You probably have a few save-the-dates hanging on your refrigerator since wedding season will be here before you know it. If the dress code for any of those planned parties is cocktail attire, a lovely dress is a great option. Consider cocktail attire for wedding guests as a cross between formal and semi-formal; you don’t have to rent a stunning evening gown, but it’s certainly better to leave the mini skirt at home. Choose something in the middle, such as a midi-length dress or one with a hemline that ends just above the knee, as an alternative.
You have some freedom with this particular dress code in terms of hues and patterns (but steer clear of white). You should also be aware that accessories are welcomed; fancy jewelry, hair accessories, stylish shoes, and exquisite clutches are all excellent ways to spruce up your cocktail costume. Additionally, as usual, take the season and environment into account when choosing your attire.
You’re welcome. Below, we’ve compiled our best cocktail attire for wedding guests, categorized by season. We also have certain designer rentals that you may rent, wear, and then return for a discount. Shopping is now appropriate since you are aware of what a cocktail dress looks like.
Spring Wedding Guest Cocktail Dresses
Weddings and bridal attire look great in the spring. We’ve selected a range of one-shoulder and beautiful floral cocktail dress designs for spring. Just in case, carry a jacket or shawl and an additional pair of shoes to be prepared for an unexpected spring downpour.
Pink
- Rose Pink Long Sleeve Tie-Front Skater Dress
This dress is made of lightweight woven fabric and has a high rounded neckline, a darted bodice, and long sleeves with elastic cuffs and ruched shoulders. The mini skirt also features a cute tying detail that creates a wrap-style look.
- Mauve Swiss Dot Long Sleeve Pleated Mini Dress
This feminine and playful dress features a textured woven fabric with Swiss dots throughout. It has a darted bodice, a lace-trimmed V-neckline, and sheer long sleeves with buttoned cuffs. The dress also has a decorative covered button placket, a fitted waist, and a pleated mini skirt with an A-line silhouette that’s perfect for twirling.
Satin
- Light blue satin wedding guest dress
This light blue satin dress is a fun twist on a classic style. The satin material reflects light beautifully and the dress features a front tie at the bust with a peek-a-boo gap, short sleeves with subtle flutter, and a smocked back waist.
- Dark Green Satin Faux-Wrap Midi Wedding Guest Dress
This ultra-chic dress is made of luxurious woven fabric with a satiny finish. It features a surplice bodice with fluttering short sleeves, a fitted waist with a removable sash tie, and a faux wrap midi skirt with a ruffle-trimmed high-low hem.
Embroidered Polka Dots
- Black Embroidered Lace Long Sleeve Dress
This party-ready dress is made of sheer chiffon, which is layered over a knit lining and covered in bold, embroidered polka dots. It has a rounded neckline with crochet trim and sheer, long puff sleeves with smocked cuffs. The dress also features crochet lace accents on the shoulders and bodice, a fitted waist, and an A-line mini skirt with a ruffled hem and a scalloped crochet lace trim.
- Light Blue Swiss Dot Long Sleeve Tie-Front Mini Dress
This dress is made of lightweight woven fabric with an allover Swiss dot pattern. It has a high, rounded neckline, a darted bodice, and a fitted waist. The mini sheath skirt features an overlapping panel secured with a tying detail that creates a faux-wrap look. The dress also has long sheer sleeves with buttoning cuffs.
Spring Wedding Guest Attire
Summer Wedding Guest Cocktail Dresses
When selecting your summer cocktail dress, keep the wedding location and venue in mind. For instance, light fabric or a sleeveless style can be appropriate if you’re looking for a cocktail dress for a seaside wedding. Scroll down to discover the ideal cocktail dresses for formal and semi-formal weddings.
Floral
- Smocked Long Sleeve Midi Wedding Guest Dress
This darling tiered floral print midi dress is perfect for spring or summer and features a muted multi floral print. The material has no stretch and the dress has a square neckline with elastic at the shoulders. The fully smocked bodice has stretch and the dress has 3/4 length sleeves with elastic at the cuffs and ruffle detail. The flowing, tiered skirt design is fully lined, except for the sleeves.
- Ivory Floral Print Long Sleeve Mini Dress
This dress is made of lightweight woven chiffon with a colorful floral print. It has long balloon sleeves with elastic at the cuffs, a V-neck bodice with a tying detail, and an A-line mini skirt with a ruffled tier. The dress is also adorned with crochet lace accents on the neckline, fitted waist, and hem.
Sage Green
- Eucalyptus sage green satin midi wedding guest dress
This eucalyptus green satin dress is a fun twist on a classic style. The satin material reflects light beautifully and the dress features a front tie at the bust with a peek-a-boo gap, short sleeves with subtle flutter, and a smocked back waist. The dress is fully lined, except for the sleeves.
- Sage green midi wrap wedding guest dress
This dress is made of flattering sage chiffon material and has a true wrap style. It features a tulip-style hem with a high-low design and gathering detail at the shoulder. The dress is lined from the bodice to the edge of the ruffle, excluding the sleeves.
Tulle
- Sage blue deep v-neck midi tulle wedding guest dress
This romantic fit-and-flare gown is made of sheer tulle and has a plunging neckline with adjustable halter ties that feature gold stoppers. It’s the perfect dress for a ballroom event, and can be paired with sparkling stiletto heels and a statement gold clutch for a chic, glam look.
Summer Wedding Guest Attires
Fall Wedding Guest Cocktail Dresses
Fall is the ideal season to embrace warm hues and deep, earthy tones. You also have a ton of creative fabric choices, such as buttery soft velvet. Check out our picks for the chicest and coziest fall wedding cocktail gowns.
Lace
- Medium Length Sleeves Burgundy Lace Guest Dress
This dress has a burgundy lining that gives it a two-piece look when paired with the sheer lace outer layer. The dress features a rounded, scalloped neckline, short sleeves, and a darted sheath silhouette.
- Burgundy Lace Shift Dress
The Take Me to Brunch Burgundy Lace Shift Dress is perfect for many occasions and is sure to become a staple in your wardrobe. It features lively eyelash lace on top of knit fabric, creating an eye-catching overlay across the rounded neckline and sheer short sleeves. The dress has a shift silhouette and a scalloped hem.
Emerald Green
- Emerald Green Velvet Midi Fall Wedding Guest Dress
Very comfortable dress. The scrunching on the side makes the waist very forgiving.
- Dark Green Off-the-Shoulder Bodycon Midi Wedding Guest Dress
This cocktail-ready one piece dress for women is made of stretchy crepe knit fabric and features a notched, off-the-shoulder neckline with a hidden V-bar and short sleeves. It has a darted bodice with a flouncy overlay, a high-fitted waist, and a bodycon silhouette that ends at a midi length hem with a back kick pleat.
- Navy Blue Floral Mesh Lace Trumpet Midi Wedding Guest Dress
This chic dress features intricate floral lace and pierced mesh on top of a nude lining. It has a triangle darted bodice and a V-neckline with contrasting black scalloped lace trim, supported by adjustable spaghetti straps. The dress also has a set-in waist with pierced ladder crochet cutouts and a figure-flaunting midi skirt that ends with a trumpet hem.
- Midnight Blue Off-the-Shoulder Midi Wedding Guest Dress
The Lulus How Much I Care Midnight Blue Off-the-Shoulder Midi Dress is perfect for dancing the night away. It’s made of medium-weight stretch knit and has a sweetheart neckline with no-slip strips, a darted bodice, and short off-the-shoulder sleeves.
Rust / Terracotta
Rust is the perfect color for creating an on-trend, yet warm and inviting space. It pairs well with other earth tones like terracotta and chocolate brown.
- Rust Cinnamon Satin Midi Fall Wedding Guest Dress
This ravishing cinnamon-colored satin dress is a fun twist on a classic style. The satin material reflects light beautifully and the dress features a front tie at the bust with a peek-a-boo gap, short sleeves with subtle flutter, and a smocked back waist. The dress is fully lined, except for the sleeves, and is bump and nursing friendly. It is made of 100% polyester and should be hand washed cold, hung to dry, and steamed to release wrinkles.
Plus Size
- Plus Size Champagne Tulip High Low Wedding Guest Dress
This buttoned cuff detail long-sleeve dress is made of flowing champagne satin and has a surplice neckline with elastic at the top shoulder, and a relaxed sweetheart neckline.
Autumn Wedding Guest Attires
Winter Wedding Guest Cocktail Dresses
One of the most gorgeous cocktail attires for weddings is winter apparel. Long sleeves, luxurious fabrics, and alluring hues are now available (think: navy, black, and burgundy). These beautiful cocktail dresses are among knee long favorites, chosen especially for the winter. Add a warm faux-fur coat or shawl, if you have it.
Velvet
- Teal Blue Velvet Long Sleeve Wrap Mini Wedding Guest Dress
This dress is made of plush and stretchy velvet and has a wrapping bodice with long balloon sleeves that are gathered at the shoulders and have elastic cuffs. The dress ties at the waist.
Long Sleeves
- Black Backless Midi Wedding Guest Dress with Long Sleeves
This curve-loving stretch knit dress hugs your figure from the high, rounded neckline down to the midi-length hem. It has long sleeves and an ultra-deep V at the back, with a hidden V-bar for added structure, that shows off your sexy side.
Sequin
- Emerald Green Sequin Mini Wedding Guest Dress with Long Sleeves
This gorgeous emerald-colored knee-length dress is made of sequin material and has an open back design and long puff sleeves.
- Champagne Sequin Midi Guest Dress
This stunning dress is made of champagne sequin material with slight stretch throughout. It has a surplice neckline and silk detail along the trim. The dress has a zipper back neck with an eyelet hook and long sleeves, as well as gathering detail at the front waist. It is designed to fit tight in a body-con style and has a slight high-low style.
Ribbed / Knit
- Rust Ribbed Midi Wedding Guest Dress with Long Sleeves
This dress is a chestnut brown color and made of ribbed material with plenty of stretch. It has a unique sweetheart neckline and flattering bust stitch detailing, as well as long sleeves and a body-hugging fit. The sophisticated midi length makes it perfect for any occasion. The dress is made of 65% rayon and 35% nylon.
- Burgundy Waffle Knit Two-Piece Sweater Dress
This fall-worthy two-piece dress is made of stretchy, warm waffle knit. The sweater has a crew neck and long sleeves, and a boxy, slightly cropped bodice. The matching skirt has a high-waisted fit and an overlapping, faux wrap silhouette that ends at a midi hem.
Winter Wedding Guest Attires
FAQ
Cocktail attire must maintain a careful balance between formal and informal, stylish and cozy. That usually translates into a dress and heels for women.
Even though it might vary, knee-length is ideal. Try to avoid wearing anything that is too short, tight, or low cut generally.
Black-tie wear typically comprises of floor-length gowns and is more formal than cocktail attire.
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