Choosing the perfect dress for your wedding reception

Every bride wants the opportunity to have a fairytale entrance to her wedding, but if you are like most, you also want to be able to kick up your heels and celebrate! If your dream wedding dress doesn’t give you the practicality of dancing the night away you might just want to look into the idea of having a different reception dress.

While it can be a great way to make two fashion statements, there are some things you should keep in mind when choosing the right dress for your wedding reception. Here’s our guide to creating the perfect second entrance to your wedding.

Fabrics

Don’t be afraid to use the same fabric as your wedding dress, if you wish to keep your theme carrying through.  Otherwise, you can go for alternative fabric options such as chiffon, georgette, lace, voile, cady, charmeuse and satin.  You can add touches of beads, diamantes and ruffles to add to the elegance.

Colours

You may be a traditional bride that wants to carry your dress colour through the evening, if so colours like white, cream and champagne are ideal.

However, if you are a bride that wishes to change the tempo at your reception with some bold statement colours, you might want to look at black, red, silver, blue or emerald green.

Lengths

For the formal wedding reception, keep with the long flowing gown.  But if you are planning to dance the night away, then mid-calf or cocktail length are the way to go.  Mid-calf and cocktail dresses provide ease of movement on the dance floor. The added advantage is you won’t need your wedding entourage to help you go to the toilet.

Style of dress

Depending on your body shape, there are some dress styles that will be more flattering to you and accentuate your best features.

For a Pear body shape – Wear a dress style that emphasises your waist and arms, along with adding volume to your upper body to minimise your hips.

For a Wedge body shape – Wear a dress that accentuates your lower body while giving a softer look to your upper body.

Rectangle body shape – Wear a dress that gives your body curves along while showing off your arms and legs.

Apple body shape – Wear a dress that shows off your legs, and elongates your torso.  Don’t be afraid to use fashion statement pieces to create illusions of your waist.

Hourglass body shape – Wear a dress that accentuates your curvy shape without going too overboard.

You want your guests talking about you for all the right reasons, so avoid dresses that are too short, see-through, overly revealing or that make you feel uncomfortable. When it comes to choosing the perfect wedding reception dress, it comes down to what makes you look and feel a million dollars.

Need some wedding reception dress inspiration? Browse our full collection.

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