Velvet outfits for winter weddings: wearing it as a guest

Four ways to wear velvet as a guest

• Velvet shawl: the most flexible option. Wrap it on arrival, then drape it over one shoulder or a chair once the hall warms up. It lifts a plain chiffon or cotton silk suit instantly.
• Short velvet kurta: hip or thigh length over straight trousers or a flared palazzo, rich without being heavy.
• Velvet trousers: warm and smart under a georgette or organza kameez, so the lighter fabric does the decorating and the velvet keeps you warm.
• Velvet details: a velvet yoke, cuffs or border on a silk or jacquard kameez, which gives the look with much less weight.

Coping with a warm hall

Winter weddings are cold outside and often hot inside, with hundreds of guests, bright lights and heaters running. A full lined velvet suit can become uncomfortable within an hour. Choose velvet for the pieces you can take off or that sit away from the body, and a breathable fabric for anything close to the skin. A short-sleeved or elbow-sleeved kameez under a velvet shawl gives you two levels of warmth in one outfit.

If you will be dancing at a mehndi or dholki, velvet trousers with a lighter top move more easily than a full velvet kameez.

Colours and embellishment

Velvet deepens every colour, so jewel tones such as emerald, maroon, plum, navy and bottle green look especially rich. Black velvet with a coloured dupatta is a classic guest look. Families hosting a wedding often wear the strongest colours themselves, so a guest outfit in a deep jewel tone with restrained embellishment is a safe, elegant choice.

Velvet takes embroidery well along necklines, cuffs and borders, though dense work adds weight. We offer embellishment on outfits we stitch at three levels, from delicate to statement for parties; specific techniques are confirmed per fabric and design in your quote. See fancy work in the UK for how it is arranged.

Keeping the pile looking good on the day

Velvet’s pile crushes where it is pressed: on the back of the thighs after a long sit, under a seatbelt and where a handbag strap rests. Choose a style that is easy to smooth, carry your bag in your hand rather than on the shoulder, and sit on the edge of a long kameez rather than its velvet panel when you can. A crushed patch usually recovers with gentle steam held a short distance away; never press the face with an iron.

Travelling to the wedding? Hang velvet in a breathable garment bag and pack it last, on top, with nothing heavy resting on it.

Planning and ordering

Start well before the wedding season, as production takes 5 to 7 working days after approval and full payment and delivery time is separate. Because velvet is cut with every piece facing the same way, the design and measurements are agreed in writing before cutting. If you already have velvet, send photos of both sides of each piece and the label first. If you are dressing for a winter wedding in Manchester or anywhere else, our weekend and gatherings ideas have more. When you are ready, send us your design.