What to Wear to a Bridal Shower, for the Bride and Her Guests

What to wear to a bridal shower

The bride wears white, ivory or a soft cream, usually in a midi dress that is lighter and simpler than her wedding gown. Guests wear soft colors such as butter yellow, baby blue, blush or sage, and leave white to the bride. Most showers take place in the daytime, so a polished dress at or below the knee suits nearly every setting.

If you are the bride, treat your bridal shower dress as a lighter prelude to the wedding look. If you are a guest, aim for daytime polish rather than evening glamour.

How formal is a bridal shower?

A bridal shower is a celebration held by close friends or family for the bride, usually a few weeks or months before the wedding. It is most often a brunch, an afternoon tea, a garden lunch or a private room in a restaurant. That puts it between dressy casual and cocktail: more polished than a weekend lunch, less formal than the wedding itself.

The invitation, the venue and the time of day tell you most of what you need to know. If the hosts have chosen a theme or a color palette, follow it.

For the bride: choosing your bridal shower dress

White is customary for the bride but not a rule. Ivory, cream and very soft champagne all read as bridal and can be kinder to some skin tones in daylight. What matters more is that the dress feels like you and stands apart from your wedding gown.

Keep it distinct from the wedding dress

If your wedding gown is long and structured, choose a shorter, softer silhouette for the shower. If your gown is minimal, the shower is a good moment for a detail you will not wear on the day: a ruffled shoulder, a row of covered buttons, a bow. Guests will see both, and it is nicer when each look has its own character.

Choose a length you can move in

A midi length is the most practical. You will be standing to greet people, sitting to open gifts and perhaps walking across a lawn. A hem that falls below the knee and above the ankle handles all of that.

Think about wearing it again

A good white dress rarely has only one outing. The same piece can serve again at your engagement party, a rehearsal dinner, a civil ceremony or the first dinner of the honeymoon. Choosing a clean shape now gives you a dress for the whole season of the wedding.

What to wear to a bridal shower as a guest

Avoid white, ivory and cream so the bride stands apart, and choose a soft color that suits daylight. Pastels are the easy choice: butter yellow, baby blue, powder pink, lilac and sage all photograph well beside a bride in white.

• Choose a midi or a softly cut long dress for a garden or a hotel tea, and a neat knee-length shape for a restaurant lunch.
• Very dark colors can feel heavy at a daytime party. If you prefer them, add light accessories.
• Bold prints are fine at a relaxed shower, but a plain color is the safer choice in photographs with the bride.
• If the hosts have set a palette, a soft version of one of their colors is a thoughtful gesture.

For the wedding day itself, see what to wear to a wedding as a guest.

Comfort for a daytime party

Showers often run for several hours, sometimes outdoors. Light, breathable fabrics, a waist that does not pinch when you sit, and shoes you can stand in on grass make the afternoon easier. If the venue is air-conditioned or the party runs into the evening, bring a light shawl or jacket.

Bridal shower dresses from LARMES

Examples of the kind of dress that suits each role.

For the bride

• The Sulien Dress in White: a row of covered buttons runs down the center as a quiet visual axis, and the midi length suits a daytime shower.
• The Jolie Dress in White has ruffled shoulders and knotted bows, a romantic detail that keeps it distinct from a minimal wedding gown.
• The Fanny Top and Wisteria Skirt in White is a two-piece set: a strapless top with a sweetheart neckline and a long skirt. Worn together it reads as a dress, and each piece is also sold on its own.

For guests

• The Sulien Dress in Butter Yellow shares the covered-button line of the white version in a soft, sunny color for daylight.
• The Hazel Dress in Baby Blue is a pleated midi with an asymmetric sleeve, drawing on the discreet elegance of the 1930s.
• The Liara Dress in Early Blue is a floor-length gown in pale blue for a more formal shower, such as an afternoon tea in a hotel.

Sizing and timing

Standard sizes are S, M and L, and many designs also come in XL. A standard size can be adjusted at the bust, waist and hip, or a piece can be made in a custom size from your measurements: here is how to measure yourself for a dress, and our size guide gives every size in inches and centimeters. The model in our photos is 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) tall and wears a size S.

Every piece is made to order in our Ho Chi Minh City atelier. Order at least six weeks ahead for a standard size and eight weeks for a custom size: making takes about 7 to 10 days (15 to 20 for a custom size), and international delivery usually takes 7 to 20 business days. If you might need to exchange a size, order earlier still.

Orders to the US and Canada may be charged import duties or taxes on delivery, which are not included at checkout; see our shipping policy. We offer exchanges rather than refunds. In Ho Chi Minh City you can book a fitting at our store; please contact us before you visit.

For the bride, our white dresses collection gathers every white, ivory and cream piece in one place. For guests, our wedding guest dresses include soft colors for daytime.