Skip to main content

What is Semi-Formal for Wedding Guest Attire? Answers to This and More

woman; well-dressed woman; red-haired woman

You’ve received the wedding invitation you’ve been waiting for has just arrived.  First thought: Yippy!  Second thought, what the hell am I supposed to wear? 

Never fear, I’m here to help you on that rocky wedding-themed road,

Suggested Informal Attire

Women:

  • Daytime: Street length dress, separates, or business attire for daytime weddings
  • Evening: Attire appropriate for a nice restaurant

Men:

  • Daytime: Dress shirt and pants, preferably add a sports jacket
  • Evening: Suit or sport jacket paired with slacks if very informal

Suggested Semi-Formal

Women:

  • Daytime: Street length dress/nice separates or suit 
  • Evening: Cocktail dress (little black dress or its equivalent)

Men:

  • Daytime: Suit
  • Evening: Dark suit and tie 

Suggested Formal & Black-Tie

Women:

  • Daytime: Daytime appropriate cocktail dress or suit. Hats and gloves are optional.
  • Evening or Black-Tie: Long or dressy short cocktail (beading and sequins with dressier accessories)

Men:

  • Daytime: Dark suit and tie
  • Evening: if the invitation states "black tie or formal" wear a tuxedo; wear a dark suit if not

Suggested Ultra-Formal or White Tie

Women:

Evening: Long gown and top-notch, very high-quality accessories (jewelry, gloves, expensive-looking wraps)

Men:

Ultra-formal Evening or White Tie: Black tailcoat, striped trousers, white plain stiff-front shirt with detachable (preferably) wing collar, white bow tie, and white waistcoat

Note: Most always, the little black dress or its equivalent is perfect for women, while a dark suit is perfect for men.  For more informal events, the attire worn to an elegant restaurant would work well. 

More by The Polite One

Is a 30th-anniversary vow renewal in Hawaii proper?

Wedding renewal after a long separation?

Which Color is or is not Taboo for Wedding Attire?

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Which Color is or is not Taboo for Wedding Attire?

  Learn what formally taboo colors are now proper to wear for a wedding and the one color that is not in this informative wedding etiquette article.   The Mother of the Bride wants to wear the lacy white skirt-suit she bought especially for her daughter’s wedding.   Is it appropriate?   Hmmm...   How about that spicy red number the Groom’s cousin yearns to don?   Hold onto your cummerbunds, we’re diving into the wedding attire info pool.   Wearing White Some still consider wearing white to a wedding as an insult to the bride, as if stealing the spotlight.   But it just isn't so.   A little white here and there is not an issue.   It is an issue if the outfit appears to be wedding attire .   Wearing Black Wearing black, especially as the mother of the groom, was once viewed as a symbol of her disapproval.   It was also viewed as a faux pas for wedding guests to wear black before 6 pm. Luckily, this is not the case today.   Black attire is viewed as trendy, cool, and st
Post a Comment
Read more

Wedding Guest Advice: How to Use a Gift Registry

Q & A With an Etiquette Expert As an etiquette specialist, I receive countless wedding etiquette questions.   Many of these questions concern the use of a wedding gift registry.   Even though this tool has been in place for decades now, many are still confused about how to use it.   What follows are a few of my answers to wedding gift registry questions.   Must I buy from the registry? Q : Must I buy a wedding gift from the registry?   If not, may I choose a gift I want to give?   For example, I like to buy all my soon-to-be-married friends a nice set of wine glasses.   The issue here is that my friend didn’t register for wine glasses. A : Many people do not know this, but a wedding registry is supposed to be a guideline as to what the couple wants and needs.  A wedding guest shouldn’t feel as if the items from the registry list are obligatory and the only gift choices. Guests may choose to give any gift they wish.  Consequently, give a gift of your choice that refle
Post a Comment
Read more

Anti-Clueless Advice: What to Wear and What Gifts to Give

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 neighborhood park.
Post a Comment
Read more