what to wear to wedding if invite doesn''t say

[nejarb]

the wedding is in the evening, in late july, at the bride''s parent''s house, and it''s outdoors. the invitation didn''t say what type of dress would be appropriate. but the groom/groomsmen are wearing tuxes, so it''s not casual.

short silk dress, cardigan, and flats? or longer dress just to be on the safe side?

 

[Mara]

i''d wear a ''hits at knee'' or slightly longer kind of summery silk or similar type material flowy dress with a wrap and heels.

 

[Sundial]

I know I''m getting old, but it seems to me that it is hard to tell what is appropriate attire these days. We went to a wedding just a couple of weeks ago. It was at 4:00 in a small church followed by a reception at the bride''s home in the backyard. The bride wore a fancy long wedding dress and the men wore tuxes. I made hubby wear a sports coat and tie and I wore a summery dress. A number of the other guests were wearing jeans and there were even some in shorts!!!

 

[door knob solitaire]

Ditto to what Mara said.

DKS

 

[Mara]

i know sundial sometimes it''s mind-boggling what people wear. i typically wear what i typed for any type of summer wedding, esp outdoors which is so common here...a wrap and heels and flowy type of dress comes in very handy.

but yeah i go to so many weddings where people are wearing shorts or jeans or like old winkled dark khakis and a TSHIRT. i mean who wears that?? but yet i see it all the time. crazy.

 

[diamondfan]

That is just plain gross to me. I have also seen people at the theater in things that looked slept in. I am all for casual as long as it is neat and appropriate, but that is just too much. Now days, a nice dark pair of jeans can take you almost anywhere when accessorized right, but I just cannot imagine jeans to a wedding unless I knew it was a Westerned themed one.

I think you are always safe with a pretty dress, a strappy shoe, elegant accessories (metallics always make things special in my opinion) and a soft wrap in case it is cool. Really can cover all bases with that outfit.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

In absence of a specific directive in the invite, I''d err on the side of cocktail attire-- a pretty dress, about knee-length, with strappy shoes (fabric, not leather). Wrap or coordinating light jacket instead of cardigan.

Do you have a dress in mind?

 

[nejarb]

fdl: i can''t upload it but it''s the first dress in the collection if you go to the catherine malandrino website. since i already spend too much on clothes and have alot of weddings to go to, i was thinking of borrowing this from a friend. i''m 5''9", so it doesn''t fall all the way to my knees. what do you think?

i agree with whoever said a shrug or a wrap instead of a cardigan.

mara: heels even though outdoors at someone''s home? i''m worried about walking in grass. maybe wedges? i thought the dress may be cute w/ flats.

i probably just ned to buy a dress.

 

[monarch64]

Nejarb, is it the halter style printed chiffon-looking dress in blues and greens with a wide greenish sash? If so it's beautiful and I think perfect with wedges and a wrap. I don't think flats would work with it for an evening wedding, backyard or not, so wedges would be great. It's sooo cute! ETA: if you're comfortable borrowing it from a friend (just inspected your post more closely, lol) then by all means do so and save yourself the trouble of shopping and spending!

 

[Mara]

wedges to me would be fine as long as they go with the dress. not sure about flats unless they were a dressy material rather than a subdued cotton or something, that might dress the whole thing down.

i tend to wear heels with almost any dress just because they are more flattering to my legs and ''dress up'' even a simple frock. but yeah i wouldn''t be wearing stilettos in the middle of grass or anything. sounds like you have a few options that could work.

 

[door knob solitaire]

Found this article that may shed light on the situation. They provide $$$ options when in doubt. $3200 Oscar delaRenta for a black tie event...and a $435 Adampluseve Bubble Hem Baby Doll Dress for backyard chic. You can thank me later.

http://shopping.aol.com/pages/Summer-Wedding-Wear/20324

DKS