Wedding Guest Attire – What to Wear to a Wedding

I am always looking for ideas and topics to blog about, so I was very happy to receive a message from Josh Ulmer of Ulmer Studios asking if I could write a post about wedding guest attire since it can be quite confusing. So here are my thoughts:

How do you know what to wear to a wedding? Often the attire will be written on the invitation itself but if it’s not, you can usually figure it out by the season and time of the wedding. If the wedding is taking place in the late evening, a more formal attire is appropriate, if it is during the day-time or afternoon, semi-formal attire is appropriate. Also consider the season, if it is an outdoor wedding in the spring or summer, a knee-length cocktail or sun dress is appropriate for women and dress slacks, tie, and jacket for men. If it is an indoor wedding in December, heavier and darker fabrics are more appropriate. If the couple expects fancy attire, they should note that on the invitation. Here is a bit of a breakdown for you on the different levels of formality (this is for a wedding or similar formal event, these terms mean different things for business or other events).

White Tie: The most formal evening attire and most specific. It is only worn after dark or after 6 PM (whichever comes first) and is reserved for very formal events. Men must wear a black tuxedo with white bow tie, women must wear a long formal evening gown.

Black Tie: Not as stringent as white tie but still very formal attire. Tuxedo for men, long evening gown or very conservative cocktail dress for women. Worn for formal evening events.

Black Tie Optional: Tuxedos for men or long gowns for women are optional. Dark suites for men and formal cocktail dresses for women are most appropriate. Also for formal evening events.

Semi-Formal or Cocktail Attire: This one is the most tricky because it’s almost always what is suggested however the meaning has started to vary greatly. For men, a casual suit or well pressed pants, button-down shirt, and tie. A jacket is optional. For women, a cocktail dress, sun-dress, fancy skirt and top, or a dressy pants-suit. This means NO jeans, shorts, or flip-flops.

Casual: Rarely do you see casual dress for a wedding but sometimes it’s appropriate. For men, slacks and a button up shirt (still no jeans), tie is optional. For women, a more casual skirt and top or dress-pants and top.

NEVER EVER wear white or anything almost all-white, never wear jeans, or anything too sexy or revealing to a wedding. It’s rude and uncalled for. The End.

If you are still confused you can always ask the wedding couple, but you should always err on the side of over-dressing rather than under-dressing.

Also, for engaged couples who are choosing what attire you’d like guests to wear, consider the wedding style and budget. If you are planning to serve BBQ off plastic plates at an outdoor reception, do NOT ask your guests to wear formal or black tie attire. It just doesn’t make sense. Match the attire to the time of day and season of the wedding. If it could possibly be 90 degrees outside, don’t request formal attire or evening gowns. Be considerate to your guests and their comfort.

Obviously there are exceptions to everything but this is a good starting point for deciding how to dress for a wedding.

Simply Stunning Events
Nashville, TN Wedding Planner

Wendy - April 20, 2010 - 11:35 am

This is a great post Kristin! Any suggestions on how a photographer should dress for a wedding that is black tie or semi-formal?

Gregory Byerline - April 21, 2010 - 5:07 pm

Great post. At one point in our society’s history, this was all common sense (how can one feel nostalgic for an era in which he has never lived?), and a fresh reminder is always a good thing. Fun times.

Kristin - April 22, 2010 - 12:19 pm

Great comments! Wendy – I’ve been asked that from quite a few vendors recently so I’m going to try and get a post up next week about my thoughts on how vendors should dress, thanks for the tip!

Amy - April 23, 2010 - 12:23 pm

Great post. At one point in our society’s history, this was all common sense (how can one feel nostalgic for an era in which he has never lived?), and a fresh reminder is always a good thing. Fun times.

Wendy - April 28, 2010 - 3:06 pm

Awesome! I’ll be watching for that post!

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