Casual wedding attire for guests

What casual wedding attire means

On wedding invitations the codes run from white tie at the top through black tie, black tie optional, cocktail or semi formal, then dressy casual, and finally casual; the office codes in between, business casual and smart casual, rarely appear. Casual is the bottom rung, but the rungs sit higher at a wedding than in daily life. Zola's advice is to picture what you would wear to a business event or to dinner with your partner's parents, which is a useful test: relaxed, clean, pressed and considered, without a suit and tie.

In practice the difference between casual and dressy casual is mostly the jacket and the fabric. Dressy casual usually means a blazer for men and a dress or polished separates in a slightly dressier fabric for women. Casual allows men to leave the blazer at home and lets everyone choose cotton, linen and simple prints. What it does not allow is the clothes you would wear to the gym, the beach or the garden.

Emily Post reminds guests that a wedding is at heart a serious ceremony, and that some faiths and cultures ask for covered shoulders, covered arms, closed toes or a head covering. A casual dress code does not override those expectations. If the ceremony is in a church, temple, mosque or gurdwara, dress for that space first, and bring a light layer or scarf if your outfit is sleeveless.

Let the venue, time and season set the details

The word casual covers a backyard barbecue reception, a brewery, a courthouse ceremony followed by lunch, a farm and a beach, and each one pushes the outfit in a different direction. A daytime garden or backyard wedding suits light colors, florals and breathable fabrics. A restaurant or city venue in the evening invites darker colors and sharper shapes, and many guests will be a notch dressier. At a farm, barn or beach, the ground matters most: Zola warns that thin heels sink into soft ground, so block heels, wedges, dressy flats and loafers are wiser. Our guides to garden party attire and beach wedding attire cover those settings in detail.

Season changes fabric more than formality. A summer casual wedding calls for linen, seersucker, cotton voile and sandals, with sun protection for an outdoor ceremony. For a casual wedding in fall, move to heavier cotton, fine wool, suede and knit dresses with sleeves, in warmer colors like rust, olive, burgundy and navy, and bring a jacket or cardigan for the evening. Winter casual weddings are usually indoors, where a knit dress with boots or wool trousers with a sweater and a sport coat look right.

Casual wedding attire for men

The foundation is a pair of well fitting chinos or lightweight wool or linen trousers in stone, tan, olive, navy or gray, with a collared shirt. An oxford or linen button down, a crisp poplin shirt, or a camp collar shirt in a quiet print all work, tucked in if the shirt has a long hem and worn out only if it is cut square to sit at the hip. A knit polo in a fine gauge is fine for a daytime backyard wedding; a sports jersey polo is not.

Shoes finish the outfit. Loafers, suede or leather derbies, desert boots and leather sandals for a beach all suit a casual wedding, and our guide to wearing loafers shows how to handle socks with them. A belt that roughly matches the shoes, a watch and a pressed shirt say you made an effort. You do not need a tie, but bring an unstructured cotton or linen blazer: you can wear it through the ceremony, take it off at the reception, and it rescues you if everyone else turns out dressier than expected.

Casual wedding attire for women

A casual dress for a wedding guest is usually a sundress, a midi or knee length dress in cotton, linen or a light crepe, a wrap dress, or a shirt dress with a belt. Prints and colors are welcome, and this is the code where a floral dress looks most at home. Separates work just as well: a midi skirt with a silky blouse or a fitted knit, wide leg trousers with a sleeveless top and a light blazer, or a jumpsuit in a soft fabric.

Shoes should suit the ground and the length of the day. Block heels, wedges, espadrilles, dressy flat sandals and loafers keep you steady on grass and gravel, and they will still be comfortable at the end of the reception. A light cardigan, a denim jacket over a dress at a very relaxed venue, or a wrap covers the shoulders for a ceremony and the cooler evening. For fall, a midi dress with long sleeves and ankle boots, or a knit dress with tights, keeps the relaxed mood without shivering.

Can you wear jeans, sneakers or shorts to a casual wedding?

Zola's guidance is to avoid denim unless the couple says otherwise, and that is the safest reading. Some couples do say it, on the invitation or on their website, especially for barn and ranch weddings. If they do, wear dark, clean jeans without rips, with a collared shirt, a blazer or a polished blouse, and good leather shoes or boots, so the rest of the outfit carries the occasion.

Sneakers follow the same logic. Clean, minimal leather sneakers with chinos or a dress can look deliberate at a very relaxed wedding, but canvas trainers that have seen a summer of use, running shoes and flip flops look like you forgot where you were going. Shorts are rarely right for guests, even at a beach wedding, unless the couple specifically asks for them; tailored linen trousers do the same job and look like a wedding.

What not to wear as a casual wedding guest

The strongest convention in North American weddings is that guests do not wear white, ivory or anything that could read as bridal in photos, unless the couple asks for all white. Beyond that, skip anything very revealing, anything athletic, and anything with large slogans or logos. It is also possible to overshoot: a floor length gown or a tuxedo at a casual wedding can feel as out of place as jeans at a formal one, and Zola lists ball gowns and tuxedos among the things to avoid. If you are torn between two outfits, choose the slightly dressier one; being a little overdressed at a wedding is rarely noticed, while underdressed is.