Help me decide which gown to wear for each event of my 5-day wedding!

[miamorr]

I'm getting married next month, and we're having a 5-day wedding celebration. I've finalized my wedding gown for the ceremony, but I'm completely stuck on how to assign my other gowns to the different events.

The schedule is
Day 1: Guest arrivals and welcome
Day 2: Adults-only party with our friends
Day 3: Pre-wedding dinner, where I'll also be doing a special dance with my 16-year-old son
Day 4: Wedding ceremony (I'll be wearing my wedding gown)
Day 5: Farewell brunch

The three gowns in the attached photo are the ones I'm choosing between.

A bit of context
The left navy gown is brand new and was custom-made specifically for the wedding celebrations.
The middle emerald green gown feels the most glamorous and has a dramatic look.
The right black gown is classic, elegant, and a little more understated.

I'm torn about which one belongs to which event. Part of me feels like I should wear the custom-made navy gown for the pre-wedding dinner since it's a meaningful evening and I'll be sharing a dance with my son. On the other hand, the green gown also feels like it deserves one of the bigger events.

If these were your gowns, how would you assign them to Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3? I'd love to hear your reasoning too, especially if you've attended or planned a multi-day wedding.

For the context I'm 44 and yeah I'm the one in all the three pics

Thanks so much! ❤️

I'm not keen on the navy one, the bodice doesn't sit right, somehow. The black one is nice, but it's not really very summery? Perhaps the green one for your dinner dance thing.

Why do some posters on MN accuse others of being 'jealous' when they express an opinion that something isn't to their taste ?

Do they not understand the meaning of 'jealous' ?

@miamorr - Why won't you give us some context about the wedding you are having?
Yes MN is an international site, but it is VERY UK centric, so the majority of posters are going to struggle to offer any useful answer to your initial question without you giving us some context for the 5 day wedding, that seems to include at least 4 formal outfits, which, to the majority of us, is quite an alien concept.

I presume the OP (and possibly her defender on here) are American. They tend to go for evening dresses and various wedding events. Shame there is no context.

But OP, you look amazing in all of them! I like the black the best. I would wear the least glam one around your son. My son would have refused a dance like that!

they all look the same, could you not just pick your favourite or mix it up a bit colorise/stylewise? It might be a bit more exciting and you might feel like you have transformed between events?

Really? Cos lots of us have answered ops question with the context she's given, and there's a significant consensus of opinion, suggesting we've all understood the same question.

Different eras that are only a few years apart from each other?! I’m struggling to see how it’s the same person in all 3 photos.

plus how did you get that perfect picture of each dress side by side in one of the posts? Looks very AI to me

Can you explain in details what you mean?

My Fiancee is Half American half British, and I'm spainsh miself. Also a long time user of mumset.

My son is very shy one.....first he refused to dance with me but later accepted by himself

They're all so similar I don't think it matters other than that not the green strapless one for dancing with your son. For that night whichever of the other 2 is showing the least cleavage.

If you can afford to invest in a new dress, I would. They all look so similar and not very bride like, more like something you would wear to try to blend in at a formal dinner, rather than a formal celebration where you are the star of the show. Will everyone else be wearing formal gowns too? If so, surely you want to stand out a little and have something a bit more celebratory?

If he's really shy and reluctant, maybe don't do it? Perhaps just include him generally in the celebration and the dancing.

If I was planning a five day event - and I wouldn’t be averse to the idea at all - I’d choose five completely different dresses/looks.

I don’t think it matters what you wear first which because they’re so interchangeable.

I'm not op obv but I thimk the point is you've got three long dark dresses for your wedding, could yo swap one out for a different colour or shape?

The welcome drinks - will everyone be in formal wear? If not could you go for a shorter dress in a different colour - red, purple, yellow etc. When you look back on photos that will really differentiate the events.

I think you should do an AMA, I'm fascinated by the idea 😂

These were my other dress options. I saved the purple cape dress for the last day after the wedding since it was the easiest option for me. The mermaid dress felt a bit too over the top, and the white strapless gown looked too similar to my wedding dress, so I ruled those out. I kept the red evening dress as a backup in case I need it for one of the three evening events.

And yes, these are all my actual dresses! I just used AI to make them look exactly like the real ones because yesterday actual photos are completely messed up the dress colors.

I love top right. That feels like it would work great for brunch on the last day as its more day time.

Then I'd swap out red for welcome drinks OR purple for adults party

I really like that top right one - it looks like a skirt and top. All of the others seem a bit wintry. Where are you getting married?

These new pictures look much more fun and memorable.

The previous three: none of them WOWED me except for nice green one, if it’s more green in real life.

I also think you run the risk of wearing something similar to a guest if this is the type of dress code?

Oh wow I much prefer your second set of pictures! Those look much more celebratory and fun!

I absolutely love the top right dress you have to wear it!

I love the mermaid one so much!

I’m in my 50s and had a realisation recently that I will never wear a dress like this. I never have had to, and now probably never will as I just don’t have the occasions. So I’m very envious but in a nice way! And you have the height and shape for them all 😍

Mallorca

Is it your preference to go for darker colours?

I’d go for super different dresses.

A 5 day wedding as a bride would be my worst nightmare. But I’d absolutely LOVE to attend one. My goal in life is to attend a proper Indian wedding. I hope you have a blast.

Yeah, I intentionally chose something darker and classier without going over the top. There will be a dress code for the guests, so none of them will match the guests' outfits anyway, even with these dresses.
It's also my second wedding, and I'll have my son with me for all but one event, so I didn't want to look too over the top. I do agree the top-right dress looks good, and I'm actually thinking of replacing one of my other dresses with that one. I'm definitely keeping the purple dress for the last day because I know I'll have no energy left to wear heavy fabrics, so it's the most comfortable and lightweight option. Haha