Wedding season has arrived and you are receiving a plethora of invites ranging from your sister’s to your college roommate, all the way to your boyfriends second cousin, but the invite left you clueless on what to where. In a situation where you aren’t familiar with the bride and groom or the over all feel of the wedding you are left completely stumped. Don’t freak out! How to dress is probably cryptically thrown into the wording. Use this helpful cheat sheet to decipherer the wedding lingo.
The Invite: Whit Tie
This is the most formal of wedding attire, Oscar worthy.
He should wear:
A tuxedo, a long black jacket with tails, a white pique vest, and a bow tie. Black, formal shoes and even white gloves for dancing are appropriate.
She should wear:
A formal full-length ball gown in a neutral color, glamorous makeup and lots of sparkly jewelry with dramatic hair will go just right with this extremely formal affair.
The Invite: Black Tie
This is a step below white tie and usually means it is an evening wedding.
He should wear:
A tuxedo. A black bow tie, cummerbund, and patent leather shoes are also suggested in order to be fully dressed for a black tie event.
She should wear:
An elegant cocktail dress or a long formal gown again in a neutral color
The Invite: Formal or Black Tie
The wording here suggests something slightly less formal than black tie, but a tux or formal gown would be appropriate
He should wear:
A tux or a formal dark suit and tie
She should wear:
A long dress, a dressy suit, or a formal cocktail-length dress in a dark tone
The Invite: Beach Formal
An invite like this suggests a formal beach setting, so still dress to impress but make sure you dress for the elements as well.
He should wear:
A summer suit with a linen shirt ties are not required, linen pants or khakis, and sandals.
She should wear:
A formal summer sundress at tea- or knee-length with flat sandals. Makeup and hair can be natural.
The Invite: Semiformal or Dressy Causal
Depending on the time of the event, you’ll want to dress somewhere between formal and casual. Wear darker, hues for an evening fete; opt for light colors for a daytime wedding.
He should wear:
A suit and tie and the color depending on the time of the wedding
She should wear:
A cocktail dress and depending on the time the color will go accordingly
The Invite: Casual
This usually means anything goes, within reason. That said, jeans, shorts, and tank tops are probably not appropriate unless noted as acceptable. For the purposes of wedding wear, assume business casual to be on the safe side.
He should wear:
Dress pants with a button down or a polo
She should wear:
A cocktail or summer sundress