May I change shoes to dance at the reception?

Dear Polite One,

I'm invited to cocktail attire, late-afternoon wedding in Mendocino. I'd love to wear "the little black dress" but am worried about wearing heels. There will be swing dance lessons at the reception. Should I wear heels and change into comfortable shoes for the lessons?

Confused

Dear Confused,

Black is the ‘in’ color now, so the little black dress is a valid choice. Of course, you could change into your dance shoes. It's much better than a broken ankle.

Sincerely,

The Polite One

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Comments

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How to Decode the Dress Code and to Give the Right Gift Many questions I receive as an etiquette consultant are from wedding guests. Guests are especially concerned with what they should wear and what they should give as gifts . All who contact me are deeply worried about committing any type of faux pas, as many weddings tend to be surrounded by drama these days. For example, one guest shared that the bride called fuming that the gift she shipped to the bride's home was inadequate, so she returned it to the store for cash—true story. With crazy, hurtful behavior like that, it is no wonder wedding guests are apprehensive about wedding guest protocol. How do we know what to wear to a wedding? Wedding invitations are supposed to help guests understand the formality of a wedding. Often, this is not the case. Here is a real-life example: a guest received an invitation of heavy-weight paper indicating a formal wedding, but the location listed was a...

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