Future Brother In laws wedding

I would assume it means something that will warm and elagent. Garden parties attire are normally sun dresses with some sleeves. I hope i could help!

I'd take that to mean a cocktail length dress and sandals, wedges, or flats.

What area of the country and what month?

I would think a knee to tea length dress. Sundress or cute flirty skirts and blouse. Wedges or sandals to walk in grass

View Quoted Comment California in March

It’s gonna be at 6pm, in March, near/on a beach (they aren’t being very clear about the location.

I would choose a midi dress with espadrilles- something with secure footing.

FI would wear a blazer or sport coat, shirt and linen pants.

Wear wedges and bring a wrap. I feel like they were really attempting to give you a heads up about footwear. That said, I hope they don't have you out in the rain...

I feel like it doesn’t mean anything besides “not heels” and dress for the weather

Living in Southern California, I'd guess, for an evening wedding in March, near the beach, they are trying to communicate that the weather may be unpredictable and the wedding is not formal. The "garden" part, to me, suggests not super fancy or formal -- a long or short, more casual dress; men probably don't need to wear a suit (but, your husband is probably in it, so that might be different for him). The mention of the grass means wear comfortable shoes -- not spike heels. And the mention of the potential weather variability means come prepared for anything! I had a good friend whose wedding was at a venue overlooking the beach in early April. Up until the day of it was a total crap shoot in terms of what to wear that would be appropriate for the weather. (Our daughter's birthday is in April and we've often had parties rained out.) For the wedding, it turned out to be bright and sunny, and for the ceremony we were kind of sweaty, but, for the outdoor dinner reception, I was definitely happy I brought a sweater. If you're not from around here, I'm sure it seems confusing, but, especially since you're talking about your future BIL & SIL, you can surely double-check with them! Have fun! So Cal is usually gorgeous no matter what time of year!

Garden means it's not formal. Any style of casual dress (like a sundress) should be fine. The warning is mostly to not wear stilettos as it will be hard to walk in them on the grass, so flats or wedges recommended. And to bring a wrap/shawl because the weather is unpredictable.

Men (and women who don't want to wear a dress) can wear khakis or dress pants and a collared shirt and be fine. Jacket and tie would not be out of place, but not required.

This is why dress codes on invitations are hard. They literally mean nothing, except to the person writing them. I'd call or text the wedding couple and ask what the bridal party and parents are wearing. That should help.

PS for lurkers, never put a dress code on the invitation unless it is black or white tie.

I had no clue what it meant so I did a quick google search. Found this:

Garden attire or beach formal: This means you should “dress to impress,” but consider the environment when you select your outfit. If it’s “beach formal,” sandals and other open-toe style shoes are acceptable. For “garden attire,” Margaret Jones of Scriptura explains that female guests should wear wedge heels or flats so they don’t sink in the dirt or grass. Depending on the time of year, a “garden attire” gathering could mean light colored linen for men and summer dresses for women.

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Hopefully that's what the the person writing this imaginary dress code meant too.

What part of California? Huge difference in temps for March if it’s SoCal, NorCal or central. You should definitely stick with a wedge or flat as suggested. I would personally do a flat because grass and wedge shoes can be tricky and sand and wedge is no fun. Comments about dress are accurate

I interpret this as a nice sundress with a light sweater and some flats or wedges.

Can you or your fiance ask the bride or groom their vision? You'll presumably be in photos so might as well hit the nail on the head.

And this is exactly why listing dress codes that aren't black tie is a bad idea. It's super vague & confusing for guests. The "garden" dress code makes me think sundress, but the 6pm ceremony time implies more formality. I'd think you could wear the type of dress you'd wear to a nice dinner date. If it's outdoors in March I would definitely bring a wrap or jacket of some kind and wear flats or wedges. SoCal in March you can get 85 degrees during the day and it'll drop to 60 once the sun goes down. If it's closer to the beach you can also get wind or marine layer in the evening. Your FH (if he's a guest) can probably get away without a suit jacket if he wants- either just a shirt/tie or a shirt/vest combo.

My guess would be like a floral sun dress. Or even a strappy maxi dress. That's what I'd wear at least.

I think a reasonable person reading this would think that this meant a spring dress or equivalent, but wear comfy shoes since you'll be on grass and bring a layer (dress for the weather).