Educate me on 'Dressing for a Wedding 101'

KittyBag

Settling in...
Mar 28, 2006
3,906
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Hi! I am clueless and could really use your expertice!

I am attending a wedding in Oct (yes, this coming Sat). My best guy friend from high school is getting married :yahoo:I have been so excited for him, that I didn't give me outfit any thought. This is my first wedding is a long time... So, this is the part where I need your help!

Details: Ceremony (in a church) will be at 3pm, followed by a 6pm Reception at a pretty big catering place. We are in Orange County, NY (not the NYC).

What do I wear? Will 1 outfit work for both? Should I dress for the evening dinner event? Is a 'little black dress' ok? I have some options... that I can post pictures of when I get home tonight. Honestly, I mostly want to be comfortable (and not stand out as wearing something inappropriate).. so that we can all just kick back and celebrate!

Thanks in advance for any advice you can muster!
 
Because what is appropriate and over and underdressed etc varies so widely depending on everything from faith and cultural tradition to size of the town, neighborhood in a city, etc, the best thing to do is to try to find out what other people will be wearing.

Failing that, learn what you can about the bride's parents, if they are extremely conservative, etc, because when all is said and done, is they, and to a lesser extent, the groom's parents, who must be pleased with everything at the wedding, including what the guests are wearing!
 
LBD (if that's the style of the wedding- you may want to ask about colors, since maybe it's, say, a pastel wedding), and limit the skank factor... not the time to be revealing. Otherwise, basically just wear something nice... if that's not too general.
 
I guess I will go against the LBD here.... a 3pm wedding is an afternoon wedding.... I'd wear a cute dress, but not all black. Then again, I'm southern, so sometimes the rules are a little more old fashioned here.

And yes, definitely cover bare shoulders in church.
 
What material is your black dress? If it's not satin, then I think it should be fine for daytime. If you want to wear separate outfits, here's my advice.

Daytime: Nothing white or red. A dress that's not overly revealing on top with a shawl. If you want to show some skin, legs should be fine if you wear nude hose. At the very least, the shortest you should go is 1 or 2 inches above the knee depending on your height.

Night: Still nothing red or white but rules are a little more relaxed at night. Your LDB should be fine. Just dress it up with accessories and heels.

Now go ahead and show us some pictures!
 
I guess I will go against the LBD here.... a 3pm wedding is an afternoon wedding.... I'd wear a cute dress, but not all black. Then again, I'm southern, so sometimes the rules are a little more old fashioned here.

And yes, definitely cover bare shoulders in church.

A 3pm wedding in a church means a nightime - dinner reception. Probably starting anywhere between 5 & 6pm. with the wedding ceremony or mass, pictures etc - it's going to be a evening reception I'm sure. I wouldn't dress for a daytime party. And I agree with the others about the wrap - or depending on the weather you may need something warmer anyway. Definitely don't wear white or anything too revealing:smile:
 
Ok, I finally have some pictures to share with you!! I am modeling the black dress so you can see the fit and length (doesn't seem skanky ;), but please be honest with me!). I also snapped pictures of a few other options and can try to take modeling shots tonight if any of them seem remotely like they may work better. Thank you so much for tutoring me through this!

black dress.jpgblack dress2.jpg
 
I think based on the no white rule, this dress would be ruled out.
baby doll.jpg

And this is a wrap dress from Nautica with white and mute green -- floral. Show's a little cleavage (but the girls don't hang out or anything).
wrap dress.jpg

What do you think? :tup: yes or :tdown: pass?
 
Whoops.. forgot one. I think this may be a bit too stand out-ish, but let me know what you think... yes, it's nearly kelly green.
green dress.jpg

Again, What do you think? :tup: yes or :tdown: pass? Be honest with me!!
 
One more thing for your consideration is I really want to use my orangy-rust colored Marc Jacobs cluch for the night. It seems like it would be fun to use now with the leaves changing and all! And.. shoes... doen't even get me started!! I have no clue which ones! I guess I can snap pics of those too.. so you can help me match them to the selected dress.

What would I do without you all?