Attire Wording

This is what I have on my wedding website:

Dress code is casual - think "Kentucky Derby" style. Hats, bow ties and light-colored attire are all encouraged! All festivities will take place outdoors and we want guests to be comfortable.

I would probably say cocktail attire because if you put black tie optional people will think tuxedos and ball gowns.

I would be tempted to say "cocktail attire".

Now, if you are having the reception at a venue that has a dress code, you can say "no denim". But, I would stick with "cocktail attire". "BLack tie optional" is far more formal than cocktail.

My friend actually did a polyvore pic with suggestions of what people could wear since it was a more beaching wedding but she still wants people to look dressy.

I think "Semi-formal" means too many things to different people, so I'd either say cocktail, or give them some ideas.

Thanks J but people would read casual and wear shorts and jeans I'm trying to have people dress up like suits. slacks and button up.

This is what I said on our website:

Q: What do I wear?

A: We're asking for "cocktail/semi-formal attire." Be comfortable, but please no jeans, sneakers/flip-flops, or clubwear (or wedding dresses :p). You may want to bring a sweater as well, you never know what the weather will be like.

I figure we'll spread that part around by word of mouth too. I've got an Aunt who wears capri pants to everything unless asked to do otherwise.... she will be informed of my request via word of mouth :p

Hope that helps!

Awesome thanks... I just wanted to make sure. Cocktail it is!

LOL I love the capri pants... haha! I had a friends grandma that wore a "house coat" which nowadays looks like a robe with buttons and short sleeves and when we would tell her to go change we're going out. She would say, "I'm dressed I'm in my mumu." Uhhh no.

We are doing a BBQ reception at 7pm in a tent at a venue our invite said "wedding casual attire", we are aiming for khakis, dress shirts and summer dresses. I can't believe people show up in jeans to a wedding, I hope they don't to mine or yours! Good luck!

Haha, when my grandma was alive, she totally had a house coat that she wore ALL the time! It was horrible, but at least she never wore it out of the house :p

Christine, the only issue with cocktail is that there will be LOTS of little black dresses.

For the record, on our website I put "no jeans please" and still had a couple of guests in jeans. So just be aware that you can try different things, but you can't stop it (unless there's an enforced dress code.) And you won't really care the day of.

@Caroline good point. I don't mind if a few people would wear black but I don't want a ton of people wearing black.... hum now what to say.

Attire: Cocktail. Please remember this is a celebration not a funeral... and the bride is the only one that gets to wear white.... LOL

@Kristn, at least hers kinda looked like a longer 50's style dress with buttons going down the front... LOL

Haha LOL! I feel the same about black and white at a wedding. But FMIL is wearing black and copper it turns out. I ended up putting Evening/Formal, which I hope keeps the standards nice and high for our 'Evening Soiree'

Can you think of an event that you can take inspiration from for the dress code, like how JMedd said "Kentucky Derby" - is there something that will relate to your family and friends?

Not really. I'm afraid if I say Old Hollywood then my wedding would turn into a "theme" and I don't really want a "theme" as people would take it. I would like to have the feel that it is an upscale event going on in a specific point in time - which is the 1930s....

Is this the kind of attire you're going for? It's what I hope to see people in!

@KristnB, my mom had a pink bathrobe that she'd wear to drop me off at the bus stop when I was in middle school. My friends made fun of me.

@JMedd, oh no! I hope that is now a memory you can laugh at, but that's horrible. It's not a robe, and it wasn't my mom, but I wore curlers in my hair to high school several times. It was for a choir competition, but I definitely got some stares and giggles...

@Kristn we're hoping for dressier like the bottom set. How did you set those pics up? Or did you grab it off the internet?

Google baby! You can also go to www.polyvore.com and create all kinds of outfits, etc. It's fun!