It’s an honor to be invited to a wedding but it also can be expensive. The shower, the wedding gift, the travel, and your outfit can really kill your budget. Multiply by several weddings, and you might wonder how to put together outfits that are fashionable, but still affordable. Fortunately, we’ve recently discovered TOBI, an online fashion retailer from Los Angeles for women who want trendy clothing but at a reasonable (dare we say, cheap) price.
Tobi.com is literally a one-stop shop for everything you want to wear for a special occasion or every day. While they specialize in sexy and flirty styles, the company offers everything from accessories to shoes, and lots of fresh, youthful LA-centric” fashion. You can easily outfit yourself from top to toe for under $100.
What to Wear to a Wedding?
Uh.. NO! Not right for a wedding!
These days almost anything goes. Bridesmaids are wearing white and ivory, wedding guests are being asked by brides to wear white or ivory, too. However, most weddings are steeped in tradition and etiquette more than almost any other occasion.
Personally, I think white, ivory and red are not wedding appropriate, but if the bride likes it, fine. Just remember that it’s her day, so it’s not fair to upstage her in outlandishly eye-catching, super-short, skimpy or revealing. Save those for the after-party!
That doesn’t mean you have to wear something boring.
Wedding Winners!
I checked out Tobi.com’s Wedding Shop area. There, I found a great short boho dress that you could also wear over pants for a casual wedding. For beach and garden weddings, I choose a long floral maxi. For the most formal of occasions, I selected a chic gown that could also be worn by the members of the wedding party for a budget bride.
Accessories can also cost you a bundle but at Tobi.com there are amazing choices for even more amazing prices. If you are going to more than one wedding or special occasion you’ll want the patent nude sandals with trendy lucite heels (you won’t’ believe how inexpensive these are) and a pair of sparkling earrings. These accessories work with all the dresses and the styles work for almost any figure and almost any age range.
The Model
Our model is the charming Sam Witting, a Brooklyn actrepreneur (follow her @sam.wittig on Instagram).
For a casual wedding or Over Pants
Embroidery detail
The Boho Babe Embroidery Shift Dresses ($68/$36) in Yellow (for guest) white for the casual bride (or if guests are requested to wear white) is fully lined and has richly embroidered sleeves and front panel.
It’s fairly short. To make it longer, wear it off the shoulder or pull it up and wear it over pants. The sizes are S to XL.
The dress is available in 6 different color combos. Blue and Ivory or Rose and White are also great for Summer weddings.
For the Garden/Beach Wedding
You want to be comfortable when you’re outside, especially in the Summer. A Girl Like Me Maxi Dress ($56) is perfect for a daytime Summer wedding or a beach wedding. The lined dress made of rayon and viscose can be worn off or on the shoulders and has a slightly open back to the soft flowing skirt.
The sizes are XS to XL. We received this in XL but our model could have used a large or medium. The dress has side slits to show your legs and shoes as you walk, adding a bit of flair. You can wear the dress on our off your shoulders. This $112 dress is now 50% off.
Eyes on You Maxi Dress in Green ($72).
This Eyes on You Maxi Dress in Green looks perfectly elegant for a wedding guest at a formal wedding or for the members of the wedding party. It is available in Small, Medium and large. The It adjustable straps criss-cross in the back, Even better, it’s offered in 9 colors.
The polyester dress is lined and drapes gracefully in the front. this could be a bridesmaids gown for the budget wedding as the $78 dress is currently on promotion for 50% off. Awesome!
Accessories Make the Outfit
Krystal Lucite Ankle Strap Heels ($36)
Star of the Show Rhinestone Dangle Earrings ($18/$9)
The Tobi Fit
If you’re ordering clothing online from TOBI, you need some lead time just in case something doesn’t come in time or doesn’t fit quite right. The clothing is mostly true to size up to XL but many items are bodycon for the young and slim, not plus sized girls,
The long dresses were quite long, so if you are petite you may have to take them to the tailor to be hemmed (or wear very high heels). Due to the savings on these items, it would still be a bargain.
The short dresses were quite short, but not to the point of ridiculousness. How short you like your hems to be is a matter of personal taste.
In Summary: Looking at the TOBI website is a lot of fun. It’s well laid out with good photos and lots of details. YOu can even judge the fit by the information about the model’s measurements. You might think that at the modest prices TOBI charges, things would be flimsy, but all of the TOBI dresses, shoes and jewelry looked as nice in person as they did in the photos and they were of decent quality.
TOBI is a “find” not just for weddings, but for women who want value and fashion! For more information visit Http://tobi.com
