Have you found your perfect guest dress, but you're wondering how to accessorise it? Read on! Let’s go over our top tips for matching your shoes and bag for a wedding, with stunning results.
General tips for matching shoes and bags
If you want your look to work, you need to harmoniously combine the colours, materials and proportions. And all the more so at a wedding. You want to get it right, showing off a refined and elegant look that lives up to the way you feel about the bride and groom.
When you're choosing your accessories, the first thing you need to think about is your dress style and the type of wedding. After all, the right look for a day wedding isn't the same as an evening wedding, and the same goes for city vs. countryside weddings.
If you want to play it safe at a wedding, matching your bag and shoes is a good place to start. If you want your dress to do all the talking, opt for neutral accessories. But there are plenty of other combinations that work really well. We'll tell you all about it!
Pairing your shoes and bag based on the style of your dress
First, let's look at some tips on pairing shoes and bags for a wedding according to your dress style.
Eye-catching dresses
Weddings are often where you bring out your most sophisticated, special dresses to elevate your look. This is especially true of weddings later in the day, where you might want to show off long party dresses with fancy detailing that you wouldn't normally wear.
Some examples? Print dresses in fancy fabrics like brocade; intricate beadwork dresses that make you feel like a star; or dresses with sophisticated detailing like feathers or fringing – eyes will be drawn to these eye-catching dresses on their own, so you don't need to add much more. If this is the look you're going for, opt for simple, neutral shoes and bags to avoid taking attention away from the dress.
If you choose a print dress, for example, you could play around with the different print colours, matching your bag and shoes to those colours. Or you could just go for neutrals like nude – they're always a safe bet, especially at day weddings.
Simple dresses
If you're more about a subtle dress, something with clean lines in one colour for example, you may want to liven up your look with some original, striking accessories.
How about adding an original edge with a fun feather bag or sequinned bag? If you go down that route but still want to look elegant, you'll probably want to keep your shoes low-key. Because there's one definite rule in the perfect guest playbook on combining shoes and bags for a wedding: less is more.
You could also go for a printed or embroidered bag or animal print bag paired with a neutral dress and shoes for a flawless and distinctive guest look.
Popular colours and materials
Trends may come and go, but some shoe and bag combinations for weddings endure, year after year. Take note!
Metallic shoes and bags
Few accessories represent the perfect guest look better than metallic shoes and bags. They work well with any colour. They're a wardrobe staple that never goes out of style.
Matching your bag and shoes for a wedding always works well. We love a red guest dress paired with gold accessories for a really sensational look.
Or you could pair some metallic shoes with a bag in the same colour as your dress, or vice versa, moving away from the matching bag and shoes convention to create the perfect look.
Neutral tones
If you go for a standout dress, keeping your accessories neutral is a safe bet. Nude is one of the most versatile and flattering tones you can get for accessories, especially cocktail shoes – because they come with the added bonus of slimming your legs and lengthening your silhouette. Invest in a good pair of mid-height heels in nude, and you won't regret it!
Current bridal fashion trends
Colour is trending in guest looks, and people are looking for ways to express their individuality.
Monochrome looks
Exude style at your next wedding in a monochrome look. The one-colour look is trending, especially standout colours like fuchsia, red, lime, yellow or purple. Our trick? Combine different tones of the same colour to achieve an incredibly sophisticated look. It's a great trick for lengthening your silhouette too.
And if you really want to stand out in a monochrome look, go for designs with sophisticated detailing like feathers, cut-outs, slits, asymmetric details, floral embellishments and voluminous sleeves. You'll be a hit!
Bold combinations
Feeling daring? Try a print dress. These original dresses will put all eyes on you. Florals, polka-dots or other geometric patterns give you the opportunity to play around with different colours in your accessories, from hair ornaments to shoes.
The famous actor Sienna Miller knows just how to wear original print dresses for weddings, and she does it in serious style. In Spain, Paula Echevarría has taught us plenty of style lessons in print dresses.
Don't like prints? You could go for eye-catching complementary colours in your accessories instead. Think along the lines of a purple dress with a coral or yellow bag for example – an absolute winner! Or a pink dress with green accessories. Another bold combination that works really well, lending unique personality to your look.
More tips on choosing the perfect bag and shoes
Last of all, you need to think beyond aesthetics and dress codes and think about the more practical aspects.
Style and comfort
A wedding is usually a long event. Always remember this when you're choosing your shoes. You need to be comfortable, so go with a heel height you're used to. If you've never worn a stiletto heel, now is not the time to try one out: you're better off with a chunky heel or wedge.
Designs with a low front platform and heel like a peep-toe are more comfortable than stilettos. They still give you some height, but you'll be better prepared for the length of the event. And if you're more of a flats person, there are plenty of jewel shoes you can wear for a wedding – zero risk of looking to plain in those!
Bag size and shape
A clutch bag – without a strap – is a really popular choice for wedding guests. Choose one that's big enough to carry all your essentials (including your phone).
We're seeing more and more handbags with short straps, with options in coloured satin fabrics, or elevated by pearls or feathers. These are all guaranteed winners. Steer clear of leather designs as they aren't quite as suited to the celebratory occasion. Small pouch bags are a great alternative to a clutch, adding a fashion-forward edge to your outfit.
But if you want to put comfort first and keep your hands free, an evening bag with a strap is the one for you. Just make sure you choose a smaller size with a more premium look. Think beadwork, chain straps and metallics if you want to get it right.
