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    1. Fashion
    2. Summer fashion

    How to Make Just About Any Old Sundress Chic Enough for a Wedding

    Memorize this formula, never waste money on something you'll wear once again.

    By Chelsea Peng
    Published 21 July 2016 In How To

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Wedding outfit
    (Image credit: Marie Claire)
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    According to a study commissioned by American Express, we're spending $703 per wedding on average this year, up five percent from 2015. There's no line-item breakdown, but from our own experiences with panicky Rent the Runway orders and wild goose chases for off-registry gifts because everything left is, like, Sèvres porcelain, the emotional cost is even higher. And that's even before the fashion.

    No more—here, we share our dead-easy formula for dressing like a good little wedding guest but using pieces you *haven't* anxiety-bought the night before.

    You know the rules: No white. No black. No consciously trying to upstage the bride.

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    Because they're fun and automatically project "I'm being fancier than usual in honor of your Important Day!" (Even if you're really just there for the passed hors d'oeuvres to support your friends.)

    The better to show off Step 2, plus it says "I put in *some* effort in exchange for drinking your Champagne and eating your bacon-wrapped dates." Let Pandora show you how it's done.

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    •  Bella Gerard wearing a blue kaftan, Bella Gerard wearing a white top and red pants I Refused to Wear White on My Honeymoon
    • Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner styled different black-tie wedding guest dresses for Jordyn Woods's ceremony Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner Gave Black-Tie Wedding Guest Dresses the L.A. Cool-Girl Treatment

    A post shared by Pandora Sykes (@pandorasykes)

    Step 4: Throw in some heels

    High if you've got the skills; mid and chunky if it's outdoors; low if you're here to get down.

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    Step 5: 💃💃💃

    :shimmy::

    Follow Marie Claire on Facebook for the latest celeb news, beauty tips, fascinating reads, livestream video, and more.

    What to read next
    • Grace O’Neill Dougherty wearing different summer outfits Everything I Packed for a 10-Day Summer Trip
    • Charli XCX wears a little black dress to attend Matty Healy and fiancée Gabbriette Bechtel's wedding in Los Angeles Charli XCX Delivers a Masterclass in Wedding Guest Dressing
    • Cocktailattiredresscode What to Wear When the Invitation Says “Cocktail Attire”

    Step 1: Take one sundress

    You know the rules: No white. No black. No consciously trying to upstage the bride.

    Because they're fun and automatically project "I'm being fancier than usual in honor of your Important Day!" (Even if you're really just there for the passed hors d'oeuvres to support your friends.)

    The better to show off Step 2, plus it says "I put in *some* effort in exchange for drinking your Champagne and eating your bacon-wrapped dates." Let Pandora show you how it's done.

    [instagram ]https://www.instagram.com/p/BGreENKyuwI/?taken-by=pandorasykes[/instagram]

    High if you've got the skills; mid and chunky if it's outdoors; low if you're here to get down.

    :shimmy::

    Follow Marie Claire on Facebook for the latest celeb news, beauty tips, fascinating reads, livestream video, and more.

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    Chelsea Peng
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    Assistant Editor

    Chelsea Peng is a writer and editor who was formerly the assistant editor at Marie Claire. She's also worked for The Strategist and Refinery29, and is a graduate of Northwestern University. On her tombstone, she would like a GIF of herself that's better than the one that already exists on the Internet and a free fro-yo machine. Besides frozen dairy products, she's into pirates, carbs, Balzac, and snacking so hard she has to go lie down.

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