After pictures were posted from my bridal showers I received so many questions from other brides about where I found the dresses I wore so I wanted to share with you all! It’s no secret… Rent the Runway is my go to. I actually got all of the outfits I wore leading up to the wedding from RTR including these two bridal shower dresses. I would suggest to bride after bride to do the same. I do love white, don’t get me wrong. I think I would wear white every day if I could. But do I want to spend tons of money on dresses that I won’t be able to wear as a wedding guest or very frequently at all? No, thank you. Plus, Rent the Runway has so many beautiful options to chose from. It was really hard for me to decide!

We’ve all heard of the rule, “White can only be worn between Memorial Day and Labor Day.” First of all, that rule is out the window for brides obviously. Second of all, I think we can all agree that rule is just dumb. White options have become so much more popular in recent years and because of that, brides have so many good options to choose from. I know it can be overwhelming when trying to chose something so I’ve broken it down to five things to consider when choosing what you’ll flaunt on your special day(s) (A little hint: These things to consider can also be applicable to guests attire. Just opt out of the white options unless the bride says otherwise!):

• Time of Year

What is the weather going to be like? Dress options are going to vary greatly depending on the time of the year. If you’re having a shower during the colder months for example, I’d search for options that have some sort of sleeve and/or that are longer in length. Topping a dress with a cute jacket or sweater is also an option during the colder months!

• Theme

Does your shower have a theme? This usually goes hand in hand with the previous point about the time of year. I’ve seen precious themes floating around on good ol’ Pinterest such as “Fallin’ in love” for fall, “beachy” themes for summer, garden/floral themes for spring, and beautiful winter themes. Is the theme “fancy” or more casual? Bridal brunches and tea party themes are also really popular which definitely would mean dressing up a little bit more compared to if it was a Margaritaville themed shower for instance… Oh my goodness I just came up with that idea and I think it would be SO FUN!

Alright let’s roll with this Margaritaville theme… I would have a ball with it and probably wear something a little more on the casual side. Keep in mind, there is no rule that every bride has to wear white! It’s YOUR DAY! You wear whatever the heck you want to wear! However, if the theme was a little bit fancier such as a tea party, for instance, I would wear a more formal dress like some of the options towards the bottom of the post.

• Venue

It’s pretty easy to gauge what to wear by using the first two points. However, the venue location can also help. Let’s use the tea party example- if the tea party themed bridal shower is at a park outside I sure as heck wouldn’t be walking around in 4 inch heels in a lace dress (props to you if you would)! If it were at a country club, however, I would be more likely to suck it up to suffer in some heels and a tad more formal of a dress for a few hours.

• Budget

We’ve come to the sad point. Womp womp. I don’t know about you but I have really expensive taste. However, I also know that even if I did have a million dollars in my checking account (laugh out loud) I’m sure as heck not going to spend over $150 (that’s being generous) on a white dress that will most likely sit in my closet after the bridal shower is over. Every person is going to handle this differently, of course, so my biggest piece of advice is if you’re going to spend the big bucks, at least get something that you’ll get some good use out of! Oh, and make sure you REALLY love it!

• Rent or Buy

Did I mention I have expensive taste? I realized while looking through dresses to wear that 1. They were all so expensive and 2. Like I said before, I’m not going to pay $150 for something I’ll wear once or twice. I work way too hard for my money to throw it away on something like that. Donuts + Burritos > Dresses, folks. That being said, renting is the best of all worlds for me. I’m able to wear something that I absolutely love but don’t have to break the bank AND I don’t have to fill my closet up with stuff that will collect dust or that will maybe not fit me someday… I could go on and on about Rent the Runway so I’ll just say this- there are tons and tons of options to chose from and the renting process is so simple! I’ve received compliments on everything I’ve worn from them and I’m always so quick and completely unashamed to say, “It’s from Rent the Runway!”

First Bridal Shower Dress (my absolute favorite and perfect for winter showers!) | Second Bridal Shower Dress

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Here are some of my favorite options to buy for different seasons, themes, venues, and price ranges-