14 Wedding Guest Dresses You’ll Actually Wear Again In Your Real Life
Image from Anthropologie
by The Candidly Team
We don’t know how you feel about shopping for wedding guest dresses, but for us, it’s a crippling hellscape!
How many size 2 dresses for $1278 dollars that are also possibly just a nightgown, can we be expected to navigate?
And so, we turned our frowns upside down, made lemons from lemonade, and decided to spend an ungodly number of hours scouring the darkest corners of the Internet, to bring you semi-affordable, not-hideous, average-sized dresses, in the form of this list. And as a bonus, they’re all pretttttty wearable in your own, real life, long after the celebrations have concluded.
Will you love them all? God no. Will ONE spark joy for you or at least lead you down a path of a new potential dress concept?
We confidently say, yes.
Let’s dive right into them, shall we?
1. Norma Kamali Diana Dress
Why we love it: The silhouette skims the body and nips in at the waist for a gorgeous hourglass, but it doesn’t feel ‘bodycon’ at all. Plus, the. colors. are. amazing. Seriously, take a look. It works perfectly with a strapless bra, or even, no bra at all. And there’s plenty of room in the top for larger-busted gals.
Price: $215
2. Hill House The Ellie Nap Dress
Why we love it: Its bust-smocking means you can attend the wedding braless. Unconstrained. And in a dress that feels essentially like pajamas.
Price: $150
3. Faithfull Madella Midi Dress
Why we love it: Sometimes all it takes is a wildly flattering neckline to make us look our very best. This dress is so lovely and elongating on top, we practically forget that the fitted bodice is blessedly smocked at the back for maximum comfort or that the (pocketed!) skirt is the perfect swoopy shape. Almost.
Price: $288
4. Reformation Winslow Dress
Why we love it: Kind of feels and looks like a kimono and couldn’t be more comfortable.
Price: $348
5. By Anthropologie The Maya Ruched Cowl-Neck Dress
Why we love it: If wearing a sleek, fitted dress has simultaneously compelled and terrified you, this is the dress for you. The stretchy yet thick(ish) fabric has magical, smoothing hold, so we don’t feel bulgy or constricted, and the ruching is perfect on curves. It comes in plus and petite and several pretty bright shades as well as classic black.
Price: $160
6. J. Crew Collection side-cutout midi dress
Why we love it: This dress looks excellent on every shape human. If the exposed back feels scary, you can always wear a handy adhesive bra like THIS, but the tie in the back makes it a bit like a bathing suit top, keeping things in place. If you see it on sale, snag it, cause although the price is a little high, it’s often up to 30% off.
Price: $216 - $350
7. Banana Republic Gully Asymmetrical Seam Maxi Dress
Why we love it: Perhaps the easiest dress on this list, yet perhaps also the chicest...AND most astonishingly priced.
Price: $65
8. Petal and Pup Xiomar Dress
Why we love it: Beachside 80s vibes meets a chic-as-Audrey-Hepburn shape. For when we get bored with black but still want something sleek and incredibly flattering. And for when we don’t want to pour half our paycheck into a summer wedding frock.
Price: $69
9. By Anthropologie The Katerina Lurex Button-Front Dress
Why we love it: We’d be hard-pressed to find a more waist-nipping, hourglass perfecting dress. We love the print, but it also comes in solids.
Price: $160
10. Merokeety Women's Sleeveless Lace Floral Elegant Cocktail Dress
Why we love it: Have we wanted this exact lace dress ever since we saw Julia Roberts wearing hers in Pretty Woman? Yes. Has anyone placed a wad of cash into our palm to spend freely on said dress on Rodeo Drive? No. Alas, we’ve found the solution.
Price: $50
11. Farm Rio
Full Of Flowers Sweetheart Midi-Dress
Why we love it: For a more backyard/beach/daytime destination kind of wedding, this dress is the answer. And possibly the single most flattering dress on this list. The prints from Farm Rio are an eclipsing cut above.
Price: $154
12. Maeve The Cecily Fit & Flare Sweetheart Dress
Why we love it: The fit is emotion-invokingly good. It’s the little black wedding guest dress of our dreams. But it also comes in the prettiest prints…and plus…and petite!
Price: $170
13. J. Crew Collection V-Neck Double-Strap Maxi Dress In Sunset Floral
Why we love it: Throw it on with your butteriest leather sandals and a bangle, and you’re set for a 1960s summer soirée. Or a present-day July wedding. Not suitable, however, for those who hate compliments.
Price: $248
14. Show Me Your Mumu Eden Midi Dress
Why we love it: Sure, it comes in 16 different colors, but why choose anything other than this perfect dupe for Jennifer Aniston’s iconic pale green Rachel dress?
Price: $148
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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