Aisle Attire: The Wedding Edit

The envelope drops onto your doormat, it looks pretty special… you open it up and see you have an exciting wedding invitation on your hands! Then your mind wonders… what you might wear. No, what you might sew! Wedding guest attire can be a bit of a conundrum. I am currently in this predicament myself. I have a summer wedding to attend in my diary and I am determined to make something lovely for it. Wedding parties in the UK are increasingly becoming more relaxed when it comes to dress code. Many couples wish for people to wear what they feel comfortable in, disregarding more formal dress. This is brilliant as a guest as it gives you more scope, but can make choosing exactly what to wear more challenging as there are so many options available. Throw in the idea that you can sew the outfit yourself, and you might find it hard to nail down what you want to make.

I have been browsing the shop (at length) for the perfect pattern to sew for the wedding I have coming up, so I have a pretty good idea of what is out there in the sewing pattern world! I have shortlisted some key categories across dresses, which tend to be favoured for wedding wear but have also included some jumpsuits, suits and ideas for mother-of-the-bride or mother-of-the-groom outfits.

It is a big old list, so do grab a cuppa, make sure you’re sitting comfortably, and enjoy browsing our wedding guest sewing pattern edit!

Midi dresses are having a moment. They are the most popular style on the high street at the moment, so you really can’t go wrong with a midi. Anything below the knee feels a bit more fitting for a formal event, and the midi length is really chic.

1. Tessuti Fabrics Lois Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 16
2. Pattern Sewciety Margot Dress and Top – Sizing: UK 8 – 22
3. Sew Love Patterns Springe Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 20
4. Our Lady of Leisure Gin and Tonic Dress: Sizing UK 6 – 18
5. Style Arc Gertrude Dress – Sizing: UK 4 – 16 or UK 18 – 30

Strappy dresses are perfect for a summer wedding but can be styled with a faux fur jacket or bolero for a winter wedding. I have included a couple of longer-length styles that sit in the ‘evening wear’ category, so could be your does-all-the-fancy-events dress!

1. Tessuti Fabrics Sadie Slip Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 16
2. Sew Love Patterns Chloe Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 20
3. True Bias Calvin Wrap Dress and Top – Sizing: UK 8 – 20
4. Vikisews Lacey Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 14/16
5. Sewing Patterns by Masin Sicily Slip – Sizing: UK 6/8 – 28

Wrap dresses are a very popular silhouette, and they are very fitting for the big day! The nice thing about wrap shapes is that you can tighten or loosen the wrap fastening, making them comfortable to wear all day long.

1. Fibre Mood Charlotte Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 26/28
2. Cashmerette Roseclair Wrap Dress – Sizing: UK 8 – 18 or UK 14 – 34 in three cup sizes (C/D, E/F, G/H)
3. Closet Core Patterns Elodie Wrap Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 20
4. Allie Olson Highlands Wrap Dress – Sizing: UK 8 – 18/20 and UK 14 – 32
5. Pattern Sewciety Ella Wrap Dress and Top –  Sizing: UK 8 – 22

Fit and flare dresses are so timeless. Something to bear in mind as the wedding snaps will be around for many years to come (I still dread looking at my teenage wedding guest attire… it was not good!). I’ve been to a couple of weddings with a slight vintage feel, so this is a great shape to embrace if you think the day might have some vintage vibes.

1. Trend Patterns TPC2 Asymmetric Hem Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 22
2. Christine Haynes Emery Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 30
3. Cashmerette Upton Dress and Skirt + Mix and Match Expansion Pack – Sizing: UK 8 – 18 or UK 14 – 34 in three cup sizes (C/D, E/F, G/H)
4. Sew Over It Betty Dress – Sizing: UK UK 6 – 20 and UK 18 – 30
5. How to Do Fashion No. 1 Dragør Dress – Sizing: UK 6/8 – 28/30

I think it’s so important to feel comfortable on the big day. There can be lots of sitting, standing, and being transported to and from venues, so wearing something that skims the body rather than constricts it, can be a very good idea. It’s a bonus of the dress has longer sleeves as that can eliminate the need to carry a jacket or additional layer.

1. Pattern Fantastique Mersis Dress and Top – Sizing: UK 6- 26
2. Vikisews Manuela Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 20
3. Style Arc Elsbeth Woven Dress – Sizing: UK 4 – 16 or UK 18 – 30
4. Vikisews Flavia Dress – Sizing UK 6 – 20
5. The Maker’s Atelier Asymmetric Gather Dress – Sizing: UK 4 – 20

If you are attending a ‘black tie’ wedding and need something more formal, a gown style might be the way to go. There is plenty on the internet that details what is required of ‘black tie’ or ‘cocktail dress’ or ‘smart casual’, so I won’t go into what they all mean, but full or maxi-length dresses seem to fit the requirements for black tie!

1. McCall’s Dresses M8038 – Sizing: UK 6 – 12 and 14/16 – 20/22
2. Vogue Dress V1802 – Sizing: UK 6 – 12 and 12 – 20/22
3. Vikisews Ornella Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 20
4. Vogue Dress V1697 – Sizing: UK 6 – 12 and 12 – 20/22
5. Burda 6583 Special Occasion Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 16

If you’re attending the wedding of some rather cool friends, or are just generally someone who doesn’t like to conform to traditional dress codes, I have some trendy ideas for you…

1. Vikisews Uni Dress – Sizing UK 6 – 20
2. Trend Patterns TPC7 Pleated Shoulder Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 22
3. Friday Pattern Company Saturday Skirt Set – Sizing: UK 6 – 34
4. Fibre Mood Lucielle Dress – Sizing: UK Sizing: UK 6 – 26/28
5. Vikisews Rosalyn Dress – Sizing: UK 6 – 20

Not a fan of dresses? A jumpsuit is a very cool (and modern) alternative. Jumpsuits don’t have to be casual, I have a selection of perfectly appropriate patterns that would fit the occasion nicely!

1. Pattern Sewciety Jacky Jumpsuit – Sizing UK 8 -22
2. Sew Love Patterns Springe Jumpsuit – Sizing: UK 6 – 20
3. Named Kielo Wrap Dress and Jumpsuit – Sizing: UK 4/6 – 28
4. Vogue Jumpsuit V1806 – Sizing: UK 6 – 12 and 12 – 20/22
5. Victory Patterns Rowena Jumpsuit and Pants – Sizing: UK 6/8 – 18 or UK 16 – 32

Another really cool and very of-the-moment option is suiting! A brightly coloured suit is sure to bring a smile to other guests’ faces and communicate your trend-setting personality. It would also be something you could get a lot of wear out of post-wedding as the pieces can also be mixed and matched with other pieces in your wardrobe!

1. Maison Fauve Manhattan Blazer and Brooklyn Pants – Sizing: UK 6 – 22
2. Butterick B6915 Jacket and Trousers – Sizing: UK 6 – 12 and 14 – 24
3. Nina Lee Richmond Blazer and Portobello Trousers – Sizing: UK 6 – 20 or UK 16 – 28
4. Vikisews Eteri Blazer and Hilary Trousers – Sizing: UK 6 – 20
5. Butterick B6820 Jacket, Skirt and Trousers – Sizing: UK 6 – 12 and 14 – 24

Choosing what to wear when you are part of the wedding party can bring extra pressure. You want to choose something elegant, that will look great in all the photos, but doesn’t upstage the couple getting married! If you are looking for something to sew as the mother of the bride or mother of the groom. Here are a few ideas (in addition to the other picks) that might be suitable. A number of these would look lovely with a jacket to finish the outfit off.

1. Sew Over It Estelle Dress – Sizing: Sizing: UK 6 – 20 and UK 18 – 30
2. Maison Fauve Soho Wrap Dress – Sizing: UK 6 -22
3. Style Arc Trinnie Woven Dress – Sizing: UK 4 – 16 or UK 18 – 30
4. Vikisews Leonie Dress – Sizing UK 6 – 20
5. Tessuti Fabrics Jane Dress – Sizing: UK 8/10 – 18
6. Pattern Sewciety Sari Sheath Dress – Sizing: UK 8 – 14/16

I couldn’t complete this list before sharing a few suggestions for jackets! You may want a jacket that is a key part of your ensemble, but you also might want something you can fling to one side when you hit the dancefloor as the party gets started. I’ve chosen mostly cropped options so that they could be worn with the dresses or jumpsuits above.

1. Sew Different Aurora Jacket – Sizing: UK 8 – 24/26
2. The Maker’s Atelier Swing Jacket – Sizing: UK 4 – 20
3. Cashmerette Auburn Blazer – Sizing: UK 14 – 34
4. Melilot Miriam Jacket – Sizing: UK 6 – 34/36
5. Ensemble Surtout Coat – Sizing: UK 6 – 26
6. Simplicity Ruffle Jacket SP105 – UK 4/6–22
7. Liesl + Co Yanaka Jacket – Sizing: UK 8 – 20 with A/B, C and D cups

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