Semi-formal or cocktail attire?

I found this on Pinterest when I was planning! It helped a lot for me

As you noted, they’re basically the same. Although, some could argue cocktail is a (small) step above semi-formal because cocktail means almost formal but short dresses are allowed (and therefore long are okay too). I think you’re fine with either and guests won’t know the difference.

As a guest I really don't know what semi formal is, speaking for the masses here. With cocktail I have a better idea. But this shouldn't be on your actual invitation at most you can put it on your website. My wedding is black tie and it's on our invitation and website as we have all the markings of a black tie wedding including the service.

I have noticed people where whatever they er they want if it's not black tie so I wouldnt worry about this. The formality of your actual invitation and your wedding venue will cue people in, if they are paying attention.

I wouldn't worry about setting a dress code, unless it is black tie. As an adult, I'm going to wear something "semi-formal" to a wedding anyway. Your invitations should portray the formality of the event.

When I added an "attire" page to our website I used semiformal and added a little blurb on what that may look like to give people a better idea. I think that's the most helpful since the terms may mean something different to different people.

We used beach formal and put "any outfit you'd wear to a nice restaurant on a summer night!" That's on our website, that was people get the dressy casual but light

The difficulty you have with choosing a dress code is the exact reason they are unnecessary. Cocktail and semi-formal mean different things to different people.

Guests make their decision based on the details of your wedding: the invitation, the venue, the time of day.

Even if you put one on your website, people who don't dress up for weddings, won't. Someone who is going to show up to a wedding in jeans or khakis is not going to make a different decision on his attire based on anything he reads on the website.

Yes, some people will ask what to wear, but those are the same people who would still ask if they already read your dress code.

We put "Semi-Formal (Cowboy Boots Encouraged!)" on ours. I think semi-formal and cocktail are the same?

Instead of specifying a dress code, I listed examples of things that would be appropriate on our website. I only added this section because people kept asking what to wear. Here's what we have:

What should I wear?

The short answer is "whatever you want."

The long answer is:

Sundresses, cocktail dresses, casual suits, slacks, button-downs, sports coats, ties or no ties -- this is all perfect for our wedding.