I’ve been on the hunt for an outfit for an upcoming wedding this weekend l, as I’ve been eating healthy and toning through yoga I didn’t want to get one too soon as I wanted it to fit perfectly for the day. 
 
So I when I was invited down to the Simply Be Store in Doncaster to take a look at their new ranges I knew what I was on the hunt for. 
 
The wedding I’m going to is quite a casual affair, a simple registery office followed by a big old party with family. But I wanted to look at all options of dress as I wanted to pull together a good guide for all types of weddings from formal to casual. 
 
Firstly I was offered Buck’s Fizz as soon as I arrived (as were other customers too!) which you’ve got to love! It was their big brand weekend so they had decorated the store with balloons and even had cakes at the till point-big nom! I must admit I do like it when there’s a little extra happening in a store to make the shopping experience that little bit different. 
   

I had the help of a lovely lady whose name now escapes me but she helped pick out dresses for me based upon my brief- which was:
1. Must be long enough to bend down in
2.No body con
I wasn’t all that difficult really! We scoured the shop and added everything to a little rail as we went around, and then picked up some shoes to go with each outfit.
The changing rooms were great and Mr E even got to sit down on a lovely velvet sofa whilst he waited for me and obligingly took photos. 
The other sales assistants were lovely to him and he said he enjoyed himself (I know right!) 
There was also a magic mirror which you can take photos of yourself in , print them out or email them to yourself. I could literally spend hours on it and it was my favourite novelty part of the trip!
  
 Anyway now to the dresses! My first 3 picks were all longer length items:  
 

First up was this  AX Paris Crochet Lace Maxi Dress (£70) which was the first pick in the shop. You can’t see so well on me but there’s a slit at the bust too which shows a little bit of cleave and it also has padding to help it keep shape, it also means you can go braless which I did here (racy I know right?!?lol) it also helps as the straps are cut into the neckline as you can see in the collage pic. I paired it with the  Sole Diva Block Heel Sandals (£25) which are a lovely nude with rose gold metallic detail , they also come in a back and gold variant ,and for £25 I think they are pretty reasonable. They were a little lower than what I’d usually wear, and because they were the EEE fit ones my feet were sliding through a bit. I think I may have been more tempted by them if they’d had them in the narrower fit Instore in my size but you can’t win them all. 

The next outfit was the Kelly Brook Printed Jumpsuit (£45) which was a last minute addition to the rail. I don’t wear jumpsuits as I have a very long body so they often cut me off at the wrong place or even give me the dreaded camel toe! (On a side note I said this to my mum the other day and she didn’t know what a camel toe was! I don’t think I actually explained it either oops)

This one didn’t do that but the waistband fell straight across my stomach which wasn’t great. It was such a shame as I really liked he rest of it! As it was cuffed at the bottom it would also be a good length on shorter people as well as being a good length for my tallness!

The last long length dress was this Little Mistress Embellished Maxi Dress (£65) this was my favourite of the longer dresses, the embellishment was lovely with a rose gold/gold tones to it and it just fit perfectly everywhere. It was even long enough for me which can be hard to find. 

The next 3 were all shorter styles :   

You may have seen this dress in the new Simply Be advert: Kelly Brook Print Jersey Wrap Dress (£45)  I nearly didn’t try it on as it was verging on body con but as it wraps across the bust and drapes over my stomach area and then stretches over my bum and legs making me actually have a bit of shape! It’s a great length too as it just hits the top of my knee.

I added these black platforms: Sole Diva Platform Sandals (£35) which fit great and were really comfy and this statement necklace White Statement Necklace (£16) too which I thought made the whole outfit look a bit younger. I also sneaked a little belt on but it’s not needed really as the shape of the dress is perfect! 

This orange dress Pleated Skater Dress with Lace Detail (£60)( or tomato red as per the website)  was lovely. It had amazing eyelash lace detail and a great pleated skirt coming out from the waist. I kept the same sandals on this time but thought it didn’t need any jewellery but I’d maybe wear it with some gold bracelets so I didn’t feel jewellery free! 

This was an 18 and fit great however it was tight around the arms as the short sleeves are a mid-length and don’t stretch it meant I had limited movement (I did check and I could still do the YMCA so still wedding appropriate!) 

Last but not least is the Little Mistress Print Prom Dress (£60). A simple design with belt included. It also had a netting to make the skirt of the prom style stick out more. I tried on lower shoes with this one as it was that bit shorter but it was still a little too short for a wedding for someone my height that will be most likely bending down to run around after my nephew! If you’re under 5 7 or are tall and child free it would still be perfect! I paired it with these shoes which were a 7 and they fit! Sole Diva Peep Toe Shoe (£30) considering I’m usually a 9 that just shows how much an extra width fitting can get you. I liked these but they were slightly too formal and not something I’d wear a lot.

I had such a fab time and left feeling fab as there wasn’t one dress I felt terrible in (there was a very short one that was blog innapropriate, 5ft ladies holler as it would look lovely on you! ) I came away with a dress* and a pair of shoes and a the white necklace as I just loved it! Can you guess which dress/shoes combo I chose? Keep an eye on Instagram tomorrow as I’ll be getting ready for the wedding then and will reveal all!