I love attending a wedding; it’s the perfect opportunity to dress up, drink lots of champagne and dance the night away to all my favorite top 40 hits. Traditional “wedding season” has come and gone but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a wedding on your calendar in the next few months.
A month after our wedding, our besties got married in Birmingham. It was the perfect opportunity to wear the most extra dress I could find. I ended up wearing a long sleeve sequins dress and it was what all my extra dreams are made of. I channeled my inner 1974 Cher and flipped my hair back and forth on the dance floor all night long. It is not evident by the below photo but the dress was a beautiful dark green, jewel-toned color.

This fall we are only attending one wedding but it falls on a very important date, my 30th birthday!! Yes, I am spending my 30th birthday at a wedding where I will know MAYBE 6 people. I nominate myself for the wife of the year. My goal at this wedding is to look SO fabulous, I need to bring in my 30’s the right way.
I hope this blog post will serve as your comprehensive guide to all things fall wedding attire related. I have looked through thousands of dresses to put this guide together. These lists consist of dresses that inspired me and will make you feel your best as a wedding guest. Every dress listed in this post is under $100 because who wants to spend more than that on a dress for someone else’s wedding?
There are two trends that I am really into this season that have heavily influenced my list. Those trends being, deep jewel tones and textured materials, especially velvet.
COCKTAIL ATTIRE
From personal experience, most of the weddings you will be invited to will be cocktail attire. If the invitation says “dressy casual” or semi-formal then plan on wearing a cocktail dress. It’s 2018 so people get real creative in ways they say cocktail attire.
A cocktail dress is simply a nice dress that isn’t a ball gown. Cocktail dresses traditionally are short dresses but its perfectly acceptable to also wear a midi or maxi dress. My favorite 2018 cocktail attire trend is the jumpsuit, I live for a jumpsuit. I have only worn a jumpsuit for one wedding and it was a great life choice! I was able to show off all my dance moves without worrying about being appropriate.
He should wear: A suit and tie
She should wear: A cocktail dress or jumpsuit
Formal or Black Tie
Black tie attire is the perfect time to pull out those fabulous floor-length gowns. I have actually never been to a super strict black tie wedding, most of my friends are from California and California weddings seem to be much more casual than the Southern weddings I have attended. If I was heading off to a super formal black tie wedding I would absolutely rent the dress. I have used Rent The Runway quite a bit and am always happy with the items I have received. In fact, the dress I wore to the wedding at the top of the blog post was from Rent The Runway.
The list I put together in this category are all under $100 and the PERFECT option to wear to a formal wedding.
He should wear: A tuxedo or a dark suit and tie
She should wear: A long evening dress or gown
ACCESSORIES
No matter what type of wedding you attend, accessorizing can make or break the outfit. When it comes to high heels, I like to stick to the basics like nude or black heels. A few nice accessories and cute heels are a great investment, not only will they be perfect for that wedding you are attending but also great for a date night or a girls night out.
I hope this list of dresses and accessories finds you exactly what you are looking for this fall. There is something so magical about a beautiful outfit and I hope this guide inspires the beautiful outfit you wear at the next wedding you attend.
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