What to Wear to a Winter Wedding

Winter weddings may not be the norm, but believe us – there is no better time to hunt for a perfect party dress. The cooler months are that magical time of year when designers offer up their prettiest pieces in time for holiday festivities.

Images via JL Designs and Roger Overall Photography

What to Wear: The main difference between winter wedding and general cocktail attire? For weddings, it’s best to keep it on the conservative side. That means no plunging necklines and sticking to hemlines that aren’t too far north of the knee.

Luckily, the season offers some of the softest, most luxurious fabrics of the year – satins, silk, sequins, velvet and lace are all entirely apropos for the occasion.

Top row: Halston Heritage Cocktail Dress, Vanessa Bruno Silk Dress, Tory Burch Monika Dress; Bottom row: Milly Shift Dress, Tory Burch Jamia Dress, Alexander Wang Satin Jersey Dress

Beating the Chill: Staying warm can be tricky, but faux fur and shawls are a chic way to keep cozy without covering up your dress. And if the wedding’s outside, you may want to layer on tights and opt for dressed-up ankle boots instead of sandals so your toes stay toasty.

Top row: J. Crew Sparkle Tights, Diane Von Furstenburg Ankle Boots, Aqua cashmere cropped cardigan; Bottom row: Wolford Python Tights, Stuart Weitzman Ankle Boots, Alice & Olivia Crochet Shrug

Where to Shop: We may be biased, but we suggest searching for winter wedding attire using Shop It To Me Search. There you can see all the dresses currently on sale in your size. If you do want to go to stores directly, J. Crew, Saks, Nordstrom, Tory Burch, Bloomingdales and The Outnet are all great choices.

Remember to have fun and put your dancing shoes on! And please – for the love of the bride – do not wear white if that’s what she’ll be wearing. That qualifies as “bad crazy” behavior. (The good kind is wilding out with the rest of the guests when “Come On Eileen” comes on.)