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You are here: Home / STYLE / Fashion / What to wear to a summer wedding when you’re eight months pregnant

What to wear to a summer wedding when you’re eight months pregnant

August 1, 2014 by Molly 16 Comments

Summer wedding maternity wearI’ve been preoccupied for the past couple of months. Every spare moment – on the loo, waiting for the kettle to boil, the moments before sleep at night – has been spent searching. It’s been a long and arduous hunt but, finally, it’s reached an end: I’ve found an outfit to wear to a wedding later this summer, when I will be around eight months pregnant.

Wedding outfits stress me out generally anyway – there’s a certain irony in the fact I found getting an outfit for my wedding the easiest of all. As a guest I always worry that I’ll be a) over-dressed b) under-dressed or c) wearing something someone else is wearing. Wear the right outfit and you can feel pretty good. Wear the wrong outfit and you can feel pretty bad. For me, it’s that simple. 

The wedding we’re going to at the end of the summer is going to be a brilliant one. There’ll be a few old friends there who we haven’t seen in a while. The couple getting married are good friends from long before Frog existed. It’s a special wedding and, while I don’t mind having this big old belly, I don’t want to look like a trussed up hippo.

And that’s why I need to give a big thank you to my pal at The Motherhood, Fashion Editor and style blogger extraordinaire Erica Davies, who also blogs at Modern Mum Must-Have. After admitting my search for the perfect maternity summer wedding outfit was proving fruitless, Erica suggested Keungzai, a womenswear, nursing wear and designer maternity wear brand.

Erica sent me a picture of this dress. It was *the* dress. On screen, it looked like I might have finally found something to wear to the wedding. It was the right length, not too long and not too short. It was the right colour, a delicate grey. It was the right material, a soft and luxurious jersey fabric.

And now, it’s mine…

maternity wedding outfit

I was really tempted to buy a maxi dress for the wedding, mainly to hide my swollen feet and ankles, but maxis have a habit of making me look shorter than I am and – at the moment – even rounder. The length of this dress is perfect, because it covers the upper thigh area I hate at the moment and skims just above the knee.

(I was trying to work out a way to do a post about the dress without having to include a photo of me in it, mainly because the NLM takes awful photos and sharing lots of photos of myself makes me feel a bit cringey. But I couldn’t, so… sorry.)

Keungzai dress

I’ve teamed it with a pair of bright pink pointy ballet flats from Next. I went up half a size to accommodate the puffy pregnant feet. Because these don’t have any straps across the front of my foot, they’re actually comfier than any of my flat sandals. The pointy toe also helps elongate my foot and (I hope) distract from the cankles.

I’ve also bought a yellow draped longline cardigan from River Island, which helps keep me warm AND act as a cover up for my ever-increasing backside.

maternity dressThe drape on the Keungzai dress is hugely flattering. It falls delicately across the bump and scoops in at the bust, creating a lovely shape. The tops of the arms are skimmed by the clever cut of the sleeves – again, hugely flattering.

And the best thing about it? It doesn’t have to be worn as a maternity dress. There are no extra panels, ruching or pleats, giving it a life far longer than just a few months. When you’re spending more than £100 on a dress that’s a big plus.

Accessorize necklace

The bright necklace adds another pop of colour to the outfit. It’s from Accessorize and features the pink and bright yellow of the cardigan and shoes.

I know, for some, the idea of spending lots of money on maternity clothes is a bit of a waste. And I can see where they’re coming from – spending hundreds of pounds on dresses and trousers you’ll only wear for a limited time does seem a bit indulgent. But if you can wear the clothes long past pregnancy AND they make you feel good at a time when your confidence might not be at its peak then, well, I reckon it’s an investment worth making.

Keungzai also sent me a beautiful wrap front nursing dress which I’m sure will get lots of wear as the weather turns cooler right at the end of this pregnancy, and then when I have tiny baby to feed too. I’ll post about that another time, once the NLM has recovered from being roped into helping take the photos.

Have you got any pieces in your wardrobe which have helped you feel amazing during pregnancy?

***

Thank you to Keungzai for sending me this beautiful dress and allowing me to feature it here. 

 

Filed Under: Fashion, MOTHERHOOD, Pregnancy, STYLE Tagged With: Keungzai, maternity fashion, pregnancy fashion, summer wedding outfit

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Comments

  1. Daniel Taylor says

    August 25, 2014 at 7:14 am

    Really it is very difficult to choose the right outfit so that you can feel pretty good, specially in Weddings when you are 5-8 months pregnant. Your dress is really very good and comfortable. If you want more Maternity dresses, you can go with maternitywear.com.au.

    Reply
  2. Grandma from the north says

    August 7, 2014 at 7:40 pm

    So flattering and love the colours together. Make sure to wear it at ours! xx

    Reply
  3. Carie says

    August 3, 2014 at 9:04 pm

    Yay for having found such a lovely dress – I definitely agree that it’s worth spending a little bit on a really good dress that makes you feel amazing and you look stunning!

    Reply
  4. Becky Arber says

    August 2, 2014 at 9:00 am

    Molly Molly Molly!! I wish I’d looked that hot when I was pregnant!! You look beaut lady!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      August 3, 2014 at 5:57 pm

      Ha – I love you Becky! I feel hot, but not in *that* way. The dress is pretty amazing though isn’t it?! xx

      Reply
  5. grenglish says

    August 2, 2014 at 8:19 am

    You look so pretty!!

    I went to weddings at 5 and 8 months pregnant and had a nightmare trying to find something to wear. I did eventually find something online but it looked like a tent and made my bump seem twice as big as it actually was.

    I love the dress you have chosen as it’s super stylish as well as flattering. Hope you have a fab time x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      August 3, 2014 at 5:58 pm

      Oh I know the tent feeling. It’s the reason I can’t do the smock dress thing. Some pregnant women own that look but I just can’t seem to pull it off! x

      Reply
  6. Erica says

    August 1, 2014 at 8:16 pm

    You look so gorgeous! I am very happy that you are happy with it! Have an amazing time xxx

    Reply
    • Molly says

      August 1, 2014 at 9:45 pm

      Thanks Erica! And thanks again for the amazing tip. xxx

      Reply
  7. Jodie says

    August 1, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    You look absolutely amazing!! I love the dress and totally love your bump!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      August 1, 2014 at 9:45 pm

      Thank you – it’s amazing how a beautiful dress can make you feel great! x

      Reply
  8. ghostwritermummy says

    August 1, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    LOVE LOVE LOVE!! Oh my goodness like I need any more maternity clothes but gosh that dress is gorgeous!! *Googles frantically*
    Also love the cardi. Need to get to River Island!! You look absolutely stunning- no cankles at all!
    x x x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      August 1, 2014 at 9:46 pm

      They’re definitely there – I think the shoes help! Thanks lovely, if I look half as good as you then I’ll be pleased! xxx

      Reply
  9. Boo Roo and Tigger Too says

    August 1, 2014 at 7:09 pm

    Oh Molly you look gorgeous! witwoo!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      August 1, 2014 at 7:40 pm

      Ah – thank you! It’s the dress, I swear. Miracle worker.

      Reply

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  1. » In The Press: Molly Forbes at Mother’s Always Right Blog reviews the Drape Front DressKeungzai - Blog says:
    August 6, 2014 at 1:17 pm

    […] reviews our dress on her blog Mother’s Always Right and looks just […]

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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Hello. How are you? . I’ve noticed something th Hello. How are you? 
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I’ve noticed something this lockdown that feels different to first time... the sense of people being more disconnected than ever, more divided, more isolated. 
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Maybe it’s because we’re all on our last nerve now - the loss, sacrifice and stress is amplified that bit more. 
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And we’re so deep in it, often confined in our thoughts at home, our only connection with the outside world via a screen, that it becomes harder to appreciate our differences in circumstances. 
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We forget that we are all just humans muddling through a global pandemic, trying to come out of it alive, with our minds intact and hopefully our jobs too. 
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We’re angry, sad, frustrated, scared. And in the absence of those regular social connections we need a place to direct those feelings. The social media platforms and comments sections on news sites have never been so busy. 
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Except it’s not just faceless people on the internet that we’re upset with anymore. It’s our neighbours, family and friends. 
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Dr Vivek Murthy wrote about the importance of social connections and community in his book Together, pointing out that loneliness has the same impact on mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. 
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We are sociable creatures. We need community not just to thrive but to survive. 
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So check in with your friends today. Maybe even send them a voice note. Don’t assume you know how they’re doing based on their latest Facebook post. We need to get through this together, not apart ❤️
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[Image description: Molly is looking at the camera, smiling in a tired, resigned sort of way. She’s outside and is wearing a fantastic hat that her husband says looks like a tea cosy.]
✨Art from @emilycoxhead gorgeous book You Are In ✨Art from @emilycoxhead gorgeous book You Are Incredible Just As You Are✨
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A reminder that loving every bit of ourselves isn’t just about embracing all the parts on the outside, but also about accepting - and maybe even celebrating - the bits on the inside too. 
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I’ll go first: I am a worrier and have a tendency to think deeply on things. If we’ve ever had a disagreement - be it an exchange on Twitter in 2018 or a row in the playground in 1992 you bet I’ve stored that away in my brain ready to ruminate on in the depths of a night when I can’t sleep. 
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But in the spirit of loving every bit of ourselves I say that rather than looking at these parts of ourselves as “flaws”, we choose instead to view them with loving kindness and a heavy dose of self-compassion. 
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I worry because I am sensitive, and I care. This sometimes means I’m more vulnerable to allowing others’ opinions of me have too much power... but it also means I feel remorse when I make mistakes and try my very best to learn from them. 
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And this also means I work hard in everything I do because I genuinely care about doing a good job. Meanwhile, my tendency to think deeply on stuff means I’m able to see the nuance in things and appreciate other perspectives, because as I grasp for an answer I often find two things can be true at the same time. 
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These are not traits I would view as “pathetic” or “needy” or “indecisive” in my kids and I would never tell them to “just get over it”, so I’m trying to remember this for myself too.
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Tell me, what parts of the inner you are you working on learning to love? 
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[Image description: A double page spread from Emily Coxhead’s book You Are Incredible. It’s a yellow page with a red heart and white writing which reads “Here’s to loving every bit of you.”]
Let’s talk joyful movement and.... PRIVILEGE! A Let’s talk joyful movement and.... PRIVILEGE! A nice juicy subject for a Thursday evening 😅
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I absolutely love to see the narrative shift (albeit ever so slightly) to the intrinsic benefits of movement. The focus on intuitive movement and moving our bodies for how it makes us FEEL over how it makes us LOOK brings me huge happiness. 
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When it comes to my own family - here are some of the privileges we live with which make movement easier for us: 
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✨ We live in an area with access to lots of safe green spaces to play and walk.
✨ We can afford to pay for a gym membership, and extra curricular activities for the kids like gymnastics, Street Dance and swimming.
✨ We have access to the technology needed to take part in online classes over lockdown.
✨ We are non-disabled so experience no physical access issues preventing us from joining in with these activities. 
✨ Our work schedule allows us to get out together during daylight hours. 
✨ None of us lives with a mental health condition which might make getting outside / engaging in movement really hard or even impossible.
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Kids access to movement is not equal so if we really care about encouraging more children to move then, as a nation, we need to level the playing field (pun intended). 
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Some accounts which often discuss movement and privilege: @thephitcoach @amysnellingpt @theaishanash ❤️
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[Image description: Molly and her two daughters standing on top of a hill smiling, with their arms in the air.]
It’s pretty well accepted that certain “fad di It’s pretty well accepted that certain “fad diets” are not the one. But if our definition of diet culture stops there, and we fail to see how diet culture IS fatphobic in its very nature - and that it absolutely depends on a collective cultural fear and vilification of fatness then we’ll never get anywhere with tearing it down.
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Dressing up fatphobia as “health concern”, or “tough love” or “helping people” is just a fluffy way of saying you don’t acknowledge the huge complexity around health, or the many factors that impact weight, or the research showing the harmful (and unhealthy) impact of weight stigma, or the evidence into the long term effectiveness of diets and intentional weight loss. 
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Children pick up on these messages and learn from an early age that “fat = bad”, and to see some bodies as better, and more deserving of love and respect than others. This could be why we’re seeing a rising number of pre-teens with eating disorders and mental health issues associated with poor body image. 
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Yes we need to lose the fad diets. But we also need to lose the deeper prejudices and anti-fat biases that make them profitable in the first place, otherwise they’ll just continue to show up in different ways, coming in ever more aggressive and insidious ways for our kids.
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(Image description: A yellow slide with multicolour shapes and a screenshot of a tweet overlaid which reads “FYI you can’t be simultaneously anti-diet culture and pro fatphobia. (And yes, fatphobia includes continuously asking “But what about health?” and not listening to the answer...)
You might have missed this in the news over Christ You might have missed this in the news over Christmas. It didn’t get nearly the same amount of coverage as all the diet-related features that are everywhere right now. It was hidden away behind the before and after “amazing weight loss” stories, celeb diet plans and “o*esity causes covid” headlines. But that doesn’t make it any less shocking or heartbreaking. 
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I believe there’s a link between the rise in children being diagnosed with eating disorders and the rise in children suffering poor body image. These issues are fallout from a culture that idolises thinness, vilifies fatness and continually promotes one, narrow, over-simplified version of health. 
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Diet culture is coming increasingly aggressively for children, and the pandemic with the huge mental health toll it’s taken has not helped one bit. We already knew the number of pre-teens diagnosed with anorexia in the last decade had doubled, and it seems the figures are rising even higher. We need change. Fast. 
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[Image description: a section from a news article about rising numbers of children suffering with eating disorders. Full text can be found in Alt Text.]
I’ve been looking a lot at old photos lately. Th I’ve been looking a lot at old photos lately. This pic is from summer 2018, when I could hug my mum and travel abroad on holiday. If I close my eyes I can almost feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, smell the salty sea air and hear the laughter of other families playing on the beach. Holding on to these memories and the hope that the hugs, sunshine and bikinis will come again one day. In the meantime it’s video calls, trackie bottoms and WhatsApp. ❄️☀️ 
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[Image description: Molly and her mum standing on a beach in France, in 2018. They are both wearing brightly coloured bikinis, hugging and smiling. It’s a hot sunny day and the sky is blue.]
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