For some, a courthouse wedding doesn’t need any dressing up, but not so for the stylish woman, especially if the location is an upscale court like the infamous ‘Ikoyi registry’. While the registry wedding calls for a toned-down ‘civil’ look, who says you can’t find outfit styles that ooze both of style and elegance? If you’re looking for cool ideas of what to wear to a court wedding (in Nigeria or anywhere at all), in this post we’re presenting 10 elegantly chic court wedding dress styles some stylish Nigerian brides wore to get married at the courthouse. Also in this post, I shared 5 ways to make your court wedding attire stand out and special – read to the end to see the tips. Now, swipe or scroll down to see the inspirational pictures on what to wear for your court wedding.
#1, 2, 3: Formal Short and Knee-Length Fitted Gowns for Registry Wedding – Accessorized with Bridal Hats | Monochrome White Look
- SIMILAR STYLES: Stunning Short English Gown Styles for Occasion Dressing
Above left, this bride wears a white off-shoulder fit-and-flare court wedding dress with high-low ruffle hem. She completes her registry wedding look with a matching colour white hat, black court shoes/ pumps, and a little black clutch purse to match her shoes. | Middle (above): This is a monochrome look with a fit-n-flare white high-low lace court wedding gown, white pumps (shoes) and a matching white feather fascinator birdcage that features an over-the-eye french netting. | Right (above): White knee-length long-sleeve scuba material bodycon gown with high-neck. She accessorized the look with a fascinator net hat. | Choose from any of the above styles of fitted monochrome white dresses and ensure to add the right accessories, as in the pictures, to get the perfect but simple bridal look for your registry wedding.
#4: Sexy and Sleek Bridal Jumpsuit for Court Wedding
Above, this bride wears a cream/champagne-colored high-neck and illusion lace-top satin wedding jumpsuit with a detachable draped waist cape/ train, perfect for court wedding. She completes the look with a black and white strappy high-heeled sandals, which amps up the glamour of her entire dressing. Bridal jumpsuits are such a perfect one-piece ensemble for any court wedding and are also a great option for a wedding reception look. These special pantsuits look good and classy on most body types. Wedding jumpsuits are a super-sleek option for a bride who wants a stylish outfit that she can wear again for occasions, after her big day. The above bridal jumpsuit style has a long removable train/ waist cape that you can detach right after your registry wedding and wear it in a different look for the reception party. How cool is that?
#5, 6: Chic Minimalist Pencil Dress Court Wedding Look
- SIMILAR STYLES: Latest Long Gown Styles for Occasion Dressing
Above left: Streamlined fitted white long-sleeved maxi gown court wedding dress idea, accessorized with a matching white fascinator hat, contrasting black-with-gold strappy high-heels and brown purse in-hand. | Above right: This is a simple but elegant 2-piece brown and sky-blue fitted skirt and blouse court wedding dress idea. She completes the look with a matching nude/ brown court-shoes and a clutch bag and accessorized with a fascinator hat, wristwatch, and clutch purse.
#7, 8: Cocktail Dresses and Dressy Jumpsuit Court Wedding Styles | Featured Below: Off-Shoulder Short or Midi Length Registry Wedding Outfit Ideas
- SIMILAR STYLES: 10 Pretty Off-Shoulder Occasion Dresses Spotted on Celebs
Above left, this bride wore a pretty mustard-yellow strapless chiffon short gown with waist cape for her court wedding look and completes her look with a green and white flower bouquet with yellow accents. Her bouquet gives off a beautiful contrast to her dress. | Above right: This happy bride flaunts her flower bouquet, wearing an all-white midi-length sweetheart-neck strapless jumpsuit with waist cape and sparkly metallic silver belt. She completes her look with a matching white strappy high heels (open-toe sandals).
#9, 10: All-White Court Wedding Dresses Accessorized with Netted Hats (and their Grooms in Neutral Coloured Sleek Two-Piece Suits)
STYLE TIPS: You don’t have to wear an elaborate floor-length bridal gown, but you can wear a short wedding dress for a court wedding. You can make any simple white fitted gown look like a short wedding dress by accessorizing the look with a hat. White netted or feather fascinator bridal hats look the most flattering when going for a registry wedding look. Complete the look by throwing wearing a crystal drop earrings, a pair of court shoes or pumps and clutch a purse in your hand. Don’t forget to do a flawless makeup. Book a professional to do it for you, if you don’t know how to; some are very affordable.
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SEE ALSO:
- The Best Wedding Gown Styles for Every Type of Figure (Find Yours)
- Latest White Wedding Gown Styles Spotted at Big Nigerian Weddings
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5 Ways to Look Stylish and Stand Out During Your Court Wedding
I’ve seen some brides look like everyone else on the day of their registry wedding – such that when they sit inside the courthouse, you’ll need to ask ‘who is the bride?’. Not cool. If you’re a bride, whether it’s a court wedding or traditional wedding or blessing of marriage, make an effort to stand out with your dressing – and that does is not saying you should buy or sew an expensive dress.
To help you figure out how to stand out and look like a bride, at any budget, on the day of your court wedding, here are some styling tips:
1. Let Your Personality Shine Through Your Court Wedding Attire: Show your personality through your court wedding dressing. Here are some ideas to add some fun and a touch of elegance when getting married at the courthouse:
2. Wear a Simple White Dress (Short or Long): The colour white is such a simple and neutral but just has a way to make you look classy without a need for you to add much. With a simple dress style and minimal decoration and design on the fabric, all you need is to look like a bride is to add a feathered or net bridal fascinator hat and a sandal with heels. The keyword here is ‘simple’ so that you can wear the dress again and again after your court wedding. HINT: Outfits labeled as ‘prom dresses’ make perfect courthouse wedding dresses – without costing too much, and it’s worth checking them out when shopping for the perfect registry wedding attire.
3. Throw in Some Colour if that’s your vibe: While an all-white themed attire gives a clean, minimalist elegant look to registry wedding dresses, It doesn’t have to be white and neutral colours if you’re someone who loves to wear colours. If you want to dress colourfully, try and keep the colour choice soft.
4. Transform Your Entire Look to look bridal, with a Fascinator Hat: Fascinator hats with net and/ or feathers just have a way to transform even the most minimalist look to a bridal look perfect for a court registry wedding.
5. Complete the Look to Look Sharper: Wear sparkly drop earrings, get your hair done by a good hairstylist and have your face makeup done by a professional. Hold a small clutch purse in-hand. Add a simple necklace, wrist bracelet, and sparkly earrings.
6. BONUS TIP: Help Style Your Groom: Most men rely on their significant other for ideas on what to wear and colours to combine. They believe that women are quick to know what’s on-trend and what is no longer reigning in fashion, and that is true – most men would wear their 5-year-old suit to any occasion. While you’re putting together your own look, ensure to look out for your groom’s court wedding attire. The right sharp and modern men’s occasion suits always work for weddings. Check out our post on the latest styles and designs of wedding suits for ideas on how to style your man for your registry wedding.
MORE WEDDING FASHION IDEAS:
- 13 Hottest Bridesmaid Dress Trends Every Bride Should Know (w/ Pictures)
- Aso-ebi and Ankara Styles for Traditional and White Weddings
- Colour Combination Ideas for Each Colour
What You Wear to a Registry Wedding Doesn’t Have to Be Uninteresting
Many Nigerians obsess about the idea of getting married in 3 different wedding ceremonies and ranking their registry wedding as the least important that does not require any attention to details or dressing up. That’s am improper thing to do because a court wedding is no lesser a wedding than the traditional and white wedding. For some couples, it’s the only type of wedding they choose to have and celebrate too. It’s that important.
Even if you plan to have a ‘big, bigger, biggest’ levels of wedding ceremonies and have the court wedding at the bottom of the list, it’s still important that you look good on the day of the registry ceremony. It doesn’t have to be expensive.
RECAP: If you read up to this point, below are some ideas of what to wear for a court wedding: a short or knee-length gown, a maxi gown, a dressy jumpsuit, a trouser suit or skirt suit, peplum-top dress and cocktail dresses. Do not be afraid to wear off-shoulder neckline dresses for your court wedding if you’re comfortable with pulling off the look.
I also talked about suitable accessories for a court wedding such as sparkly drop earrings, bracelet and/ or wristwatch, court shoes or strappy heeled sandals, bridal headpiece or feather/ net fascinator hat and a clutch purse. Flower bouquets flatter styles of court wedding outfits that look similar to church wedding attires, if that’s the look you’re going for.
TIPS TO SIMPLIFY YOUR WEDDING PLANNING:
- FREE Wedding Planning Tools: Templates, Worksheets and Checklists
- Wedding Budgeting and Money-Saving Tips
- Customary Introduction and Traditional Wedding Planning Guides (for Different Tribes)
There you have it on court wedding outfit ideas that will stand out and flatter every type of body shape. Thanks for reading. If you like this post, I’d appreciate if you help me share it on social media to help others find it.
Now tell me – what’s your favourite of the 10 outfits featured above? Which one are you likely to wear if you’re planning your registry wedding? Let me know in the comment section down below.
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