Wedding Dress Code

Let’s chat about wedding attire.  We have had a lot of questions recently about what wording to write on your wedding invitations.  We thought it would be fun to put together a quick reference guide for wedding dress code.

Let’s start with the fanciest first…

White Tie
This is fancy-shancy.  Women should wear a formal floor-length evening gown, no exceptions. Pair your dress with all the accessories; jewelry, clutch, heels. Men are required to wear a tuxedo with tails, a formal white shirt, white vest and bow tie, and gloves.  Yes, I know, gloves!!   
 
Black Tie
​This is the next most formal wedding dress code and usually means the wedding is an evening event. Women should wear a formal floor-length gown.  Men must wear a tuxedo. A black bow tie, black vest or cummerbund.

Formal or Black Tie Optional
The wording here indicates something less formal than black-tie is customary. The choices are the same as with black-tie: a floor-length gown, a fancy cocktail dress, or a dressy pantsuit. Men have the option of wearing a tuxedo, or they can wear a formal dark suit, white shirt, and conservative tie.
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Cocktail
Cocktail attire is a popular dress code choice for most of our weddings. It's a balance between sophisticated and comfortable.  Instead of a floor-length dress, women should opt for a tea-length or knee-length.  Men should wear a suit and tie.

Semi-formal or Dressy Casual
A lot of dressing for a semi-formal or dressy casual wedding is knowing details.  What time of day??  What season in the year?? You would want to wear darker, more formal colors for an evening wedding; and light colors and fabrics for a daytime event. Pair with heels, nice wedges, or formal flats. If the ceremony is being held outdoors make sure to wear flats or wedges that won’t get stuck in the grass.  Men should wear a dress shirt and slacks, with an optional tie. 

Casual
Casual wedding attire is normally used for a laid back event or even a beach wedding. We should specify that jeans, shorts, or tank tops are never acceptable.  A pretty sundress would be perfect.  Wedges or nice sandals are the perfect footwear for a casual wedding. Men can wear dress pants or khaki pants with a collared shirt. 

Themed
We love a good themed wedding, for example, we have designed a Beauty and the Beast themed wedding where guest wore enchanted outfits and a lot of women wore yellow dresses.  Another example is a Halloween wedding where guest dress up in costumes.  We always encourage wedding guest to come in the attire the bride and grooms are requesting.  It’s entertaining and amusing for them and makes for delightful pictures.

We hope this guide helps when picking what attire you want your guest to wear for your wedding day.  If you have any questions, hit the contact us page on our website.  We are happy to help!!