Advice on What to Wear to a Southern Weddin'

It must be noted that this column is simply an opinion and nothing more. Take this as
some “free advice” as my Dad always says.

Now I know that you are asking yourself, what do I know about
fashion? The answer is- not much, but I do pride myself with good taste. I have two
older sisters (Penny and Chasity) that never let me walk out of the house with a
single hair out of place. I was blessed to have a mother who was a seamstress and two sisters who
loved to play dress up. I received my fashion sense from them and I am very thankful for
that. When I was in the elementary school, my family and I traveled all over Europe. Italy
was my favorite country simply for the fact that I saw some of the prettiest clothes there!

Great Length Ladies!  Way to keep it Classy!

My family and I also travel to New York City often. I never have time to sight see, because I
am too busy shopping. I guess I say all of that to say this, the more you shop the more
you learn about fashion.

Now we all know that weddings are mostly about the bride, but let’s be honest, many people
are glancing around and looking at who is wearing what. The only comment one will
ever hear about the bride (in public) is “she looks so beautiful.” However, this comment
is often followed by the question “did you see what she/he was wearing?!”

Weddings can be very tricky to dress for so I will break it down according to the time of
the wedding.

Morning weddings:
These are very rare, but we may start seeing more of them and those
lovely hats since William and Kate’s wedding in April began at 10 a.m. For ladies a
casual sundress with heels or flats is suitable. The hem of the skirt should hit just above

Perfect Southern attire for any wedding.

the knee. (Any higher and everyone will be talking.) For ladies that do not wear the
shorter length dresses, tea length would be a proper choice. Pant suits are also nice look,
but no blue jeans or denim of any kind. Only black, brown, or white pants paired with a dressy
top is appropriate. Ladies can wear flat shoes for weddings that occur in the mornings
only. This does not mean that one can wear rubber flip-flops. These are extremely
distasteful. Rubber flip-flops are for the beach and showering at summer camp; they are
NOT for weddings.

Afternoon weddings:
Here again sundresses can be worn, but one has the option to take
on a more formal look. A cute strapless frock paired with some eye-catching heels will
definitely get some heads turning (in a good way) and might even score one a date if one
is in the market. Again, watch the hemline. It should hit just above the knee. No flats

Family Pearls- My mother wore her pearl bracelet that my
father gave her for Christmas .

are allowed. The heels can be of any height, as long as it is a heel. I repeat NO FLATS.

Evening weddings:
One’s attire should include a semi-formal dress paired with heels. I say “semi-formal” because this does not mean that one should wear a prom dress to a wedding. (You laugh, but I have seen this before.) Also, it is not appropriate to wear pants to evening weddings. Remember to keep it simple and classy. A little black dress or something fun and funky (that meets the hemline requirements) would be perfect for any evening wedding. Pearls and other fine jewelry are a requirement. My mother often wears sentimental jewelry to weddings that she attends. I have also followed with her tradition.

And last but not least the bride:
The bride should wear whatever she likes. It is that simple. Unlike many brides, I chose a very different wedding gown. I wore a tea length gown and baby blue shoes for my 6 o’clock wedding. I know many of you are gasping right know, but I loved the Grace Kelly look of the dress. Plus only family was in attendance, so I wanted to be cool and comfortable. I also wore a small hat with a birdcage veil much like the ones that Kate and Pippa Middleton have been seen wearing. Whether you are a traditional or non-traditional bride, always remember that this is your special day.

My bird cage veil.

My Tea Length wedding gown.

Something Blue!
The hankercheifs were my great grandmother's that
she gave me when I was born.

I found this gorgeous pearl bracelet at TJ Maxx! 

 Flowers were created by Elizabeth Johnson at Uptown Lily florist in Louisville, MS and the photographs were captured by Sisters Photography of Ackerman, MS.