Wedding Guest Dress Trends for 2024
One thing that remains constant about life is weddings. It's 2024 and weddings have picked up from where they stopped in 2023. The only thing changing about them are the trends, especially the wedding dress trends. We, however, like we did last week are putting that on hold for today and doubling down on wedding guests' fashion trends.
In this first of a three part series of wedding guest attire, we look at what fashion trends ladies' dresses will take on, at weddings in 2024.
1. The Floral dress
Floral dresses never go out of fashion because they are chic for both the younger guests and the not so young. You could consider having them in brighter colours or the darker shades. Whichever way you wear your florals in 2024, you will definitely be trending.
Florals can also be worn dark. Ideal for those with a light skinned complexion Credit: Bella Dostey (Pinterest)2. A touch of African print
While African wear is increasingly becoming a part of wedding dresses, most guests would prefer to just flash a bit of it into their wedding dress. In East Africa, the 'Kitengi' and 'Kikoyi' are subtly pieced into a cotton or linen dress. West Africans on the other hand piece in a bit of Ankara or Kente designs into their dresses. The look is definitely the same, perhaps only the names differ. This trend is definitely going to continue in 2024.
3. The Long dress
Wedding fashion is as versatile as the guests that are invited and most guests tend to wear long dresses to formal functions but play around with the styles. Some create accessories around them like shoulder pieces, fascinators while others wear then with long slits. Many in especially the western part of Africa wear them shimmering with matching headdresses and they look like queens. Long dresses have a story of their own depending on the culture and outlook, some wear them for comfort, others for decency while for many they are a sign of prestige- wearing one will make you look respectable. Given these diverse sentiments, you definitely will continue to see the long dress trend in 2024.
The famous 'little black dress' that apparently every woman has in their closest is never shy of visiting weddings. It's like a man's black suit. It was here last year and it will be here going forward. It's how you wear it that matters. Will it be flared, skimpy or body-hugging? Do you want it with a back or front slit? That said, the black dress doesn't necessarily have to be 'little' for it to grace weddings. Lately, ladies wear to weddings black in all designs and comforts.
5. The African print
While many prefer, just a touch of the African print to accessorize their wedding dresscode, the full African print is also still trendy and we expect to see more of it in 2024. In fact, this fashion trend was the most requested wedding attire by brides in 2023 here at Nyom Planet, but incidentally they were not requesting it for just themselves but for their guests too because for most, the wedding theme was along the same lines.
6. The formal wear
While many office goers want to throw off the formalities as soon as they step out of office, those who embraced remote working especially after the COVID-19 pandemic prefer the exact opposite. One could say, they don't know what to do with their office wardrobe from yesteryears but who cares for the reasons? They now come to party the way they used to go to office. We saw flashes of that in both 2022 and 2023 and we expect the trend to continue in 2024 as more people continue to embrace remote work.
7. The ball gown
Ball gowns are always in vogue just because they are ball gowns. If well tailored, a ball gown never fails to flatter the wearer or capitative the onlooker. Their elaborate skirts and sometimes accompanying trains could be from materials such as lace to African print or even sequin. They give the wedding guests a feel of loyalty with every stride and if accompanied with the right shoes, any one can be a queen in their gown. And 2024 will be full of queens!
8. The flared dress
No party look beats a flared dress when tailored and worn to perfection. Whether short or long-sleeved, light or heavy materials, the flared dress oozes elegance. Usually designed to give the wedding guest freedom to hop around the reception or dance with ease, many partygoers prefer to wear these dresses to the wedding reception. Coupled with high-heels, it's easy to feel like a model on the runway.
9. The red dress
Like we told you a few weeks back, a red dress is just one of the pics for a valentine's day wedding. Yet because red oozes passion, love and romance, it's simply criminal to have a wardrobe without a red dress. If not for your own dates, there should be one for the late evening parties or better still for weddings. Little red dresses like their black counterparts will always bail you out not just for red-themed wedding receptions but also for any wedding because red is timeless.
10. The Knee-length dress
The knee-length dress is perhaps the most versatile dress you could wear in 2024 because it has also been the most versatile in the last 50 years. If you struggle with what is decent and what isn't, in other words, you simply want to feel safe in your dress, then the knee-length dress is for you. You can choose to wear it pleated, or flared, or body-hugging or even buttoned or zipped as a design on the front, back or on the sides. Our only advice is wear it with heels if you want to ooze confidence.
11. The short dress
We spoke earlier about the little black dress and its red cousin but all sorts of short dresses will be at weddings come 2024 simply because they call the shots. When a woman wears their short dress, they stand tall (no pun intended). Confidence, morale and attention are all at an all time high. Many women like that combination being in their favour. Short dresses have the same effect on a woman that old school suspenders and beltless pants have on a man, when won at a wedding, not only is the function memorable, most likely the guest becomes the memory. Be careful therefore how short you wear that short dress!
12. The Accessories
Headpieces, necklaces, bracelets, brooches, anklets, fascinators, earrings, purses are all part of the great ensemble that will accessorize ladies' attire in 2024. The headpieces and fascinators usually accentuate the dress and can either match the shoes or the dress while the purses, earrings, anklets and other accompanying jewelry are normal dresscode and will continue trending this year in their different shapes and colours.
Now that you have your wedding reception dresses for 2024, catch us next time as we tell you what else you can wear to weddings in 2024 outside dresses. In the meantime feel free to reach us at planner@nyomplanet.com for all ypour wedding planning needs around East Africa.
