wedding belles

Wedding season has officially landed! Hate them or love them chances are you have to go to at least one this summer so make sure to look fabulous. There are a few general rules of thumb about wedding guest attire. First of all and this should go without saying but white is for the bride ONLY and personally I'd stay away from anything resembling white including creams or ivory as well. I think it's also wise to avoid the same colour and style of the bridesmaids...just to be on the safe side. Summer weddings are a great excuse to have fun with colour. Yellow, coral and lavender are especially nice with a light layer or two of tan. Wedding are an ideal opportunity to hone your developing tan skills as you have plenty of notice so you can build up a nice natural look tan in the coming days of the wedding.I find No7 Naturally Sun Kissed Gradual Tan is really good for an even tan and its tinted so its easy to see the progress when applying it. Instant tan is fine but its can be a bit harsh for daytime and will also show up easily on your dress so beware.

Choose your bag very carefully as while the tiny clutches and diamante box bags are lovely in photos they are non practical for carrying,phone,lipstick,tissue,perfume etc. It is hard to find a balance between fashion and functionality but it can be achieved. Shoes are another common pitfall...we have all made the mistake of thinking it'll be all right on the night with the killers heels that 'make the outfit' but make our feet pay dearly for the privilege. When choosing a heel bear in mind you may need to contend with countryside, church driveway pebbles and steps! Block heels are not the most attractive but they are a safe bet. For cheap and cheerful shoes I use everything5pounds.com and chockersshoes.co.uk, the gold shoes below are from chockers.

Hair and make up for weddings is always a ton easier when someone else does it but if are on a budget you need to give yourself plenty of time to make mistakes and fix them and have a hissy fit if needs be. Backcombing is essential if you need your hair to last all day and its not a bad idea to invest in a make up fixing spray to keep your face looking fabulous for example the Collection Fix Me Up Long lasting Make Up Fixer for €9.59 in boots. Accessorizing your outfit is of course the funnest part and there is no end to the choices available...Marks & Spencers has a lovely selection of gold as does accessorize and as always you can't beat Penny's! I have three weddings this year but luckily I am bridesmaid  for two so I'll have my outfits sorted!