Dress Codes for Guests
Wedding guests should be appropriately dressed for a wedding. It is important to remember that weddings are usually quite a formal affair and people take the time to dress up and look their best.
Wedding etiquette dictates that dress codes are not included on a wedding invitation unless guests are required to adhere to an uncustomary code (such as black tie). Any unusual dress code should be explained in the extra information that goes out with the wedding invitations.
- Traditionally, wedding dress attire for men is morning dress, or a suit with a shirt and tie.
- Women should look elegant in a suit or dress - appropriate for the season and the weather - and may also wear a hat.
- Appropriate shoes should be chosen if the wedding is outside or on grass.
- Head-to-toe outfits in white or cream should never be worn and all black, unless cleverly accessorised, may look too sombre.
- Hats are traditional, but by no means compulsory, at weddings. It is notoriously difficult to socially kiss while wearing a wide-brimmed hat. There is a knack to tilting the head at a suitable angle, but two ladies both in wide brimmed hats should avoid such an 'intimate' greeting.
See Wedding Invitations: Extra Guest Information
