I scored with one of the dresses I ordered — this dress in black is stunning! Here’s my question. I know that it’s considered appropriate to wear black to weddings these days, but I’m not sure I can bring myself to wear a black satin cocktail dress to a summer afternoon wedding, although the reception is “black tie optional.”
I could order the papaya color shown on the website, but that one costs 3X as much as the black one (go figure!) And also, it would be nice to have a LBD that I love. The papaya color is pretty, but it won’t be as versatile in the future.
Advice?
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{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
That papaya color is simply stunning!!!! LBD’s are awesome but, I don’t know that I could wear one to a wedding. OF course, I’m not exactly a fashionista either
My southern roots prevent me from doing that hee hee or wearing white pants… LOL. Which I LOVE on other people.
Jenny over at momminitup or Pauline at Classy Chaos are two super fashionable chickies… ask them!
Good luck honey! Sorry that I am no help at all.
Get the LBD. It’s always appropriate. Seriously. You’ll look great!
I say “black-tie optional” means that wearing a black dress is permitted. go for it!
Hmm… I am all about black (it’s what I look hottest in…) but black satin for an afternoon summer wedding does seem a little dissonant. However, it’s also seems a little dissonant to have an afternoon wedding that is black tie (seems like an evening thing to me).
So, I might suggest get the black dress and then punch it up with fun accessories — awesome colorful clutch or awesome unexpected shoes.
I say don’t spend $150 on a dress you can’t wear multiple times. Plus, if you love the black one, go for it! Maybe your accessories could lighten up your look?
And, finally – yowsa! I love this dress!!
Definitely wear the black. You will get more use out of because you love it. Add some colorful accessories and have a great time.
I agree ~ Black tie optional gives you the permission to wear the black . . . Yet, seems so dark for an afternoon wedding. why oh why,didn’t they have a 5 pm wedding, would’ve been so much easier for you . . .
And great idea from Boston Mamas to wear the black and add some great unexpected shoes and accessories!
Personally, I’d get both cuz you never know when you might need one or the other.
Black is totally ok to wear to a wedding, even a summer one. My sister in law at her summer wedding (done Jersey style!) all of the bridemaids wore black. I think we even had people in black cocktail dresses at my summer wedding. I wish I had the body for the cute dress you picked out.
First of all, black-tie optional for a summer afternoon wedding????? My experience (and I have gone to multiple black-tie weddings, black-tie optional weddings, a black-tie preferred wedding and even a black-tie encouraged wedding) is that almost no one will be wearing black-tie, save the wedding party and parents of the bride and groom. Knowing that the wedding is in the afternoon, I think that the dress in either color might be too formal.
However, you can definitely wear black to a wedding. The old taboos on that are just that – old. You just can’t wear white to a wedding. I wear black to most weddings (mostly because I seem to have alot of black dresses for one reason or another). You will get more wear out of the dress in black although the papaya color is gorgeous.
What size shoe do you wear? I have a fabulous pair of green satin shoes that would look fabulous with the black dress!
I agree–wear the black. And pump it up with some colorful accessories and shoes. You’ll look great.
I always wear black to weddings- I only own black dresses- but I’ll make it a little more playful for afternoon with a cloche hat or bright shoes.
I think you can wear the black one with some colorful accessories. That or, I think it would look great with some shoes that had color in them!
The taboo of wearing black to a wedding is definitely gone, especially if the celebration is black tie optional. I saw at least 5 women wearing all black at the last Jewish formal wedding I attended a year ago.
That said, I still couldn’t bring myself to wear black. Plus in the summer if the event is outside you’re going to be sweating buckets in a black dress. Better have some great LBD approved antiperspirant.
Yet the cost difference… flip a coin.
Or I can direct you to the wonderful store Megan FriedOkra recommended for the last wedding dress I shopped for. Right now Ann Taylor has the Moriah dress on clearance for ~$40. They have the navy blue in size 8 and espresso in size 10.
http://www.anntaylor.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=22087&N=0&Ntk=KeywordSearch&Ntt=moriah+dress&Nty=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&found=1&defaultSizeTypeFromCategory=Misses
Any chance either of those might work for you?
T – that’s pretty but I doubt it would work for me.
Beautiful dress! Where’s your handbag?
Ginger
Love the dress, but I would go with papaya for an afternoon wedding. Just couldn’t bring myself to do black satin in the afternoon. Can’t believe the cost difference is so big, though. Was there a close 2nd in all of the dresses you tried?
Ginger, that’s the next hurdle.
Nikki, yeah, I think it’s the satin that makes it seem SO formal. The papaya really IS gorgeous.
I would seriously get BOTH.
I was gonna say go for the papaya…but the consensus seems to be black;)
I say go for black. I am practical and it would seem like you would get a lot more use out of the black than the papaya colored one.
Get the black! You would look great in it and you can always add color accessories for a little pop!
That dress is gorgeous – I would think it is totally wedding appropriate.
Although, this comes from a girl wearing a (really nice and fancy looking) cotton dress to a wedding tomorrow, so god knows if my radar is waay off.
Oh, a BIG congratulations on finding a dress you think is “stunning!” I’m THRILLED for you!
Love the dress. I say go in black. I love the papaya, but you probably won’t get more than one use out of it. At nearly every wedding I am at lately, it seems everyone is in LBD. Post pics. I bet you will look hot in a totally hetersexual way
This has already been said a few times but I can’t help and say it too: Dress it up with awesome accessories! LBD’s are awesome and accessories can usually make them appropriate for the event.
Silver or white accessories might be just right.
The papaya is pretty but I’ll bet it would be dated soon.
You can always add some colorful accessories to the LBD. Additionally, if the wedding/reception is going to be inside, you can wear a colorful shawl.
I don’t see a problem with wearing a LBD to an afternoon wedding that has a black tie optional reception following. Plus it is cheaper and more versatile than the papaya colored one.
Black is all good. No worries. Wear a fun splash of color (heels, necklace, scarf) etc. You will look stunning!
I’ve gone to quite a few weddings the past couple of years and I was surprised at all the women who wore black. I always thought it was bad luck (not that I believe in luck) but I guess unless the bride specifically says NOT to then it’s okay. So I say go for it and have a great time and take lots of pictures!
HUGS
Kim
Well, you know I’m cheap — so I’d probably buy the black.
But, seriously, I do think it would work for the wedding. My first thought was to pair it with a colorful, lightweight (maybe a floral design) type of shawl and some colorful shoes. That might help with the transition from afternoon to evening. This is kind of along the lines of what I was thinking — but it would be better to find something a little more sheer maybe:
http://www.coldwatercreek.com/Products/Product.aspx?productid=47518&ensembleid=53631&Skn=outlet
Here is New York, it is sometimes customary to wear a different (more church appropriate) dress to the Wedding Ceremony and then change for the Wedding Reception later. Perhaps you have a summery-type dress you could wear to the ceremony? Then, of course, I say go for the beautiful black dress which is always appropriate at a wedding of any kind! My mother always said that you could NEVER be overdressed for a wedding, but you definitely COULD BE underdressed.
I think you would look fabulous and perfectl appropriate in the black. I love it.
super sassy dress! black is the new black. get it.
I was just at an outdoor wedding recently at a vineyard that started at 5:30, so not afternoon, but I was surprised by the number of people wearing black. Granted, the wedding colors were black and white. I don’t think I could wear black to a wedding myself, but apparently it’s all the rage. I myself had on a navy and white flowered number with some cute, yet comfy (Naturalizer) siver heels.
First things first, that dress is GORGEOUS.
Secondly, I say: Wear the dress in black.
Black is always appropriate and classy and perfect. For any occasion. Any time of day.