Buried my head in the sand and I don’t even own heels! Help!

[Member346563]

My Step daughter is getting married in 2 months time and I’m at a loss of what to wear. I’m 60, been retired for 6 years 5’3’’ size 16 and spend my life in joggers and trainers. I’m pear shaped with a belly.

i can’t remember when I last wore a skirt let alone a dress ( at least 10 years ago) and I feel hugely Unconfident. I don’t even own a pair of heels.

whilst money isn’t an object I know I’ll probably never wear the outfit again so dont want to spend loads. I just don’t even know where to start.

its not going to be a huge fancy wedding ( thank god) but a small reception and an evening do in a barn by a river.

should I go into a shop and try some dresses on. Anyone any suggestions where I should look. I’ve been perusing the NEXT website and there’s some very nice dresses on there but not even sure if there would suit me.

Dead easy to wear and again, you'd get loads of wear out of it.

OP you are step mum to the bride. This is a big part of the wedding. No one minds the bride spending money on a dress she’s never going to wear again, and the bridesmaids dresses are unlikely to be worn again, so perhaps think of your outfit in terms of being part of the wedding party so won’t be worn again but still needs to be lovely. It might help you mentally with spending money on something you are unlikely to have another occasion for.

And if you have a John Lewis nearby, you should be able to book in with their stylist this week and get someone to give you ideas.

Agreed. It's beautiful for a wedding, but could equally be worn casually on a warm summer day. I'm also a big fan of Kemi Telford. Another option if op feels more comfortable in trousers, could be the wide leg cotton trousers KT does. I have a couple of pairs, and adore them. A silky blouse tucked in for the wedding and pointy flat shoes. And a plain t shirt and trainers or sandals on normal, casual days. Perfect!

I agree please go and try JL stylist, they broke me out of my fixed ideas save showed me stuff that really worked. You don't have to buy anything, or you can buy a few things and try them in again at home and return what you don't want.

I think shirt dresses with tie belts that hang down are quite flattering for bigger tummies.. Boden do loads or something like this - I would team it with flat colourful or white trainers, so you can move and dance in the barn.

You might like this at John Lewis:
https://www.johnlewis.com/hobbs-petite-libby-paisley-floral-shirt-dress-blue/p115148334?s_share=jlappdroid

Sorry wrong thread!

Not quite a wedding but I've got a couple of first communions to go to. I've went with green dressy floaty trousers (that are more fancy than normal and have an elasticated waist), a dressy but plain cream top and a cream blazer. Got some pointed flats which look great with the trousers, and have some simple gold jewelery and gold bag. It all looks very well put together and dressy but is also very comfortable which helps as I have endometriosis so don't like anything tight pressing into me.

I work as a wedding and events manager and if someone of your age (no offence meant) wore an outfit like this to a wedding, I wouldn't think they were underdressed.

Also to add, this outfit is a mix of vinted, primark and shein so no need to spend a fortune.

Hope you get something you feel great and comfortable in 😊

If you're not comfortable wearing dresses trousers would surely be better. You want to feel comfortable and confident. If you went for a personal shopping session in John Lewis you have the advantage that they sell lots of different brands and styles. I've only found different styles that suit me by trying on lots of different styles and often surprised by things I wouldn't of thought would suit me.

Plus heels, hell no. I wouldn't wear heels, especially to a less formal wedding. Nothing wrong with flat shoes or a kitten he'll.

I hope you find a lovely outfit you feel wonderful in and have a fabulous day.

I'm inordinately pleased by seeing several of the Kemi models wearing ankle socks with their dresses!

Agree the trousers are a good idea too.

Trousers + jacket option? (You would maybe need to get trousers taken up)
Looks good on the model in flats

You might like this at John Lewis:
www.johnlewis.com/florere-high-waist-tailored-wide-leg-trousers-light-blue/p114422407?s_share=jlappdroid

No great advice on the dress, it definitely have a look at trousers.

Shoes wise, I highly recommend Air & Grace. I first saw them on these pages. Very comfy, flat ( although they do heels too) and dressy. Something like these may work ( with pretty much anything)

airandgracelondon.com/collections/pointed-flats/products/anais-gold-leather-pointed-t-bar-flats

My son is getting married in a few weeks . I looked on vinted theres some lovely thing on there and in larger sizes but i was worried about not being able to return . So I ordered 3 dresses off debenhams online, asked DH which one was best ,and returned the other 2 . There's shoes on vinted that have hardly been worn . Some really nice flat sandals will be great for a barn wedding Im sure . Good luck !

Definitely you need to go to a shop, better still more than one. Look round with an open mind and try on different styles. Ideally take someone with you, stepdaughter maybe, who can get each outfit off the hanger and ready and who can be another opinion.

Some of the Kemi Telford dresses are stunning and I like the Whistles and Hobbs one too. There’s a brand I think danish but does glam comfy shoes.

Exactly this!

That's lovely. Flat shoes work well with it but ideally in a colour other than black I think!

You could skip the dress and buy some lovely trousers that u know your gunna re wear and a barn do will require flats I reckon ! If u feel u need to wear a dress buy something very simple that is easy to wear and dress it up with accessories and u can still wear flat shoes ! That way I feel good in something u wud normally wear and your not wasting money !
Always in my opinion is dress for your own comfort that way you will really enjoy yourself ! X