Winter Wedding Outfits for Women Over 50 and 60
If you have a winter wedding penciled onto your social calendar, you may be scratching your head, wondering what you should wear. Although you should match your attire with the level of formality the bride has chosen, it’s also important that the outfit you choose makes you feel confident and beautiful.
I’m sure you’ve noticed while shopping that the silhouettes they are marketing to our age range aren’t always super stylish or flattering. You know frumpy and matronly simply aren’t in my vocabulary, so I set out on an online shopping spree for 40+ chic winter wedding outfits for women over 50 and 60 that are sure to impress. If you’re overwhelmed shopping for an upcoming winter wedding, this post takes all the hard work out of it.
Don’t forget to check out these posts if you are looking for accessories to go with your winter wedding outfit:
Where to Shop for Winter Wedding Outfits for Women Over 50 and 60
The biggest question of all. Where do you even start? I’m going to give you a list of some of my favorite places and brands to start with in case you want to do the browsing on your own. But, one of the things that I’ve found to help is to start with the mother-of-the-bride section, as that’s where they group many of the age-appropriate dresses for us! Keep in mind that if one of the retailers is sold out of a particular dress you like, do a quick Google Search. It’s likely that it is carried
Retailers & Brands To Shop
- Nordstrom: The brands below come highly recommended!
- Adrianna Papell
- Eliza J
- Alex Evenings (You’re best brand to start with, especially if you want to wear pants.)
- Pisarro Nights
- JS Collections
- La Femme ($$$)
- Macy’s (Biggest selection of dressy tops and pants I’ve found!)
- Amazon
- R&M Richards (Lots of options for pant sets!)
- Saks 5th Avenue: If budget is no object or you’re really looking for a formal outfit, I would suggest the following brands. Fair warning, they are expensive, but you can find a good deal on sale!
Winter Wedding Guest Dresses for Women Over 50 and 60
I tend to lean towards a dress when I am selecting an outfit for an upcoming wedding. It’s always better to be overdressed, in my opinion. I know finding the proper dress silhouette for your body type, especially through a computer screen, can be a little challenging.
My favorite dress types for women over 50 are fit and flare and A-line silhouettes. These two styles are flattering for so many body types. They have a defined waistline and are very forgiving as they take attention away from the midsection and camouflage wider hips and thighs. I also included a few shift dresses in my guide as I think this looser silhouette is universally flattering as well.
Consider your budget when shopping for an upcoming event. I often find that purchasing a dress is more cost-effective than purchasing separates. However, that also depends on the accessories needed to complete the outfit. If you choose a sleeveless or short sleeve option, you will want to bring a warm shawl (like this gorgeous one) or a wrap to keep you cozy. A dress with more embellishments or a higher neck means you can get away with less jewelry and accessories. A more simple dress (like this sheath dress) is better paired with eye-catching earrings.
1. Beaded Floral Wrap Midi Dress
2. Ruched Beaded Short Sleeve Gown
3. Alex Evenings Faux Wrap Gown
4. Embroidered Mock Jacket Cocktail Dress (available in multiple colors)
5. Shift Dress with Illusion Detail
#6. Fit & Flare Sweater Dress
Pant Sets and Separates for Older Women
Can you wear pants to a wedding? Yes, you absolutely can. If you donāt like dresses or your legs are not your best feature, pants are totally acceptable. Pants give you the option to wear flat shoes, which many ladies (if not all of us!) find the most comfortable for long days on their feet and dancing at the reception. You donāt have to worry about wearing pantyhose. Plus, pants also often have pockets which can be super handy.
If you already have a pair of trousers or dress pants that you love, consider simply purchasing a new top like this tie waist blouse or this black velvet tank top and jacket combination.
I’m going to do a full round-up post of the best pants suits to wear soon, but I wanted to include some of my favorites now. Keep in mind that many of these can take a month or so to come in sometimes, so order early!
You may also enjoy- How To Wear Pants To A Wedding With Confidence
7. R&M Lace Pant Set
8. Two Piece Glitter and Lace Pant Set
9. Brushed Satin Tie Waist Blouse
10. Chiffon Pants
11. Alex Evenings Tank Top and Jacket
Do you have a winter wedding or event to attend this season? Where do you typically shop for these types of events? Let me know in the comments!
Shop More Winter Wedding Guest Outfit Ideas for Women Over 50:
Thanks for reading, and be sure to wear what makes you feel confident.
Hi,
The lace dress you are wearing is very attractive! Here are some tips I have picked up for all formal wear – most apply to weddings.
Vintage or Second hand
As a member of an choral group I have to wear black formal for some of our concerts. Since black is not my color I don’t want to spend a lot of money and so have found second hand brick and motor stores as well as second hand websites great resources. One dress I wore for several seasons that cost me $50 was valued – and I checked it – at over $400 new. The dress had only been wore a few times – there was no wear on it at all. Have to say it is wonderful to wear such beautifully made clothing.
One of my sisters at one point in her life had to go to many formal events with her husband for his job. Since she is a frugal person but didn’t want to just wear the same outfit over and over again she quickly learned to shop second hand. Again her outfits were lovely and certainly did not look dated. Of course it helps that she sews – not alas for me as we live on opposite sides of the country – and I have a master tailor in my town who can do just about anything. Yes it is hit or miss and you must be willing to “go out of the box” as a previous person stated but you can get some great clothing. For me thredup seems to have the best selection but Poshmark is another popular site.
For new pieces aside from the resources mentioned in the post Modcloth and eshakti are good stores for formal wear. Women over 50 are not their target demographic at Modcloth but you can find some fun but not wild clothing. Again be willing to look around the site. I purchased a beautiful formal skirt – maxi length – in a navy silk like material with a silver colored lace overlay there for a family wedding. Paired it with a navy silk top that I got on sale at Banana Republic and a silver mesh short cardigan that I already had and was good to go.
eShakti is new to me – I just ordered a floor length shirt from them. The clothing is not top tier quality – but not substandard either. What is wonderful is you can adjust the necklines, sleeve lengths, skirt lengths and so on. You can provide all your measurements or just your inseam. So if you live in an area without a good tailor and/or cannot sew yourself the clothing will still fit you out of the package. And yes it really does work, I had been on the site but was uncertain about ordering anything then met a woman at an event who was wearing one of their dresses. Her dress was very pretty, it stood out but not in an odd way. (It was a summer event and the dress was pale blue with flowers embroidered on the back shoulder area and the hemline. Festive and refined at the same time.) She had changed the length of the sleeves from short to long and adjusted the neck line.
Both stores have very inclusive sizing options.
Hope all you wedding guests, high school dance chaperones, performers, etc. find these tips helpful. Don’t forget to have fun!
The lace dress you are modeling at the beginning of this post is stunning on you! If you do not have a special event planned for this winter season, you need to make one up and wear this dress!!
Wow! You look absolutely stunning in that dress. Hope it is hanging in your closet for a future event.
You look lovely: the color and style are beautiful. Thank you for such comprehensive shopping suggestions.
Suzanne
You look gorgeous! Also, I love some of the looks you pulled together. Makes me wish I had a dressy event to attend.
Two words – upscale resale! Seriously, the dresses have probably only been worn once, for a few hours. I’ve had great luck. For my climate I like the idea of a velvet blazer, dress pants and a special tank. Can one be too sparkly for a winter, holiday wedding?
These dresses are so beautiful! Almost makes me wish I had a wedding or fancy event to attend. Several years ago I attended a fall wedding wearing black pants and a simple black top with a long sparkly silver topper. I felt very confident and stylish.
They are all (happily) married off now, but I found Mother of the Bride shopping to be a nightmare. When I decided to go with 1910 as my style direction (the age of the church for daughter one’s wedding) I found a dress from a vintage shop that I loved. (The dress was a reproduction, not a hundred years old!) Daughter two got married outside, so that was little easier since I could go with my usual boho style direction. I wore the custom-made hat for both. I find that I really need to think outside the box when the stores don’t offer what I need.
That sounds very clever, Kay. You found your style!
Great advice for wedding dresses. At the time, no weddings in the near future.
All the outfits were grand. I will keep it on the back burner for the ones that could come up.
I would add the line “Dress the Population” to your list. Not all of their things, certainly, but some are perfect and affordable for what they are. My son’s wedding 18 months ago was outside in SoCal and with a “country western” theme. I went with a traditional MOG dress (street length) and big turquoise/silver jewelry. Nordy’s had a few but I wound up purchasing directly from DTP online. Highly recommend.
Thanks for sharing them with us. I’ll check them out.
I really like the navy dress youāre wearing on the email page. I didnāt see it on the blog post. Did I miss it?
I’m sorry, I forgot to add is. Here it is.
Wow! What an amazingly useful post. This one definitely felt like I had the support of a personal shopper. Nice job!
I’m so glad this was helpful!
Love that you found so many choices. Wish I had an event to shop one of these choices for.
Wow you really found beautiful dresses and I love the pant suits. I don’t have a wedding to attend but this post would be a wonderful help if I did. My son got married a few years ago and they wanted the mom’s to wear black. I found a great dress at Macy’s in petite and I have worn it since which is a bonus! Thanks for all the research.
Thatās one of the beauties of black, itās so versatile š
Your post was so well timed! We are invited to a wedding in Las Vegas in February and I didnāt have a clue what to wear! Technically winter but not. Hadnāt considered a pant suit but that is the way Iām leaning now, so no worries how to camouflage my legs! Thank you!
That will be a fun wedding.
Although I have no event to wear theses outfits to, you did a terrific job! Not one frumpy outfit in the bunch!! It’s nice to see that many of these winter outfits have a sleeve. It seems in some years past dressy winter outfits all came sleeveless which seemed ridiculous to me. Even anchor women on the news were wearing sleeveless. Made me cold just looking at them. It would be nice if summer options came with some type of sheer sleeve for those of us who don’t like showing our upper arms. Just some thoughts on a damp and icy Thursday in PA!
I agree. I prefer arm coverage myself. All year round, except in the water š
Beautiful line-up! Myself; currently haven’t got any weddings to go to but do recall years ago, going through a cycle what seemed there was at least one every two months. With that being said and living in the Great White North as I do; I have to admit my favorite ‘winter weddings’ are tropical destination ones particularly when our temps can dip well below 0Ā° F ….. lol!
-Brenda-
I do understand that, Brenda. But your great white north is so beautiful.
Even though I donāt have any winter weddings I thoroughly enjoyed this post and plan to save it. So many beautiful pieces! And a great list of where to look. A story: when my daughter got married, I saw a beautiful Tadashi Shoji dress at Saks but my size was sold out. Weeks later my size showed up on Amazon at a reduced price! Itās one of my favorite purchases ever. Happy Holidays, Jennifer!
I love finding things like that! It was meant to be. Happy Holidays!
Thanks Jennifer! Love the blue dress on you. I am hoping you will do a similar post for spring/summer weddings. I have a July 15th wedding in Montana.
Have a blessed day!
I think thatās a great idea. Iāll put together another post for warmer weather.
Good Morning,
Jen, you look so elegant in that dress! Excellent collection of formal outfits and I especially like the gold wrap dress.
Have a great dayš
Thank you Pat! Have a great day.
Great article. I have a May wedding to attend in Seattle, but it’s probably up in the mountains, so the dressy top-trouser alternatives are promising.
It could still be chilly that time of year. Or rainy.
This post is very timely for me. We have a formal/black tie wedding to attend in February. I’ve always had great luck with the brands you recommend from Nordstrom, though hadn’t yet tried Pisarro Nights. I will be sure to check out their selections!
I don’t know if Macy’s has changed their return policy from when I tried to return a NWT formal dress there a few years ago, but they would not accept formal dress returns. Dillard’s also has a great dress selection. Their return policy is good, like Amazon (love the Try Before You Buy option) & Nordstrom. Off to go shopping! š
Good return policies are really important to me because I do so much online shopping.
I appreciate all of these suggestions for more formal wear. I donāt have a wedding penciled in yet, but suspect that there may be one soon. My preference is leaning toward the pant suit options. The 3 piece lace one you showed would be right up mu alley. It comes in several gorgeous colors too. I feel that I could still look elegant but also have comfort of movement. These little details are becoming so critical the older I get.
Thank you for all the research you do. Itās a huge help for me!
Iām with you on that one. I will not tolerate being uncomfortable but want to look elegant. It can be done!
Teri Jon brand has a great selection of age appropriate and very flattering dresses. Pricey but sales can be found on the internet. Really the best especially for mother of bride or groom
Thanks for the suggestion. Iāll check them out!
Love that natural – tone long faux wrap dress – but no weddings coming up.
Still, I learn so much from your blogs!
I do too. Itās so elegant.
Great post. Can you believe I have 3 weddings to attend. One winter, one early spring and still waiting for the date of the third. My challenge is I am petite, small size, and over 80.
But your dresses gave me a few good ideas to get started on my search for each special day. Have a special holiday season.
You will be busy! What fun.
Thanks for the suggestions, Jennifer. I have a wedding coming up in February and was dreading the shopping! Now I have some stores and brands to start with!
I love this article. It’s so hard to know what to buy for a special event and what stores to go to. Thank you for some great suggestions.
Iām glad this is helpful
Great ideas
Oh, I so needed this a month ago when I traveled to So Cal for a late afternoon wedding. It was outdoors and had cooled that week. I searched and finally found a velvet open cardigan, but that evening I realized it was polyester! It gave me no warmth. Your warm wrap would have been so much better! Now I know for next time! BTW, I still donāt go to Amazon for clothing, who knewā¦ā¦thanks!