What Should You Wear To A Zoom Wedding?

The good news: waist-up dressing means you can forego uncomfortable shoes.

Zoom wedding hero image - 27 dresses

by Laura Antonia Jordan |
Updated on

Sure, sure, getting married is stressful. But pity the poor guests who must navigate the social minefield that is the modern wedding (budgets, booze and bizarre seating arrangements are just the icing on the five-tier cake) with unwavering cheeriness. Oh, and all without the promise of a Happily Ever After… at the end of it.

Nothing, however, can be quite as bamboozling to a wedding guest as what to wear. Dress codes are daunting, they threaten to wreak havoc on our sense of style. Ask yourself, is there any other event that would sway a normally rational woman into a fascinator? Thought not.

And now, just as you were getting to grips with what to wear to a wedding – thanks to coronavirus, they’re all cancelled (well, for now). Or, increasingly, moving to Zoom. The rise of the virtual wedding brings with it a whole new host of ‘but what to wear?’ worries. This is unchartered territory, after all.

But in the spirit of rose-tinted romance, let’s look at the wins for the virtual wedding dress code. First off, as nobody will be able to see them, you can consciously uncouple from those shoes you can’t stand in. In fact, do away with standing around for hours on end altogether, it’s time to take your pew on the sofa. You can also say ‘cheerio’ to silly hats, even the most high-maintenance couple would admit they’re a bit much in this new context. You can quit worrying about fabrics that will crease on the journey there, leave the control pants in your underwear drawer and forget about cramming everything into a postage-stamp clutch.

That’s what’s off the menu, but what’s on it? For starters, make sure, like an IRL wedding, you choose something that is special enough to show respect for the occasion (arguably this matters more than ever, logging on in your pyjamas hardly says ‘I am honoured to be here’) but not so special that it says ‘all eyes on me please’. Zoom is the spiritual home of waist-up dressing, so interesting collars and shoulder detailing is a win here – frills, flounces and ruffles denote just the right amount of romance. Statement earrings and hair accessories are also your friends now. Be warned, the laptop glare can be infamously unforgiving: bolder colours and graphic patterns work better on camera than ditsy prints and wishy-washy pastels.

Remember too that some rules do still apply – primarily, wear white at your own risk. And if you still can’t grin and bear it? A ‘bad WIFI connection’ excuse works wonders.

SHOP: What To Wear To A Virtual Wedding

Gallery

What To Wear To A Virtual Wedding

Charles & Keith x Cecilie Bahsen, Quilted Recycled Mules, £2151 of 24

Charles & Keith x Cecilie Bahsen, Quilted Recycled Mules, £215

Ghost, Clea Dress, £1292 of 24

Ghost, Clea Dress, £129

Anthropologie, Swarovski Crystal Headband, £79,3 of 24

Anthropologie, Swarovski Crystal Headband, £79,

Zara, Voluminous Rustic Dress, £49.994 of 24

Zara, Voluminous Rustic Dress, £49.99

Anthropologie, Pack of 2 Junie Stone-Embellished Hair Barette, £225 of 24

Anthropologie, Pack of 2 Junie Stone-Embellished Hair Barette, £22

& Other Stories, High Neck Ruched Midi Dress, £896 of 24

& Other Stories, High Neck Ruched Midi Dress, £89

Rixo, Lolita floral-print cotton mini dress, £1957 of 24

Rixo, Lolita floral-print cotton mini dress, £195

Uterque, Stone Earrings, £498 of 24

Uterque, Stone Earrings, £49

Mango, Ruched floral dress, £49.999 of 24

Mango, Ruched floral dress, £49.99

Mango, Pearl Hoops Earrings, £12.9910 of 24

Mango, Pearl Hoops Earrings, £12.99

Ganni, Printed Cotton Mini Dress, £19511 of 24

Ganni, Printed Cotton Mini Dress, £195

Arket, Gathered One-Sleeve Blouse, £5912 of 24

Arket, Gathered One-Sleeve Blouse, £59

Dune, Slip On Mule Sandals, £11013 of 24

Dune, Slip On Mule Sandals, £110

Topshop, Blue Poplin Smock Midi Dress, £3914 of 24

Topshop, Blue Poplin Smock Midi Dress, £39

ASOS, satin wild flower print maxi dress, £9515 of 24

ASOS, satin wild flower print maxi dress, £95

A.W.A.K.E, Cutout draped crepe top, £42516 of 24

A.W.A.K.E, Cutout draped crepe top, £425

& Other Stories, Dangling Pearl Pendant Earrings, £1717 of 24

& Other Stories, Dangling Pearl Pendant Earrings, £17

COS, Asymmetric Shoulder Detail Dress, £7918 of 24

COS, Asymmetric Shoulder Detail Dress, £79

H&M, Off-the-shoulder dress, £24.9919 of 24

H&M, Off-the-shoulder dress, £24.99

Kenneth Jay Lane, Gold-tone clip earrings, £8020 of 24

Kenneth Jay Lane, Gold-tone clip earrings, £80

Manu Atelier, Heeled sandals, £26021 of 24

Manu Atelier, Heeled sandals, £260

Zara, Gem Earrings, £15.9922 of 24

Zara, Gem Earrings, £15.99

Stine Goya, Irene metallic floral-jacquard peplum top, £19023 of 24

Stine Goya, Irene metallic floral-jacquard peplum top, £190

Uterque, Printed Linen Dress, £12024 of 24

Uterque, Printed Linen Dress, £120

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