Wedding Guest Dress Help

[ice-queen]

Hi Everyone!

I am attending a wedding in a few weeks and need help deciding what to wear...the ceremony will take place in a Catholic Church at 2:30pm, while the reception will be at a country club later that evening at 6pm. I have never attended an afternoon wedding ceremony before, so I''m not sure if the dress I intend to wear is appropriate. I have attached a picture of an almost identical dress, as I can not find a picture of my exact dress. I would have no qualms about wearing this to any of the evening weddings I have been to...but I''m not sure if I will look ridiculous wearing this to a Catholic Church smack in the middle of the day. I don''t have much experience with churches in general (I am not Christian), which adds to my unsure-ness. By the way, I would definitely bring a little black cardigan or shawl to wear during the ceremony. Oh, and I''m 5''3", the dress is not this short on me!

Thanks!

 

[Mary K]

Personally I think that as long as the dress isn''t that short on you, you''ll be more than fine. I seriously doubt you''ll be the only one there with a strappy dress and/or bare shoulders. It''s a very cute dress BTW.

 

[brightlight]

Date: 8/15/2009 12:39:17 AM
Author:ice-queen
Hi Everyone!

I am attending a wedding in a few weeks and need help deciding what to wear...the ceremony will take place in a Catholic Church at 2:30pm, while the reception will be at a country club later that evening at 6pm. I have never attended an afternoon wedding ceremony before, so I''m not sure if the dress I intend to wear is appropriate. I have attached a picture of an almost identical dress, as I can not find a picture of my exact dress. I would have no qualms about wearing this to any of the evening weddings I have been to...but I''m not sure if I will look ridiculous wearing this to a Catholic Church smack in the middle of the day. I don''t have much experience with churches in general (I am not Christian), which adds to my unsure-ness. By the way, I would definitely bring a little black cardigan or shawl to wear during the ceremony. Oh, and I''m 5''3'', the dress is not this short on me!

Thanks!

My only concerns would be the plunging neckline b/c you''ll be in a church and also the length, which you said would be longer on your body.

 

[princesss]

Not appropriate. Sorry. The neckline, straps, and length make it a no-go for a Catholic wedding. Get a cute, colourful sweater/shawl for during the service, though, and you''re set. It just can''t stand alone in church.

 

[ice-queen]

Thanks for your replies! The dress is basically knee-length on me, so that won''t be an issue. As I mentioned, it isn''t the exact dress, but the neckline is basically the same...but I''m hoping the shawl/cardigan will cover any boobage

I guess mostly I just wasn''t sure if people actually get glitzed up or not for afternoon ceremonies (the whole look with my shoes, etc, is fairly fancy schmancy). I would assume they do, since it IS a Saturday evening reception...but I just wanted to get some opinions so I don''t feel stupid.

I know this isn''t the biggest deal in the world...but I''m admittedly a bit of a spaz, I can''t help it! I know I could always just wear something else...but I already own this and love it, and love the shoes I have to go with it, so I would really prefer to not have to buy a new dress (I recently lost some weight, and this is the only fancy dress I have that fits).

 

[ficklefaye]

hi ice-queen, i''ve been to many catholic weddings and the dresses i''ve seen really vary, i''ve been to an early afternoon wedding where some girls were scantily clad, totally inappropriate

i like your dress, but i would have to agree that the low neckline might be an issue, can you bring a shawl or something similar for the ceremony?

 

[ice-queen]

Date: 8/15/2009 2:29:29 AM
Author: ficklefaye
hi ice-queen, i've been to many catholic weddings and the dresses i've seen really vary, i've been to an early afternoon wedding where some girls were scantily clad, totally inappropriate

i like your dress, but i would have to agree that the low neckline might be an issue, can you bring a shawl or something similar for the ceremony?

Thanks for your response- I definitely don't want to be one of those:

, lol. Yes, I am for sure wearing something over the dress, probably a little cardigan.

PS: I LOOOVE the necklace on your other thread. I can totally see why you decided against wearing it, but hopefully you'll still get some good use out of it!

 

[mrscushion]

I think with a cardigan you''ll be fine. Cute dress! If you''re worried about looking too evening-y too early in the day, do you have a different pair of shoes to wear for the ceremony?

It is unfortunate that with these daytime ceremonies and evening receptions, guests will be ever so slightly over- or under-dressed at one of the events, unless they have different outfits for both. Most people in my hometown have noon Catholic church ceremonies and I often see bridesmaids or guests in floor-length evening gowns that are not the best for that time of day. However, I guess it can''t be helped.

 

[honey22]

I think with a wrap you will be fine. As long as you are not being distasteful, you are ok.

 

[ice-queen]

Date: 8/15/2009 3:12:47 AM
Author: mscushion
I think with a cardigan you''ll be fine. Cute dress! If you''re worried about looking too evening-y too early in the day, do you have a different pair of shoes to wear for the ceremony?

It is unfortunate that with these daytime ceremonies and evening receptions, guests will be ever so slightly over- or under-dressed at one of the events, unless they have different outfits for both. Most people in my hometown have noon Catholic church ceremonies and I often see bridesmaids or guests in floor-length evening gowns that are not the best for that time of day. However, I guess it can''t be helped.

Hmmm...the different shoe thing (and even accessories) could be a good idea. I tend to overanalyze things (as I''m doing right now), but I really hate the feeling of being overdressed, but like you said, most people will probably be at least slightly over- or under- dressed to one of the events. I guess thats where a more simple, classic, little black dress would come in handy, lol. I was curious as to whether some people change outfits from afternoon to evening...like for Bar/Bat-Mitzvahs where most people wear one thing for the morning service and then change for the evening party. Either way, it''s not really an option for me because the wedding is an hour and a half away...so I won''t be going back home nor to a hotel room in between.

 

[ice-queen]

Date: 8/15/2009 3:34:07 AM
Author: honey22
I think with a wrap you will be fine. As long as you are not being distasteful, you are ok.

Good, I''m glad the general consensus is that is is ok.

I''m so grateful for this forum because my friends irl can''t stand listening to me obsess over stuff like this, lol!!!

 

[Anastasia]

Being raised catholic, and having attended many catholic weddings, I can assure that there is noone checking your attire at the door!

I agree that the afternoon wedding, evening reception can be a little awkward. Will you have time and a place to change after the wedding and before the reception? If so, I would just wear a cute dress to the ceremony, and change into this dress for the reception. If you can''t change, I would just wear this dress with the cardigan or shawl, and not worry about it.

While noone will be checking your attire for appropriateness, I think it is always a good idea to be respectful in a house of worship, of any denomination.