How To Dress For A Winter Wedding

One of the great stresses of British summer weddings is the inability to control the weather, but when it comes to winter weddings, who gives a hoot?! With the meteorological bar set so low here in the UK, if it doesn't rain one can count that as a great success. But despite the unpredictable elements, winter weddings are some of our favourites, because they open up a world of sumptuous menswear and womenswear, bringing into the fray fabrics such as velvet, as well as a much broader spectrum of colours to choose from than you might for a summer wedding.

Winter Wedding Style For Gentlemen

For late autumn and winter weddings, especially in British churches which can be chilly at the best of times, we would suggest an extrafine wool or cashmere morning coat for starters, paired with our 100% merino wool striped trousers. Wool is a brilliant fabric for a number of reasons, but its temperature regulating properties being one of them. At Favourbrook, we use a lightweight merino yarn to provide the upmost comfort, since one tends to wear the morning coat as great deal during formal occasions. Nevertheless, wool being wool, it provides a great level of warmth, while also having excellent moisture-wicking properties, too.

BLACK HAMPTON BARATHEA WOOL MORNING COAT

CHARCOAL SHAFTESBURY CASHMERE WOOL MORNING COAT

GREY WESTMINSTER STRIPE WOOL HIGH WAISTED TROUSER

Waistcoat choices can also be a little more eclectic in the colder months, with velvet options coming into play alongside a gamut of darker, more autumnal tones and patterns. That doesn't mean you should rule out linen waistcoats, but in general, a darker tone with the lustre of gabardine wool, silk, or velvet will look extremely sophisticated under moody skies or low light. Pastel tones may jar a little too if the bride and groom have gone for a wintry colour palette in their floral arrangements and decor. We have a vast array of waistcoat options perfect for winter weddings in our Piccadilly Arcade store and our Pall Mall flagship store so do drop by and try them on - our team would be delighted to assist you in your choice.

Winter Wedding Style For Ladies

While the gents work within the confines of morning dress, the ladies have no such restrictions when it comes to looking elegant and sophisticated at a winter wedding. Whether you are a guest or the mother of the bride, winter weddings provide ample opportunity to showcase sartorial refinement and style, especially in one's coat. The dress is actually a rather simpler decision to make: keep it chic and simple, and don't make it white. The long-held taboo of wearing black to a wedding has faded away somewhat, given the proliferation of the LBD (little black dress), but there are a host of autumnal tones to experiment with first, from rich olive green to aubergine and burnt orange.

Our Serena dress is one such style that is supremely elegant. Our perennial favourite, the Serena Circle dress features a scoop neck, three-quarter sleeves, and a satin belt with bow detail, with a flirty circle skirt. Effortlessly feminine and undeniably flattering, we have created it in a number of different tones so as to be paired with a selection of our new season coats and jackets. 

One's coat or jacket is where the real fun is, however. Whether long-line or cropped, the coat is 95% of the look and therefore the showpiece, so you can afford to be bold with it. That doesn't necessarily mean opting for bright colours, but adopting fabrics such as silk and velvet are the first step towards creating a stunning look.

The second element is the degree of embellishment to the coat, for example, hand-stitched embroidery or vibrant patterns. Embroidery works especially well with velvet, creating a delicate contrast against the deep rich pile of velvet. Many of our velvet coats feature floral embroidery designs that rise up from the hem to produce a wonderfully balanced artwork that complements the florals seen at the vast majority of weddings. Feminine and confident, they make for exquisite winter wedding coats.

Silk options are equally as resplendent and allow for greater creativity when it comes to pattern work and print. This season we have created a number of eye-catching, head-turning styles which utilise vibrant geometric patterns for a very confident and contemporary look. Foremost among them is our Carnaby coat which we have fashioned in a heavy crepe de chine and which features a palimpsest of contrasting geometric prints and floral motifs. With one eye on the dinner and dancing, our Swing coat in cobalt blue silk is a really fun silhouette, finished with feather details at the cuffs. For something more understated, silk organza is a stunning lightweight fabric, with a sheer quality that adds an element of depth and texture.