Wedding Guest
The brief for a wedding guest is quietly difficult. Be photographed well, do not compete with the bride, and stay comfortable from a church pew through to the last dance.
A brim reads beautifully outdoors and can be awkward in a packed pew. A pillbox or a headpiece leaves the face open and sits happily under a low ceiling. Every piece here is blocked to your head measurement and made by hand in the London atelier.
There is a fuller guide to choosing a wedding guest hat, including what suits a church, a marquee and a registry office.
For the guest who wants to be remembered kindly. Hats, headbands and headpieces colour matched to your outfit and made by hand in London.
Read the wedding guest hat guide
Modern wedding guest hats
What does a modern wedding guest hat look like?
Sculptural and stripped back. A hand draped headband, a small brim worn low over one eye or a single colour statement in felt or silk, with the shape doing the work in place of trim. Clean lines photograph well against a modern outfit and still read current years later.
What is a modern alternative to a fascinator?
A sculptural headband or a structured headpiece. Both sit closer to the head than a clip on fascinator, hold their shape across a long day and photograph as a deliberate part of the outfit. A hand draped silk or velvet band is the most worn of the two, followed by a small percher in matching felt.
Can a wedding guest wear a headband instead of a hat?
Yes. A couture headband is correct at any wedding, a church included, as long as it is made in an occasion fabric with real structure. It suits an indoor ceremony, a long day and hair worn up or down. A thin everyday band does not carry the same formality.
Questions
What hat should a wedding guest wear?
Choose a piece that sits well with your outfit's neckline and does not compete with the bride. A pillbox or a headpiece works for a church ceremony where a wide brim can be awkward in a pew, and a wider brim reads beautifully at an outdoor reception.
Can I order a wedding guest hat in a specific colour?
Yes. Colour is matched by hand on any bespoke commission, worked from a swatch, a photograph or a length of your own cloth. A commission takes one to four weeks from the first conversation to the finished piece, so order once your outfit is settled and the fabric is in hand.
How quickly can a wedding guest hat arrive?
Ready to wear pieces ship straight away. UK delivery takes 3 to 5 business days and is £20.00. Every parcel is tracked, insured and signed for. A bespoke commission takes one to four weeks before it ships.
Dressing the rest of the party? See mother of the bride hats and headpieces, mother of the groom hats and headbands and fascinators. On when to keep a hat on, read wedding hat etiquette. To match a colour exactly, start a commission.
Choosing yours
Three things that decide it
The venue decides the brim
A wide brim is glorious in a garden and difficult in a pew. Church or a low ceiling, go for a pillbox or a headpiece.
Colour against the bridal party
Match your own outfit, then step away from whatever the bridesmaids are wearing. Colour is matched here by hand to a swatch.
Comfort is the whole day
Weight and balance matter more than size. A piece that needs adjusting ruins every photograph you appear in.
Made for you
If your outfit needs a colour we do not have, Monika will match it by hand and make the piece for you. One to four weeks from the first conversation.