Though summer wedding ceremonies might be the norm, there's something decidedly charming about a winter wedding. It does, of course, mean finding a winter-appropriate wedding guest dress for the occasion because the square-necked linen styles or ditsy-printed florals you might have worn during the warmer months, or even autumn, won't cut the mustard in a cold-weather setting when a warm wedding guest outfit is necessary.
Depending on your budget, there are plenty of options across the high-street, mid-range brands and beyond, plus plenty of petite and plus-size options. Reformation's collection of occasion-ready dresses spans everything from silk floor-length gowns to elegant minis. Nobody's Child, meanwhile, has an occasion dress section that has any number of balloon-sleeved, satin or bow-embellished dresses that would be guaranteed to turn heads for all the right reasons at your next winter wedding. 'An occasion dress is an investment piece,’ explains Jody Plows, CEO of Nobody’s Child. 'Look for classic shapes that can be dressed up or down and are unlikely to date’.
While summer wedding guest dresses are all about pastels and colour, the colder months present an opportunity to lean into darker hues. For winter wedding guest dresses, think navy, emerald, maroon and even black wedding guest dresses, perfect for any upcoming winter celebration that you're planning on attending. Many people avoid wearing black to weddings but as someone who wears black often, a black wedding guest dress can look super chic and you're guaranteed to wear it again and again! Add a wedding hair accessory if you want to ensure your outfit is as occasion appropriate as possible.
Next up look for styles with a little more coverage, long sleeves and long hems will help keep you warm in the winter months. If you’re into shorter hemlines, then balance it out with long sleeves and don’t be afraid to layer. Stealth thermals e.g. a thermal base-layer under your long-sleeved dress or even a pair of leggings under a maxi dress are both easy ways to feel snug but look stylish.
Grazia's Best Winter Wedding Guest Dresses 2024, Our Shortlist:
Best Overall Dress: Nobody's Child Emerald Green Balloon-Sleeve Zora Midi Dress
Best Affordable Dress: Zara Print Dress
Best Investment Dress: Me+Em Silk-Blend Velvet Maxi Dress
Best Short Dress: & Other Stories Ruffled Mini Dress
Best Maxi Dress: LK Bennett Lucie Black & Ivory Polka Dot Ruffle Maxi Dress
Shop: The Best Winter Wedding Guest Dresses Of 2024
Best Short-Sleeved Velvet
www.omnes.com
Omnes is second to none when it comes to affordable dresses with sustainable credentials, like this sleeveless velvet number.
Best Ruched Jersey
ninetypercent.com
A jersey dress that you take from an 8 to a 10 with a studded pair of ballet pumps, say, or a statement clutch.
Best Subtle Metallic
www.ghost.co.uk
Ghost has a wealth of wedding guest dresses that are winter-appropriate, including this shirred number.
Best Two-In-One
www.albaray.co.uk
I love the contrast between this dress's velvet top half and taffeta bottom half.
Best Sequinned Mini
www.hobbs.com
Hobbs's dress will tempt the most sequin-adverse of wedding guests.
Best Column Dress
www.monsoon.co.uk
There's nothing garden-variety about this column dress from Monsoon.
Best Boho
www.stories.com
This boho-chic gown is bang on trend this winter.
Best Bronze
www.jigsaw-online.com
Jigsaw's bronze draped dress is the best way to do metallics.
Best XL Sleeves
www.nobodyschild.com
Nobody's Child has a brilliant range of occasionwear dresses like this balloon-sleeved number in emerald.
Best Red
www.cos.com
Fire red is always a fun colour to wear during the colder months.
Best LBD
www.massimodutti.com
A black wedding guest dress is fair game in 2024. Massimo Dutti's elegant satin take gets our vote.
12.
Zara Print Dress
Best Winter Florals
www.zara.com
Zara's moody take on florals is perfect for a cold-weather wedding (and hello sleeves!).
Best Print
rixolondon.com
A Rixo print is a one-way-ticket to standing out for all the right reasons at a winter wedding.
Best Pattern
www.thereformation.com
This halter-neck silk dress makes a very convincing case for polka dots (and would definitely help you ace a black tie dress code).
www.stories.com
A fluid slip dress can absolutely be wedding-appropriate if dressed up with a shoulder-grazing pair of earrings.
Best Velvet
www.meandem.com
Me+Em's maxi dress is one of the best velvet options on the market.
Best Tank Dress
www.libertylondon.com
Stine Goya's poppy-print midi dress could easily be dressed up with platform sandals and red lipstick.
www.galvanlondon.com
No one does elegant column gowns quite like Galvan.
Best For Black Tie
www.ganni.com
Ganni's velvet dress can double as your party season plus one.
Best Winter-Appropriate Sheer
www.marksandspencer.com
M&S comes up trumps with this demure take on sheer.
Best Ruffles
www.lkbennett.com
Polka dots always do the rounds during race season but don't discount them for weddings. LK Bennett's ruffled take gets our vote.
Best Bodycon
www.karenmillen.com
For a city wedding during the winter months, Karen Millen's corsage-trimmed cocktail dress is The One.
www.reiss.com
Jewel tones work a treat in the winter months - and this emerald is everything.
Best Embellished
For a cool take on crystals, look to this slip dress from J.Crew.
Best Green
www.whistles.com
The peekaboo sleeves give this dress a tantalising hint.
Best Waterfall Hem
www.phase-eight.com
Instead of ditsy florals, opt instead for a blown-up print like this black-and-red number by Phase Eight.
Best Red Mini
kitristudio.com
For a festive-adjacent wedding, you couldn't do better than this berry-coloured mini.
Best Coquette
sisterjane.com
Sister Jane is the queen of coquette-style dresses - and this bow-trimmed, ice blue number is the dream.
Best Metallic
www.net-a-porter.com
This structural plissé gown will guarantee you make an entrance.
Best Razzle Dazzle
www.net-a-porter.com
Gold sequins make this silk-trimmed midi a moment.
Best Florals But Not Florals
www.mytheresa.com
Jersey becomes wedding-appropriate in the hands of Magda Butrym.
Best Colour Combo
www.harveynichols.com
Nanushka's fine-knit maxi dress with its psychedelic colour palette will blow any floral out of the water.
Best Twist On A Classic
www.boden.co.uk
Put a twist on tartan with this high-necked dress from Boden.
Julia Harvey is the Shopping Editor for Grazia UK for the past two and a half years, overseeing and editing all things shopping for the title from trend pages, gift guides and the best things to buy now in both print and online.