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What to wear to a formal evening wedding in Napa?

 Semi-formal attire; woman in black dress

Dear Polite One,

With all the changes in style, what is considered semi-formal these days?  As a guest to an evening wedding in Napa, I considered wearing a light blue chiffon tea-length dress. 

Is this appropriate?

Visitor from Napa, CA

Dear Visitor from Napa, CA,

Semi-formal is dressy, usually cocktail or party type dresses. Simply think, "dress-up" with nice material like satin, silk, etc.  However, with this sometimes confusing dress code, there is wiggle room. 

More than likely, your dress should be fine if it doesn't have any embellishments to make it more formal, like sequins.  I would imagine that attire choices for women will be all over the map with some in cocktail dresses and some in prom-type attire.  After all, this is California and we do tend to confuse dress codes.

Sincerely,

The Polite One

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