Put on the style for a walk down the aisle

In the past, even the normally style-conscious felt obliged to slip into the most unsuitable of pastel shades and inappropriate hats.

But this year, with a gorgeous array of diaphanous dresses and smart suits on offer, there really is no excuse for hiding at the back of the wedding pics.

And according to the owner of Lynne Craig Designs in Friar Street, nowadays anything goes.

"Red dresses, big colourful hats - especially with feathers - they're all popular," she said.

"People don't get the chance to dress up anymore and weddings give them a chance to go for it."

"Alternatively, mothers do not necessarily want the classic mother-of-the-bride look and will go for white lace and creams, even next to the bride," echoed merchandiser, Chris Watson.

"The key is to be chic but elegant."

She said compared to 10 years ago, people were hell-bent on getting as much wear out of their wedding attire as possible.

And as for the traditional rules, well, they've gone out of the window.

"I used to say the mother-of-the-bride could wear anything but a black trouser suit, but I've had to eat my words," she said.

"Women love wearing trousers and with weddings going on longer, they want something less structured to see them through the whole day "

It seems there's no holds barred when it comes to matrimonial attire, with a flamboyant August Silk pink polka dot 50s-style dress going down a storm in the Friar Street shop.

Beppi Bondi - a collection of primarily silk and handpainted designs - are also making their mark on the bride and bridegroom's nearest and dearest.

But the bestseller by far is Ghost, a whacky alternative to the more conservative suits and dresses.

Victoria Black, beauty editor of Cosmo Bride, agreed there was now a great deal of flexibility.

"Bridal style is often influenced by what is generally in fashion and there are a lot of really bright colours and sherbet pastel shades in at the moment," she said.

"But having said that, it is always important to bear in mind that it is a wedding and it is really important to the bride, who has spent ages planning for the event, so you really should dress accordingly."

Oasis's meadow floral dress (£45) brings some retro class to the aisle and, looking equally suitable on the beach, is unlikely to be a wasted buy if you only go to one wedding this year.

And Monsoon excels as always with a fantastic range of flowery/ethnic prints such as the lily dress in blossom for £125, or the 30s-inspired Antique Charm dress for £65 from Warehouse.

Fabric is the key to marital bliss this season and weddings always afford the perfect opportunity to slip into some of the most sumptuous, strokeable materials around.

But whether the wedding be in a church or on a clifftop, ensure you follow the marriage mantra and accessorise, accessorise, accessorise.

A well-chosen hat or expensive-looking purse could turn an unremarkable frock from frumpy to fabulous.

"If you are of a certain age, it seems that all your friends get married in a batch and there is just one wedding after another, so get value for money out of your party frock.

"Take your little black dress or a white shift dress and change it by adding wrap-around shawls and accessories and you can get away with wearing it more than once.

"Wraps and shrugs can really vary outfits, as can sequin cardigans.

"By clever accessorising with bright things you can vary your look for every wedding you go to over the next six months, because with all those wedding presents to buy, you're not going to be that flush.

"And take on board the time of year. An umbrella is always a good accessory to have at a wedding!"

Complete your outfit to perfection with a floral bag from Accessorize (£25) or shoes from Nine West (Music range £60) and Pied A Terre (Eden shoe £110).

With a couple of appropriate pieces of jewellery or a jacket, you can achieve a perfect transition from dignified, daytime churchgoer to night-time, disco diva.

Says Black, "Put on a jacket, which you can later take off, and perhaps put some chandelier earrings in your purse.

"They are very in at the moment. All the stars are wearing them on the red carpets."

Kookai's tweed bouclette coat (£150) is absolutely this year's must-have item and is the perfect over-garment for the start of the day. Peel it off later at the reception to reveal a stunning knee-length dress and you are sure to have every eye in the room trained on you.

Hunt's top tip is to check with the hosts to make sure you are unlikely to clash with the wedding's key players.

And she also counsels against wearing too skimpy an outfit: "Start by wearing something a little more covered up, like a jacket, and you can always pare down the outfit as the night goes on, rather than scaring people silly!"