~SEMI Etiquette Tips~ "What Should Your Guests Wear to Your Wedding?"

With all of the details surrounding your wedding day, one of the questions that may be on your mind is, "how do you want your guests to dress for the occasion?" Well, the answer to this question depends on you. What are you trying to create for your day? Are you trying to create a casual informal atmosphere or do you imagine a more formal environment? There are three categories of wedding attire that should be considered for your guests. They are formal, semi-formal, and informal. See from the descriptions below, which accomplishes the vision you are trying to create.

Formal Wedding Attire - The bride and her attendants wear long gowns in formal fabrics, and the groom and his attendants wear cutaways or tailcoats. Women guests wear street-length dressy clothing for a daytime wedding and usually floor-length gowns or cocktail dresses for an evening wedding. Men guests wear dark suits and ties for a daytime wedding and tuxedos for an evening. An evening formal wedding that requires white tie is the most formal of all.

Semi-Formal Wedding Attire - The bride and her attendants wear long, ballerina or tea-length gowns, usually made of simpler fabrics than those for a formal wedding. The groom and his attendants wear gray or black strollers with striped trousers or a formal suit for a daytime semi-formal wedding, and a dinner jacket with black trousers or a formal suit for an evening wedding. Women guests wear street length tailored or semi-dressy dresses for a daytime wedding and cocktail dresses for an evening wedding. Men guests wear dark suits for both.

Informal Wedding Attire - The bride and her attendants wear simple white or pastel floor-length gowns or ballerina, tea length, or street length dresses. The groom and his attendants wear suits or sport jackets and slacks. Women guests wear what is appropriate to the location, usually street-length dresses. Men guests wear sport jackets and slacks.

Information courtesy of Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette, Fifth Edition.