How To Choose The Right Hat For A Wedding By Katherine Elizabeth

Award winning designer Katherine Elizabeth gives her advice on how to choose the right hat for a wedding here on Bride Icon:

Mother of the Bride

The Mother of the Bride is one of the most important people of the day apart from the bride. She will spend a lot of time with guests so may want to move away from the traditional crown and brim unless her brim sweeps up. This also helps to take away shadows.  Alternatively you could wear a headpiece in sinamay or parisisal straw or a cocktail hat.  Always wear your hat on a slant as that is the most flattering position.

Guest at a wedding

If you choose a formal outfit to reflect the occasion, you should wear something that compliments this outfit such as a smart boxed headpiece or upturned brim. But a lot of weddings are becoming more relaxed these days and in those occasions your headpiece can also be relaxed with ether bright colours or soft nude and pink tones to match your summer dress. Lots of people are wearing flowers these days but it’s still nice to wear them on a hat instead of a headband, unless the wedding is very bohemian.

Choose the right hat to compliment your face shape. 

• If your face is round, chose a hat that is more architectural and angular, wear something on a slant or that cuts across you face. Stay away from fluff or round hats.
• If your face is square soften the look with a round hat that has softer feathery features.
• If you have a long face do not wear anything that is to tall, have an angular headpiece that cuts across the face to break up the length. 

When visiting a milliner chose your outfit first so that your Milliner will be able to design you a hat to match, the hat also has to match your personality, the shape of your face, the cut of your dress and colour but you can leave that up to the milliner.

A good milliner will always check the design with you and let you try it on halfway through the design process so that you can be sure you are completely happy and looking forward to wearing it.

View Katherine Elizabeth’s collection at www.katherineelizabethhats.com or visit her in her showroom at The Oxo Tower.