What to wear to a bridal shower
A bridal shower is usually a daytime party at a home, in a garden, at a restaurant or a tea room. Wear a pretty daytime outfit, follow any theme, and leave white to the bride. Below: outfits by place and garden-party colors for each of the 12 color seasons.
By Jane MitchellCertified color analystPublished
The short answer
- Do not wear white. Many brides wear white at their shower.
- Read the invitation for a theme or a dress code.
- Wear a day dress, a skirt, or smart trousers with a nice top.
- Choose light to mid colors with some life in them.
- Match the shoes to the place: flats or block heels in a garden.
Bridal shower outfits by place
- At home: A casual day dress, or a skirt or trousers with a pretty top.
- In a garden: A sundress or a midi dress, block heels or flats, and a light layer.
- At a restaurant, tea room or brunch: A day dress or a jumpsuit, or smart trousers with a blouse.
Garden-party colors for your color season
Light to mid colors with some life in them, from each season's own palette. The skip line names the near-whites of that palette, which belong to the bride.
Garden-party colors
- Apple green#8FCB6B
- Coral#FF8A6B
- Warm rose#FFA6BE
Skip: ivory.
Garden-party colors
- Bright tangerine#F4511E
- Chartreuse#C0CA33
- Camellia#F06292
Skip: cream.
Garden-party colors
- Bright orange#FF3D00
- Vivid green#64DD17
- Vivid gold#FFC400
Skip: bright ivory.
Garden-party colors
- Soft raspberry#C2739A
- Soft denim#6C97BF
- Pale citron#D6D9A8
Skip: soft white.
Garden-party colors
- Cool lavender#9575CD
- Dusty pink#C97B9B
- Teal blue#4A8FA8
Skip: soft white.
Garden-party colors
- Dusty rose#C08497
- Soft mauve#B08BA5
Skip: soft white.
Garden-party colors
- Soft terracotta#C4705C
- Soft gold#C4A76A
- Sage green#87905F
Skip: soft cream.
Garden-party colors
- Goldenrod#DAA520
- Warm coral clay#C97B5C
- Amber#D9A066
Skip: warm cream.
Garden-party colors
- Deep amber#B9770E
- Burnt amber#C0703C
- Dark camel#A08963
Skip: warm cream.
Garden-party colors
- Icy pink#F8BBD0
- Icy lavender#E1BEE7
Skip: pure white.
Garden-party colors
- Bright sapphire#0091EA
- Cool emerald#00BFA5
- Cool turquoise#00B8D4
Skip: icy lavender white, pure white, icy white.
Garden-party colors
- Vivid green#00E676
- Bright rose#FF4081
- Bright sapphire#00B0FF
Skip: pure white, bright ice.
For the wedding itself, see wedding guest colors. Another daytime party: what to wear to a baby shower. For a church wedding, see what to wear to church.
How we picked the colors
Each season card reads that season's own palette and neutrals on this site, 300 named colors across the 12 seasons, measured in CIELAB: lightness (L*), chroma (C*, how strong the color is) and hue angle. A shade is on the card when it is clear, light to mid colors (L* 55 to 88, C* 20 or more), 35° of hue apart. When fewer than two shades fall in that range, the card adds the shades of the same chroma closest to it in lightness.
The skip line lists every shade close to white (L* 88 or more with C* under 15), so the bride keeps the white. Where a palette has too few shades that far apart in hue, the gap narrows to half, then to 12°. No color is typed by hand, and no brand or store is used. The same rule runs on every season, so two cards can be compared.
What this page cannot do
This page lists colors from each season's palette. It cannot tell you which season you are, and it cannot know the theme of the shower: the invitation can. Our free analysis reads your season from one selfie, in your browser, and gives you your own palette.
How this is different from other color analysis tools
- 01
Your photo stays on your device
Many photo apps upload your selfie and read it on their server (see our comparison). Ours measures it in your browser. There is no upload.
- 02
The result is free
Your season and palette, with no account and no email. At least one app in our comparison takes payment before you see any result.
- 03
A close call says so
Every result names the runner-up season and how close the call was. Borderline is a result we print.
- 04
We publish our accuracy
We tuned the method on faces that experts had labelled by season, then tested it on 410 celebrity photos we collected. The results, misses included.
Questions
Can you wear white to a bridal shower?
It is better not to. Many brides wear white at their shower, so guests wear color.
Can you wear black to a bridal shower?
At an evening shower, yes. At a daytime party, a color fits better.
What if the shower has a theme?
Follow it. If the theme is a color, wear the shade of it that is closest to your own palette.
Which colors suit me for a bridal shower?
Pick from your own season. For example, a True Autumn can wear goldenrod, warm coral clay, amber, and a True Summer cool lavender, dusty pink, teal blue. This page lists colors for all 12 seasons.
What you can do on this page
This page explains what to wear to a bridal shower as a guest: a daytime dress or smart separates, no white, any theme on the invitation, with outfits by place. It then lists, for each of the 12 color seasons, light to mid garden-party colors from that season's palette with hex codes, picked by a stated CIELAB rule, and the near-whites of that palette to leave to the bride. The free photo analysis finds a season from one selfie in the browser, with no upload and no account.