What to Wear to a Summer Wedding

last updated 27 July 2020

Disclaimer—this dress was by no means originally under $100, but today I’m sharing how I scored the last-minute buy for a mere $59. In short, it was a little (okay, maybe a lot of) luck and great timing. The full story is this…

So I’m running early to meet a friend for drinks in NYC, and to kill some time, I pop into Rag & Bone, which is right around the corner. (Let me also preface this by saying I had no intention of buying a new look for my friend’s wedding that weekend, because I had just paid rush pricing to have my original look altered in time for my travels.) Next thing you know, I’m sifting through the racks, spot this beautiful silky dress, and decide to entertain myself and slip it on. It fits nicely, but I’m not interested in dropping the $375 sale price (originally $550). Still, naturally, I walk out to get better lighting, and the sale associate mentions that all sale items are an additional 30% off. Okay, now I’m considering.

I send a photo of it to my mom (see below), who approves, so I convince myself I need it. You know, the ole I’ll wear it again routine. Plus, I’m just now remembering that a $150 gift card to Rag & Bone has been floating in my purse for about a year. So up to checkout I go, and the sale associate excites me with more great news: The dress is actually further marked down, so it’s on sale for $275, bringing my total—with the additional 30% discount and $150 gift card—to a smooth $59. I guess saving gift cards and impulsively sale-shopping pays off, right?

Another tip to note when shopping for a wedding-guest dress and something I’ve learned is you can’t go wrong with a simple slip dress. As you can see below, colorful slip dresses were a theme among my friend group at this particular wedding. We even had a conversation about how we don’t feel as guilty purchasing a slip dress for a wedding because we’re guaranteed to wear it again. Not to mention the loose silhouette lends a comfortable fit, which is never a bad thing when you’re eating and dancing for a wedding celebration.

Scroll down to see the gorgeous Rag & Bone dress and snag it for yourself while it’s still on sale. Plus, shop more of my favorite affordable slip dresses at the end.