress. Happy birthday OP!

I have no objection to the dress, but is there not anywhere else you can go rather than Bella Italia? It just seems such a waste of getting all dressed up.

Wear the dress. Cancel Bella Italia. Book a table at Lambs in Sheep Street.

I used to work in Zizzi (which I think is on a similar class level to Bella Italia) and I definitely wouldn't think you were over dressed.

It's a gorgeous dress, I'd be jealous!

It's lovely OP, but definitely not for Bella Italia. It's hardly a birthday treat is it?

Not to start an offtopic chain-Italian wrangle, but I'd rank Zizzi above BI in the classiness stakes

Many thanks for replies. Re bella Italia.. this eas a buy a gift 3 course meal with a bottle of wine voucher.. so kind of cant go elsewhere.

Some people are being dicks on here, maybe it's what OP & husband can afford? It's still a nice restaurant.

@cantwaitforlanza2019 Enjoy!

Gorgeous dress! I'm not in the UK so don't know about what's usually for Bella Italia, but if I I wannted to casual it up a bit I'd throw a denim jacket on over the top.

I love the combination of smart dress and denim jacket..might be alone there though

@crustycrab

@bluegirlgreen it's crap. And don't have the spaghetti bolognese. Lukewarm cat food.

Oh NO.

Hopefully it will be OK for the OP on her birthday meal.

I have never been to Bella Italia, but I have been to Nandos, and Pizza hut, (which a similar apparently,) and have never had problems with them.

I am sure you'll have a lovely meal, and a lovely time @cantwaitforlanza2019