How do I cover my shoulders for church wedding?

[RedheadInARush]

Guest at smart wedding next month.

Sold a kidney and invested in this beauty.
https://rixolondon.com/products/sandrine-blue-leaf-jacquard

What cover-up would best suit it for the (very conservative, I'm warned) church part?

Maximum budget £40. Size 12.

Good to know that a shawl is ok but a pashmina is not! I ignore all those rules anyway if it works for my outfit.

In Spain once I bought six yes six, very light silky satiny (hard to describe) shawls with an irridiscent glow. They are (if I say so myself) gorgeous and the various colours work great with all my "wedding guest" type outfits. Yes I love them as a cover up, feel less exposed, mad I know, and later on they fold up to nothing for my bag.

Somewhat missing the point, but wouldn't it be simpler just to choose a fabulous dress which has shoulders and sleeves included?

Yes ! Here's a cheaper organic cotton version.

Organic cotton wrap

Hey you..... the organic cotton version says wrap (which apparently is allowed), but the website says Pashmina which is banned on MN.

So once it is called anything but a pashmina it's fine. I do like the colours in your links of wrapminas though lol.

At an Orthodox wedding you should wear something that covers shoulders, tops of arms (long sleeve only if the families are really religious). Hats are only required for really religious weddings - but guests outside the faith are usually warned about that.

Darn, you've caught me out. I was trying to sneak it past the MN Guild of Pashmina Police and Blazer Enforcers.

OP The dress is gorgeous!

Longline blazers are certainly fashionable at the moment but I think style would dictate a pashmina/wrap or bolero, your local M&S or JL will probably have one in your budget. Hobbs & Yumi both have little knitted boleros just outside your budget but under 50. A blazer would completely spoil the line and look of this dress. I have a little cropped cream silky jacket that has been very handy over the years with various dresses, not just for conservative reasons, it keeps me warm.

This thread has been derailed somewhat unnecessarily since you have been quite clear what your requirements are.

Can you post photos of your bags? I think the gold will work best.

A blazer/jacket would ruin the dress. Maybe a good-quality shrug or shawl. But choose a simple 'quality' one, or it will make your dress look cheap.

No I'm not "seriously suggesting", or indeed suggesting at all, anything of the sort. This reminds me of the famous "so what you're saying is..." Cathy Newman interview. Ironic that you accuse others of lacking intellectual ability.

There is no requirement on the bride and groom to impose onerous dress codes, either by doing it themselves or through their choice of venue.

Yes - choice. The couple are choosing to do this. I'm not interested in people's family background. If my family background obliged me to hold my wedding somewhere that insisted on imposing values I didn't share, I still wouldn't do it. Whether it was something major like not allowing guests to bring a same-sex partner, or relatively minor like forcing guests to spend money they don't have on extra clothes to appease people who view women as Jezebel-like temptresses if they reveal an ankle or shoulder. Whereas you'd go along with it - that's fine, we all have different values.

Would you expect to have bare shoulders in a mosque?

I wouldn't get married in a mosque.

But the point is the OP has bought an expensive, fabulous dress. I'm sure she will want to show off her dress but for approximately one hour she needs to cover her shoulders

and she’ll get to show it off in all its sleeveless glory at the reception.

Given the OP has selected a Rixo dress I’m going to assume that she has more than a passing interest in fashion and perhaps deliberately sought out a brand with a particular style in mind. In that case what I wouldn’t do is ruin a fashion forward look with a pashmina.

but I get it…lots of love for the pashmina 🤷‍♀️

Totally off topic (kinda) but just saw the title…are you sure you need to cover your shoulders? I’ve been to many church weddings and am practising RC myself and have never had to cover shoulders in church…most people don’t if it’s a hot day. The only time I’ve been asked to cover up if on holiday to Greece years ago when we were touring a Greek Orthodox monastery!

Well, as it's a Greek Orthodox wedding, I think that the requirement is to cover shoulders,arms and the legs to the knee.
And, as I said, I had to be 'decently covered 'when I went to the Vatican.

Ooh get you - educating us on Rixo. I won't bother asking if you meant to be so patronising as clearly you did.

You can't seem to get the past the " but blazers are fashionable" stamps foot.

The OP has said she wants to spend no more than £40 on the cover up. Even if a blazer looked right with this dress (which I don't think it does) she's not going to get a decent blazer at that price.

Are you sure you need to?
Would not be out of place in the evangelical church I attend.

That would be rude and extremely disrespectful.

Please could people read the OPs posts, it's Greek Orthodox and she has been advised that shoulders need to be covered.

If it is just for the church bit, I'd go for something I could quickly put on and take off as soon as church is over and probably not worry too much about the overall look. For your budget something like this might work ?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B095WCF1Z8/ref=asc_df_B095SW68541689849000000/?creative=22374&creativeASIN=B095SW6854&linkCode=df0&tag=httpwwwshopst-21&ascsubtag=6475219908&th=1

It's a beautiful dress so covering it up feels like it is always going to be a compromise !

Will you need to cover the low cut chest aswell?
personally I like the coats and blazers but don’t think they go with the dress.
pashminas are traditionally cashmere and drape nicely, I think that may be your best option for chest and arm coverage and they’re popular worn in orthodox churches for that function
i really like the styling on the website with a blouse underneath- is that an option?

Or as someone has said exchange it for the sleeved version? I think it looks good with sleeves. https://rixolondon.com/products/zadie-blue-leaf

Sleeved version is lovely.

I've noticed that it's viscose, lined with polyester! I thought it was silk.

Oh, gosh, really? It’s a lot of money, then.

My thoughts, too. Disappointed.