You’ve been invited to a wedding. The invitation only tells you when, where, and what time. You may get a hint of what your attire should be by the place and the time, but that’s it. The rest is up to you. The easiest thing to do is to talk to somebody, but who? There must be something you can do. There are some general rules for you to consider. It all depends on the formalities of the wedding, and whether it’s day or night. Either way, it is a special occasion and there are wedding dresses that are meant for guests and there are those that are not.
The Formalities
If it is formal and light outside, a short dress is appropriate. If it’s evening, make it a long dress or a dressy cocktail dress. If the wedding is informal and it’s in the day time, a short dress or a suit (not pants) is appropriate. If it’s in the evening, a cocktail dress or any dressy dress will do. Some weddings are in between, called semi-formal. If the semi-formal is in the early day, a short dress or nice skirt suit is appropriate. If it’s later, then go for the standard cocktail dress.
The Basics
There are some outfits that are just not appropriate. Leave the jeans at home, no matter how much you paid for them. The cute little club dress with all the strings holding it together is not a good wedding dress for a guest of the bride or the groom. That gorgeous see-through blouse that looks like lingerie is probably better used as lingerie than it would be at a wedding. One of the main things to remember is that you do not want to be the one that everybody notices.
The Could Have, Would Have, But Don’t List
Some outfits are too controversial, and you should avoid them entirely.
* The color black. Although times are changing, traditionally black is still for funerals. If you’re unsure of what to do about this (especially for an evening wedding), play it safe and choose another color.
* The color white. Not the bride = not in all white. It’s that simple.
* The sun dress. If the wedding is not on the beach (and even then it’s questionable), the sun dress is not an appropriate wedding dress for a guest.
* The pant suit. It is common to see ladies in a pant suit. But the fact is, no matter how you wear it, it still looks like a business suit and is just not wedding material.
