You’ve just said yes, and there is a ring on your finger. Ahead of you lie months of planning and choices to make your wedding the day of your dreams.
One of the biggest decisions is what to wear. Many girls know from a very young age what they want there wedding dress to be like. Sometimes, though, these dreams need to be modified a little due to circumstances like location, time of year and budget. The choice of what to wear depends on the type of wedding you are planning.
A simple, summer backyard wedding for close friends and family suggests a pretty sundress and sandals. For a church wedding with three hundred guests, the choice should be sophisticated and elegant. The time of day also makes a difference, with day-time weddings tending to be less formal (unless you are royalty), and evening weddings leaning towards more elaborate gowns for both wedding party and guests.
It is, of course, not just the bride who has to decide what to wear. It is a big decision for the rest of the wedding party – attendants and parents – and for all the guests. Again, the time of day and the style of the wedding will influence these choices. Choices made by the bride will determine, to a large extent, what everyone else will wear.
Usually, the bride has complete control over what her bridesmaids wear, as their appearance is central to the overall look of the wedding. As such, this is perhaps a more difficult decision than choosing a wedding dress. The more bridesmaids there are, the more difficult is becomes. Unless one chooses bridesmaids solely because of their appearance, there will be differences in height, skin-coloring and shape. It may be impossible to find a style, and a color, that suits them all. What to do? For a casual wedding, one solution is to let the bridesmaids choose their own dresses. For a more formal wedding, one could shop at a large wedding store which has a good variety of dresses in a given color range. The bridesmaids then choose the style that suits them best.
Beyond the dress, the bride has to decide on whether or not to wear a veil, a tiara or other hair adornments, what jewelry to wear, the shoes and of course the bouquet. Similarly, shoes, bouquets and hair adornments must be chosen for the bridesmaids. The men in the party, and the parents, will take their cue from the style of the wedding and choose appropriate dress.
The bride should be sure to give her guests plenty of guidance as to appropriate dress by specifying on the invitation what they are expected to wear. The most formal attire that most of us will encounter is Black Tie. The dress code for this is similar to a gala or ball. Men wear a dinner jacket (in the UK) or a tuxedo (in the US), with a black bow tie, dress shirt (often pleated) with cufflinks, optional cummerbund, and highly polished or patent leather shoes. Women wear long evening gowns or cocktail dresses with matching jewelry.
If the invitation reads “Formal”, men wear a dark suit and tie, women wear a long dress, a dressy suit, or a formal cocktail-length dress for an evening event. If it is a daytime wedding, dresses will be somewhat shorter and can be complemented to great effect by that great wedding accessory, the hat.
Even if the invitation says casual, do not turn up in jeans, tee shirt or tank top. It is simply disrespectful not to look as though you have made an effort to dress for the occasion. And the most casual wedding is still a very special occasion.
