Wedding Guest Dress

Knowing what to wear to a wedding as a guest is important as you don't want to draw unnecessary attention to yourself (and away from the newlyweds), embarass yourself or even insult the new couple or other guests.

General Wedding Guest Dress Guidelines:

You have really two ways to go...with an outfit suitable for both ceremony and reception or two outfits; one for the ceremony and one for the reception.

One thing that I really don't like to see is someone sitting in church for the ceremony with a very skimpy, revealing outfit, suitable for going to bars (and clearly meant for the dancing later on at the reception).

This is not very good wedding guest dress!

One way to potentially remedy this, is by covering up with a jacket during the wedding ceremony and dinner and reveal later on during the reception dance.

Definitely, what you should not wear is the color white for the ladies and men should not wear clothing similar to the groom or the other guys in the wedding party. It is a total NO No to try to take the attention away from the bride and groom.

When in doubt about whether you have chosen is suitable attire for the wedding ceremony and reception...ASK. There is no shame in asking the couple or their family as to what would be okay to wear on their special day.

You can also check the wedding invitation, to see if the couple has requested a certain type of dress at their wedding, such as the very formal "black tie" or maybe they are having a theme wedding and would enjoy their guests joining in to arrive in costume!

Wedding Guest Dress for Theme Weddings

Nowadays, it has become very popular to have a wedding that does not follow traditional routes of a wedding chapel or church and then a reception at a banquet hall.

Many weddings now take place outside, on a beach, in a park or themed after a hobby the bride and groom both love such as medieval, tropical, gothic, celtic, etc.

If you are attending a wedding on a beach, typical wedding attire does not really fit this hot, sunny (and wet?) setting. Always check with the couple, but you will probably fit right in with nice sandals, dress shorts, light cotton shirt.

Ladies could wear light fabric skirts and dresses; I like either short skirts or long, flowing dresses. You'll be more comfortable in something more loose fitting if it is going to be hot.

Again follow the general guidelines in that you don't want to wear something too revealing. You, too, might want to go with a nice pair of sandals for the day, as high heels and beach sand don't mix too well.

If the couple is planning an outdoor wedding, but not on the beach, you might find yourself in a garden, backyard, golf course, park, etc.

First thing is to check with the invitation to see if wedding attire is specified. Depending on the type of wedding the couple are going to have, it might be formal or it might be as casual as a backyard barbeque.

Being outside, you should dress according to the weather and the time of year. If it is a fall wedding, the days could be lovely warm, but get cool and crisp in the evening so you should dress accordingly.

Men will probably do just fine in a suit, tie, socks and dress shoes if it is a formal affair or dress short or nice kakis and shirts if it is more informal.

Ladies, I would probably go for more the beach wedding attire as above. High heels usually don't do well on grass as well, to maybe go with flats or sandals again here.

If you find yourself invited to a morning wedding, attire for men is a suit, tie, socks and dress shoes, while women could also wear a light suit or dress. Usually, these weddings are not as formal and are followed with a light meal, not full course dinner with dancing to follow.

Being invited to a themed wedding could be the most fun. Some couples might want their guests to join them in celebrating their wedding by also wearing themed clothing.

There are so many different types of Theme Weddings for couples to choose from and you can usually get an idea of the theme that they have chosen from the wedding invitation.

So you do have some choices to make for wedding guest dress at a wedding, but I think the key is to follow the guidelines noted above and you'll surely have a great time at the wedding.

If you want some great online sources for finding the perfect dress to wear at a wedding, please see our Wedding Dress Suppliers

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