Wedding Season Hosiery - What Tights Should You Wear to a Wedding?

With the days starting to get warmer and brighter, the wedding invitations will soon be rolling in – or hey, maybe it’s you that’s tying the knot this year! Whether you’re the lucky bride, part of the bridal party, or one of the wedding guests, here at The Tight Spot we have the perfect legwear to keep you looking fantastic and feeling comfortable throughout the event.

The most popular wedding tights tend to be the more understated, natural-looking designs such as barely-there skin tones, which pair well with statement cocktail dresses and floaty summer dresses alike. When it comes to the bride’s own lingerie, sheer tights or stockings in white or ivory are also a popular option, as well as styles with special details such as lace. For more inspiration and to see our hand-picked recommendations for both bridal tights and wedding guest tights, keep reading below.

Tights

For the bride, bridesmaid or wedding guest who’s after a completely natural look, tights are the way to go. These offer full leg coverage instead of stopping at the thigh, making them a better match for shorter hemlines (or windy beachside weddings!), and they won’t create any lines under your outfit.

Weddings tend to be long events where you’ll be eating and drinking, so be sure to opt for a design with a comfortable waistband, as well as a reinforced toe section to ensure it doesn’t tear from all that dancing. If you’ll be in open-toed footwear, look for wedding tights with a ‘sandal toe’ design which means it’s seam-free and looks more natural. Here are some of our favourite options for bridal tights or wedding guest tights:

Sheer Tights

In a shade that closely matches your skin tone, sheer tights will give you a natural, bare-leg look while subtly airbrushing your skin to a flawless finish. It’s like wearing a sheer foundation or BB cream on your legs! To keep that ‘no tights’ illusion going all the way to the top of your leg and beyond – especially important if your outfit has any thigh-high slits – look for a design described as ‘sheer to waist’. 

We love Wolford’s Satin Touch Comfort 20 Tights which are sheer tights with a deep, soft waistband for added comfort, and which are available in an inclusive range of skin tones. Alternatively, at half the denier, the Couture Perfectly Sheer 10 Denier Tights offer even more of a natural look with the same invisible toe and sheer-to-waist construction.

Shiny Tights

For legs that look not only flawless but radiant, choose shiny tights. Made with a glossy rather than matt finish, these will add that extra bit of polish (literally!) to your outfit, and make you look like you’ve spent the whole morning waxing, exfoliating and moisturising your legs to perfection.

A couple of glossy tights that we rate highly are the Cecilia de Rafael Vidrio Gloss Tights and the Gabriella Miss 15 Shiny Tights, which are both sheer, 15 denier designs with a reinforced toe section.

Luxury Tights

Whether you’re an invitee or the bride herself, there’s no excuse like a wedding to splurge on hosiery that’s a bit fancier than the stuff you’d usually buy. When you treat yourself to one of our luxury tights designs, you’ll benefit from not only an elegant look but also superior comfort and durability. 

For sheer tights with added luxury, we’re huge fans of the Wolford Neon 40 Tights which have a subtle logo waistband and the Falke Natural Glow 6 Denier Tights which are ultra sheer highlighting your natural skin tone and making them luxuriously glow throughout the day. Sheer net tights can be great too; the Wolford Fleur Net Tights in romantic Rose for example are a stylish bridesmaids’ option for a blush pink colour theme. They could even work as bridal tights for the modern bride who wants something a little different to wear with a shorter dress or to change into for the reception!

Seamless Tights

Planning to wear something very slinky and fitted? Ensure no lines or shadows show through with a pair of seamless tights. They’re also a great choice from a comfort standpoint! 

We recommend the Trasparenze Claudia Seamless Tights for a sheer, matt look, or the Cecilia de Rafael Sevilla Gloss Libero Seamless Tights if you want something glossy. Both of these seamless tights are 15 denier, sheer to waist, and have a wide comfort waistband that won’t dig in.

Stockings

Bridal stockings are a popular choice of wedding day legwear, and it’s little wonder – these offer a sexy-but-elegant look that will have any bride feeling glamorous and feminine on her special day.

Like tights, they offer skin-perfecting coverage for your legs, but stockings and suspender belts also have a fabulous leg-lengthening effect as part of a bridal lingerie ensemble. Stockings are also especially ideal for summer weddings, regardless of whether you’re the bride or just a guest, since they don’t add an extra fabric layer to your hips or waist. 

For your big day, you can’t go wrong with a simple, elegant design such as the Wolford Individual 10 Stockings or the Charnos 24/7 15 Denier Stockings. While they may appear suitably delicate, they’re actually made with durable, double-wrapped elastane yarns to ensure snags and runs won’t spoil your look. Here are some more of our top picks for wedding day stockings:

Seamed Stockings

There’s no style more visually elongating for your legs than seamed stockings! Not just for retro brides, this classic stockings style offers an elegant look and is associated with special occasion dressing.

Whether you do want a vintage look or you just want something fairly subtle, we think you’ll enjoy the Pamela Mann Jive Seamed Stockings, which have a tone-on-tone seam and a traditional square heel detail. For a more contemporary vibe, we recommend the Fiore Provoke Seamed Stockings which come in an off-white colour called Linen with graphic, contrasting trims including a chic twist detail at the back of the ankle.

Glossy Stockings

Just as you can buy shiny tights to make your legs glow, you can find shiny stockings too. Choose these when you want fresh, flawless-looking skin for all to see, and a sultry and seductive look underneath your outfit.

Both 10 denier designs for a barely-there effect, the Charnos Elegance Shiny Stockings and Pretty Polly Nylons Gloss Stockings will make your legs look naturally beautiful. The Pretty Polly style has a reinforced toe for enhanced durability, but if you’ll be wearing sandals, choose the Charnos style instead which has a sheer toe to flaunt your pedicure.

Hold Ups

A third alternative to wedding tights or stockings, hold ups offer a simple yet secure fit, and guarantee both a classy look by day and a sexy look by night. Choose these if you want the glamorous look of stockings, but don’t want to wear a suspender belt.

Lace Top Hold Ups

Nothing says ‘wedding luxury and elegance’ like lashings of lace! The best lace top hold ups for brides are those which have an extravagantly-deep band of lace at the top, and for that we recommend either the Fiore Diamond Hold Ups, which come in elegant Cream and feature a subtle diamond pattern on the leg, or the Wolford Satin Touch 20 Stay Ups, which are available in two skin tones as well as White and have a flattering satin finish.

Sheer Hold Ups

For flawless-looking legs in an instant, simply pull on a pair of sheer hold ups – a great alternative to wedding guest tights for warmer weather, and excellent for the bride who’s splurged on fancy wedding lingerie and doesn’t want a pair of tights to interfere with the look.

Our favourites include the Charnos 24/7 15 Denier Hold Ups, another style with pretty lace at the top (albeit less of it), and the Cecilia de Rafael Sevilla Super Shiny Hold Ups, also a 15 denier style but with a ribbed stripe top instead for a clean and modern look.

Conclusion

Whether you came here for advice on the best wedding guest tights, or to research ideas for bridesmaid or bridal tights, we hope you’ve found plenty of inspiration! From ultra-sheer tights for a natural look through to glamorous seams and beautiful lace, you’ve got a number of fabulous options to choose from.

To see more, check out our full luxury tights, stockings and hold ups collections where you’re sure to find the perfect, elegant design to complete your outfit.