This post is dedicated to getting the most out of your wedding clothes. It has been three years since my wedding, but I still wear items from that day. I think the key to wearing your wedding items after your wedding, is first, figure out a way to tone the formal down. My second tip is to pick the right occasion for the clothes. My third tip is be willing to take risks.
This picture was taken last Sunday, while I was leaving my apartment to attend my school’s graduation ceremony. This outfit consists of three (yes THREE!) items that were worn on my wedding day. Pretty good right?
Can you guess which three items? Let me give you some time to figure it out…
The three items are the dress, the necklace, and that big white flower. Following my tips above, let me explain what I was thinking when I put this outfit together.
Tip #1: Figure out a way to tone the formal feel of the items down.
You may have already guessed that this dress is actually one of the bridesmaids dresses from my wedding, it is not my actual wedding gown. (For those of you that have bridesmaids dresses just hanging in your closet, maybe this will inspire you to rework it.) To tone this JCrew Chartreuse bridesmaids dress down, I relied on a casual short sleeve navy GAP cardigan and some white canvas Steve Madden wedges. The casual texture of both the sweater and the shoes helped minimize the formalness (is that a word?) of my fancy dress. I also added the white Anthropologie flower to my sweater and my JCrew gold and pearl necklace to act as a neutral medium to the contrasting blue and bright yellow in my outfit. The result is an outfit centered around just three color blocks: white, yellow, and blue.
Tip #2: Pick the right occasion.
As I stated earlier, I was on my way to my high school’s graduation. This was the perfect occasion for my dress because there is a range of attire during a high school graduation. It can be as formal as a floral sheath dress with pearls to as casual as jeans and a sweater. There is such a range in apparel at this event that it gives a lot of wiggle room for how one would dress. I did not look or feel out of place when I arrived in this outfit. Other occasions you can consider wearing your wedding items to are other weddings, formal dinner parties, holiday parties, charity events, evening shows such as symphonies, plays, musicals, and dinner dates.
Tip #3: Take a risk.
This tip doesn’t just apply to reworking your wedding items. This tip applies to dressing yourself period. It is important that you feel good in your clothes but to also keep yourself from being stuck in a rut. That’s why it is good to take risks and put yourself out there. I admit, this dress is a loud color. The color seemed even louder when I walked into the arena for graduation and saw mostly black and white. But that is ok. I wanted to represent myself and how I was feeling. I felt happy, cheery, and ready for summer. When I wore this outfit I felt it was the perfect representation of those feelings. I got a lot of compliments about the color, which further ‘brightened’ my mood. 😉
So what do you think? Did I successfully transition my wedding wear to the ‘real world’?
Here’s a picture from my actual wedding day. It was such a great day, I smile each time I think about it. The wedding colors, yellow and grey, are actually the inspiration for my blog title. I hope your wedding brings lots of good memories back to you too.
Have you reworked any of your wedding items? If so, how? I would love to get your tips and tricks.
Yellow Loves Grey 