Your Wedding Occasion Looks, Curated
A wedding stopped being just a wedding sometime within the past handful of decades, surely. It’s now common to find an extended schedule that stretches out months ahead of the actual nuptials, with showers, bachelorette to-dos (often destination, natch), and weekend-of events.
The glass-half-empty response to these developments could border on fun fatigue, but we prefer a sunnier outlook: Just think of all the additional opportunities to get dressed!
Because a wedding (and its extra moments) are about celebration, which translates most reliably, fashion-wise, to silhouettes and colors that have joy embedded deeply in their DNA. Every cocktail hour and dinner and after-dinner drink is a chance to pick something that elicits that special zing only really good fashion can evoke. Sure, you could reach for that thing you’ve had hanging in the back of your closet for years—but you’d only be cheating yourself out of the chance to live it up glamorously.
With an eye to the events most commonly seen on a wedding-reveler’s schedule—the bachelorette party, bridal shower, and main event—we curated looks from Nordstrom’s thoughtfully organized Wedding Shop. The trick, of course, is to comb through the extensive selection of (very good) pieces to find things that look as if they could exist on the same mood board. From attitude to energy, the silhouette and palette should live and breath the same special something.
That’s how great outfits come together, after all—for every well-dressed guest (and bride) alike.
Bride in a ’Tini Bit
The trend that feels spot-on for a weekend spent celebrating the bride and company? Clean, almost minimalistic shapes that could have been plucked from a chic ’90s fashion editorial. Think a white mini (accented with a bow for the smallest dash of sweetness) and sculptural golden heels that ring in under $100. And because this isn’t the actual wedding day, a spot of bright color feels totally right. We love this chartreuse shoulder bag.
Afternoon-Tea Shower
When it comes to weddings, tradition often still reigns supreme. The bridal shower is perhaps the most feminine moment of the entire extended celebration, with grandmothers and great-aunts coming to toast the blushing star. Give in to the pull of pretty flowers and romantic prints. A floral-print dress is always a good idea—and in cotton, easy to dress up or down—and a pearlized clutch brings a flirty, sweet feel. The maraschino cherry on top? Floral drop earrings.
Black-Tie Affair
For the main event, it’s all about sophisticated elegance. The ideal is timeless: You want something you’ll see in photos decades from now and think, I’d still wear that today. A strapless column gown is decade-proof. Same goes for slingback heels (though embroidered mesh gives them the perfect bit of summer ’25 cool). Finish off the romantic theme with golden hairpins: Plated in 18-karat gold, these pretty flowers are essentially jewelry for your hair.
elle
