Timeless wedding suits perfect for civil ceremonies (or if you hate dresses)

wedding suits for women
(Image credit: Getty)

Wedding suits for women are having a moment. Again. We all know Bianca Jagger kicked off the trend back in 1971 when she married Mick in Saint Tropez.

She made headlines for her daring outfit choice, a white Yves Saint Laurent tuxedo jacket which she wore over a long bias-cut silk skirt. Instead of a veil, she chose a huge hat with decorated with flowers and a bit of tulle covering her face.

Fast forward a few decades, and the suit is officially back, thanks to a slew of fashion-forward celebrities like Millie Mackintosh and Emily Ratajkowski.

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For her civil ceremony in July 2018, Millie purposefully recreated Bianca's look, by choosing an ivory draped wraparound top and matching trousers from under-the-radar French fashion brand Les Heroines. She too accessorised with a floppy hat.

Meanwhile, in February 2018, Emily shunned tradition altogether. She got married in secret to her love Sebastian Bear-McClard, and wore a mustard Zara suit, paired with a black hat. So rock 'n' roll.

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Wedding suits are ideal if you're just not into dresses: they're still chic enough for a special occasion, are timeless and you'll be more likely to wear them again. You don't even have to go for a white one: a pale blue or vintage yellow like Emily's will age just as well.

With so many more weddings abroad, they're also ideal for your civil ceremony, a more paired back options that will keep the focus on your second wedding outfit, usually a wedding dress.

As for how to style them, roll with your suit's style. Wear a silk, flowing suit with a pair of statement gold earrings, a veiled hat and some platform sandals for a modern 70s throwback.

Opting for a tailored suit instead? Keep things minimal with a mum mule and delicate jewellery.

Shop my edit of the best wedding suits for women below.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.