39 best wedding guest dresses for year-round nuptials

Searching for the best wedding guest dresses is a stressful ordeal, no matter the time of year, 'cos while it may be someone else's ‘big day’ that you're attending, you still want a few compliments yourself – right?

Finding the right frock(s) can sometimes feel like a never ending and overwhelming task, but, in order to gain that ‘best dressed’ title, it's a necessary one. So what is there to consider? First; you need to nail the wedding dress code. Is it black tie? Casual? A garden-type affair? Next; is the dress in question too short? Is it versatile enough for you to want to wear it again? Is it too bold?

Luckily, there is very little in the way of a wedding guest dress rule book – other than no white, obvs – but what type of dress is best for a wedding guest? Our top tips are; don't outshine the bride or bridesmaids and try not to opt for something you'd wear on a night out (i.e. anything too revealing) – grandparents will likely be present, remember.

Skip to: How we chose the best wedding guest dresses | Shop the best wedding guest dresses.

Consider the season, too (there's nothing worse than donning a long-sleeve wedding guest dress in the summer), and don't stray too far from your budget. There are plenty of affordable wedding guest dresses on the high street that look endlessly more expensive than they actually are, and remember you should always shop your own wardrobe first. Don't stress about buying a wedding guest outfit on top of a wedding gift and hen party look when you probably already own exactly what you're looking for. That said, here's some inspo if you really can't find a thing:

As a team of 30+ people here at GLAMOUR HQ, we attend a fair few weddings each year, so it's safe to say we know the struggles of finding an outfit (or several). That said, it's also our job to know which brands are worth spending your money on and what trends are living up to the hype, so we've combined all this experience – along with customer reviews and search data – to curate a list of what we feel is the best wedding guest dresses on the market. We've rifled through (and even tried on) the good and the bad so you don't have to, and have paid particular attention to specifics like cost, fabrics, sustainability and wearability in order to narrow it down. Our aim is to find you pieces which will last, so take your time and happy shopping.

For more from GLAMOUR UK's Commerce Writer Georgia Trodd, follow her on Instagram @georgiatrodd.