Wedding guest . . . dress opinions and do I really need something on my head?

[KatiMaus]

Hi guys, I'm going to an autumn wedding this year and wondered what the general etiquette is around wearing hats / fascinators etc.

I'd rather not, to be honest - I don't have a face for hats. The venue is a typical country house-style thing, but I have no relationship with anyone going (apart from MIL and FIL, whom I don't trust to guide me on this sort of thing), so I don't know what the expectation will be.

Also, what do you think of this dress? Does it look too much like something you'd wear to the office? I'll dress it up with some nice shoes, but I'm not generally drawn to feminine clothes (more a t-shirt and jeans type!).

https://www.reiss.com/style/su660288/f67627#f67627

Dress is lovely. I wouldn’t bother with a hat or fascinator. It doesn’t need it.

I don’t think many people wear headgear any more.
I love Reiss dresses but not sure about that one, it could look lovely but the shape is a little strange. Try it on and see,you may look stunning, get the assistant to take your photo, it will show you how you look to others.
I like this one, but you might hate it
https://www.reiss.com/style/su766457/h57221#h57221

Like the dress, no need for headwear.

I never wear a hat or fascinator, I don't think they're needed at all. Dress is lovely, jut do your hair and make up nicely and wear nice shoes, I think that dress needs heels - that's plenty as a wedding guest. Don't forget card and present too. If you really want to, a hair clip or band with slight accessories is something I've worn before, but you really don't need to - it's more important to feel confident and comfortable in yourself

Amazing dress, will look fabulous with tan heels and clutch/bag. Please don't ruin with a fascinator, theyre so outdated and leave that nonsense to the MotB etc. Please don't. Please don't! You're not that person

Lovely dress - and you'll wear it again- fascinators are dated and a hat is OTT . i'm MOb later this year am not wearing a hat - may opt for a head piece tho

I love the dress.

Only MoB has worn a hat at most of the weddings I've been to in the last 20 years. Some have explicitly stated No Hats. Sadly, because I love hats and would love an excuse to wear one!

Love the dress, definitely no hat/fascinator/tiara needed

I'd get a really good blowdry instead of any headwear. Get a nice clutch bag off Vinted.

Another one saying that every wedding I’ve been to since Covid, the only hats have been on the bridal party and occasionally grandmother of the bride. Tbh they look dated on them too. But yes to really good hair grooming.

(I’m on some MOG/MOB Facebook groups and have to admit I’ve stayed on them because the outfits and ‘hatinators’ are so out there, so clearly headgear is still a thing in some circles, but if you’re not shopping for a specialist MOB outfit at £700 a pop it shouldn’t be an issue.)

Are we looking at the same dress? Baggy, dowdy and depressing?

I’m sure you can come up with something nicer and more flattering than that OP.

I like the style of the dress but not the colours, it's so drab. I don't really think a fascinating or hat would go with this, I agree with PP it's very corporate. I like it, but would wear it to the office with some black heels

What about:

LK Bennett 1

LK Bennett 2

I think that the whole reason hats used to be worn by pretty much all the woman at Weddings in my day (1970s) is that most of us used to get married in a church, and it used to be considered respectful for adult women to wear a hat in church, but for the men - and boys - to take off any headware before entering the church.

I can't remember the last time I went to church apart from for my parents, and my MiL's funeral. I wore a hat, but a very plain, black, small, one as it was a funeral. Only one other person at my MiL's funeral wore a hat, even though quite a few of them were my MiL's sort of age.

@KatiMaus, I like that dress a lot, and if your profession is something like being a solicitor, or a head teacher, etc then I think it would be great as a work dress. However, even though it has autumnal colours, I don't think it is at all suitable for a wedding. But then, if you have read my other paragraphs above, you will probably think I have very old fashioned views, so not the type of person you would take advice from anyway 😜

I hope you have a great day whatever you wear OP, and that the whole day goes fabulously well for the Bride and Groom!

Ah, I know I am not the OP @JillMW so luckily my opinion doesn't matter, but if I ever saw anyone wearing the dress you suggest here, at first glance I would think that the unfortunate wearer had stepped into a deep puddle. Then when I turned my head to look at it again properly, I would wonder why they were wearing an apparently dry dress that looked as if they had stepped in a deep puddle!

I'm sorry to share my thought with you Jill, but just in case you were thinking of buying it, I thought you might appreciate knowing what at least one person (and maybe it is only me) who saw you in it, would think - sorry again 🙈 💐

Like the dress. Think my GCSE class would have been surprised if I rocked up in.that😂 at my friend's wedding recently I wore a fascinator- was the only one. I felt great didn't care. Was quite a fancy wedding.

I’m not keen at all - the material looks too thin for an Autumn wedding, hem looks cheap, bare legs don’t look great in Autumn. I work in the industry and more people wear fascinators than don’t, nobody wears hats any more, MOB and MOG generally wear hatinators.

Any wedding I’ve been to in recent years, the trend has definitely been for women to be bare headed.

Fascinators are hideous and always have been.

That dress is absolutely perfect for an autumn wedding! It's gorgeous and not at all corporate.

You have got great taste so I'm guessing you don't need advice how to style it but I'd go for an oversized plain colour clutch and matching shoes. You don't need a hat but if you wanted you could do a big clip in your hair, at the back.

Not keen myself on the dress, not very wedding attire - if others have all opted for more traditional dresses you’ll stand out (fine if you don’t mind but I hate standing out from the crowd). Also without putting too finer point on it, are you similarly proportioned to the model because in a larger lady the dress would look ridiculous I fear.

Sometimes the wedding invitation will say...something like Hats encouraged...
Other than that, I wouldn't bother unless you enjoy wearing them.

At first glance the dress is quite striking and the model posed at that angle shows it off well. On closer inspection it looks a bit flimsy for an autumn wedding, plus the button detail on the cuff makes it look a bit officey.

It also has a somewhat dressing gown look about it.

10/10 nice dress

It’s a lovely dress but the proportions are a bit off. It looks very long in the waist and would sit very differently if you have curves. Definitely one to try before you buy.

The dress is gorgeous and has for a hat ect their really not necessary so if you don't want too wear one I would forgo the expense of buying something your not keen on and may never wear again.