Shopping Help: Summer Special Occasions

Confession: I’ve been to 30+ weddings and I *still* feel like I don’t have as good of a handle as I’d like regarding what to wear to weddings.  You’d think I’d get better and better at it, but I think the more weddings I go to the more confused I get.  And the reason, I’ve come to believe, is because wedding attire ranges wildly!  It depends a lot on the venue, the weather / season / climate, and the overall vibe of the bride and groom and attending community.

I don’t know if you have any summer weddings left, but even if you don’t, I think this post still applies to any type of special occasion: weddings, engagement parties, bridal showers, special birthday nights out, and etc.

I put together some examples of various dresses for different levels of “dressiness.”  Hopefully this helps give you some ideas for what to wear to any remaining special occasions you’ve got going on this summer!

They are categorized in levels of dressiness by rows.  All are under $50…or at least they were when I wrote this post thanks to sales.  Sorry if they’re not still on sale by the time you read this!

Row 1:  Option 1  |  Option 2  |  Option 3
These work for a casual day but could also be dressed up for a semi-casual wedding, like a garden or beach wedding.  They definitely work for bridal and baby showers and stuff like that too.  You just need the right accessories!  (Check out this post for more on that.)

Row 2:  Option 4  |  Option 5  |  Option 6
Not only are all of these solids in great colors for summer, but they also work for a semi-casual event as well as a little dressier.  I could see these dressed down slightly with wedges or made fancier with pumps or strappy heels and a shiny statement necklace.

These are my favorite kinds of dresses to wear to weddings because they land you right between too casual and too dressed up.  Being able to teeter the line like that takes the stress out of wedding attire for me!

Row 3:  Option 7  |  Option 8  |  Option 9
These are for dressier events!  I really love the prints on these dresses, and I love that not all of them are florals.  The material and draping make them work for fancier settings without being stuffy–great for summer.

P.S. Some of these dresses are LOFT and they’re having another huge 50% off sale here!


Most of my “special occasion” type of events fall into categories 1 & 2.  What about yours?

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