That question has come up a number of times in recent months. Wedding attire has changed a bit over the years. A long time ago we would have never thought of wearing black to wedding. We always wore a dress/skirt and weddings were usually in a church. Times have changed. You can wear black, a dressy pair of pants can be a great look and some weddings are extremely casual with a park setting!

I still prefer a dress at weddings and below are a couple of different looks I put together. If you are invited to a wedding this summer, keep in mind that it doesn’t have to mean a new dress. It could be simply taking a dress you own and adding completely different accessories! This is much easier than looking for a new dress. Shoes are one of the most important aspects. While you may not be able to wear the high heels shown below, the wrong shoes can ruin the look very quickly. Have questions? Send me a photo and I’ll be glad to help.

Remember, if you absolutely need to wear hose, choose the sheerest possible and wear a closed toe shoe.

The first layout is quite formal. Note: the scarf is actually meant to be a wrap and it adds a touch of pattern without going overboard. It’s probably too narrow for a wrap-but you get the idea!  Last summer I created a formal layout which would work for a wedding as well.

The second layout is a touch more casual and gives an option of a longer dress especially for women who don’t want to show their legs. The small photos of each item below the layouts are links to see each item closely. Keep in mind that I choose things to give you an IDEA of what to put together and duplicate it on your own. Sometimes it’s difficult to find all things in a reasonable price range; I enjoy pretending to be a magazine editor. I hope you find it helpful.

COMING TOMORROW: Guest post by a Stylist/ Mother of the Bride!

What to Wear to a Wedding by stylebykaren featuring a v neck dress

Thanks everyone for your comments on the new design! This article is about another casual look. I also wanted to take time to explain a couple of new features on the blog. I’m “unveiling” this slowly to point out what’s new. If you are reading this in your e-mail inbox or reader, CLICK ON THE TITLE to take you to the home page for a  better visual. Here is a little tip: the main text of the article is brown, all links are teal.

1. The way you comment has NOT changed. If you have are reading in e-mail or your reader, you just click on the article title which is a link. This takes you to the home page where underneath the title you’ll see comments. When you click there it brings up the comment box. I know you may not always feel comfortable making a comment but it really others benefit as well. Certainly it’s not all about ME, but people do judge a site when they scroll through by how many comments are on the posts. Your comments are really helpful to help me build my readership! Blogging can be lonely. When you make a comment it lets me know you’re out there reading and it motivates me to keep writing!

2. Next, look at the side bar on the home page. The way you read a blog article is very dependent on personal preference. Some of you will like it to come to your e-mail inbox. In that case, type in your info in the box under Get free e-mail updates.

3. Under CONNECT you’ll find three different buttons: E-mail (perhaps you’d like to write me a personal note) Facebook (I recommend becoming a Style by Karen fan as I post different info/photos there) RSS (click to see what it would be like to get an RSS feed of my blog articles and others you read–many like this format rather than more e-mail messages)

It’s all about personal preference and what works for you! I’m just happy you’re reading. If you read a post on the phone, now it should be more user friendly. AND if you make a comment, my response will now show in the comment section AND a personal e-mail to you. I love this!

On to the layout! I hear all the time that women are not sure what to wear to that casual meeting at school or church. They worry about being ”too dressed up”, yet they don’t want to wear a sweatshirt. This is an idea.

I would not wear ALL those accessories together–it’s shown to give you choice.

When I do these layouts, keep in mind that for the MOST part I choose affordable items but sometimes I throw in a high end piece just like the magazines do.

A little bit Casual by stylebykaren featuring dangle earrings