My wedding is in September and I have decided that the ceremony will be a semi-formal event, meaning absolutley no jeans, t-shirts or sneakers. How do I let all the guests know what we expect. There are roughly 300 guests and I can't call each one and tell them. They are more than welcome to change into more comfortable clothes at the reception.
2007-03-15 02:56:21 · 14 answers · asked by jamitha99 3 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
If your ceremony is semi-formal then your reception should be as well. Otherwise you run the risk of guests attending your ceremony in casual dress. To avoid this, simply choose one constant style for both the ceremony and reception.
Whichever style you choose (formal, semi-formal, casual, etc.) does not need to be addressed formally on the invitation unless your event is black tie. Your guests will be able to discern what attire is most appropriate from the tone of your invitation and setting/location of your wedding.
But if you are really concerned about the style of dress for your wedding, inform both sets of parents and wedding party members of the style. As guests ask for suggestions on what to wear, you, your parents, or wedding party members can then let them know that any semi-formal/dressy casual attire would be appropriate. Any further effort to notify guests regarding attire is not necessary in my opinion.
2007-03-15 06:22:32 · answer #1 · answered by Veronica W 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No Shirts No Service!!!
LOL- All weddings are semi formal unless otherwise specified to be something else. No one in their right mind should come to a wedding in jeans.
You don't have to tell your guest anything..... it's assumed.
It would almost like being told "please don't wear jeans and please eat with your silverware." LOL
You shouldn't have to be told certain things... don't worry most people dress semi formal without being told. If you are afraid a certain person might wear jeans- then I would tell them directly- hey, by the way- my wedding is kinda dresses.. no jeans :)
Good luck!!
Oh and I won't allow or even suggest changing your opening up a whole new box of problems with allowing guest a little to much freedom..... I have seen tube tops, halter tops, and dirty sneakers come out when "offers" like that are place on the table. Most people will dress nice and wear something that's good for dancing... it's just common sense!
2007-03-15 03:08:54 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
By etiquette, there is actually no such thing as semi-formal. There is formal (white tie or black tie), informal (which is STILL DRESSY), and casual.
You can either decide to be formal and put "Black Tie" at the bottom of your invitations, or else you will have to trust your guests to know that a wedding is a dress-up occaision.
It would not be polite to give any more specific instruction of what to wear or not wear (unless to say Black Tie on invitations because it's formal). I know you're concerned about what people will wear, but you can't be a control freak about it-- it's more important to be a gracious bride than to have peope wear exactly what you wanted them to.
Guests are to infer what to wear based onthe style of the invitation. The more colorful the invitations (with flowers, ribbons, decorations, etc), the more informal the wedding. To be more formal, it should be plain black engraving on a white or ecru card, with little to no ornamentation.
2007-03-15 04:20:40 · answer #3 · answered by Etiquette Gal 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's a generally accepted concept that jeans, tshirts, and sneakers are not proper wedding attire. If this may yet be a conceivable problem, put in a well designed and disguised (nice stationery) that lines out exactly what is expected of guests' attire. If it's pretty enough, it won't be seen as an insult to those that would have otherwise worn jeans and a tshirt.
2007-03-15 03:07:13 · answer #4 · answered by brokeneyesglaring 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Maybe on the wedding invitation put Semi-Formal somewhere.
Then on the reception cards put "feel free to to change into your comfy dancing clothes for the party" or something to that effect.
That way when they read it they will see that the wedding is more formal and the reception is more relaxed.
2007-03-15 03:02:37 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
People KNOW how to dress for a wedding, both the ceremony and reception. However, if people really don't know in your area, you could include the words somewhere in the lines at the bottom left of your invitation where the reception info is.
2007-03-15 04:32:03 · answer #6 · answered by Lydia 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋
well I have never been to a wedding where people wore jeans or anything like that so. my wedding was very causal and people still dressed up. having said that, why does it matter what your guests wear? they arent telling you what to wear so it really shouldnt matter what they have one. any photos at the ceremony are of you and the wedding party, not the guests and if you really care about the people your inviting then you should be happy they are there, not worring about their clothes.
2007-03-15 03:24:06 · answer #7 · answered by Jenn ♥Cadence Jade's mum♥ 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Do you think people would actually come to your wedding in jeans? If so, then you will need to make note on your invitations, but honestly, where I am from people know that you dress up when going to a wedding, if not stated "black tie" (which would mean formal wear) then people know to wear their Sunday best. If you honestly think that people would show in casual attire then include your dress code, but I dont think you would need it since its common sense.
2007-03-15 03:12:53 · answer #8 · answered by kateqd30 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
DONT call it "semiformal" say FORMAL attire only on the invitations at the bottom. Or say "black tie wedding".
2007-03-15 05:11:53 · answer #9 · answered by Educated 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
put it on a separate card in the invite semi-formal attire no jeans, t-shirts or sneakers
2007-03-15 03:03:58 · answer #10 · answered by schristine23 2 · 1⤊ 4⤋