From the bridal party’s dresses to the groomsmen’s tuxes, wedding receptions are all about fashion.
Wedding dress retailers and reception venues traditionally specialize in providing style advice for what you should wear, but it can be difficult to know where to start.
User-friendly wedding fashion websites offer advice on every aspect of wedding attire, from what you should wear to your reception venue to what colors are appropriate for various social situations and more.
What Are The Different Types Of Formal Attire Worn At Weddings?
There is a lot more choice for women’s formal attire than men’s, traditionally, but this doesn’t mean there aren’t good options for both sexes.
Formal Men’s Attire:
Men can choose from black tuxes, white tuxedos, brown suits, or white dinner jackets for the wedding.
Formal Women’s Attire:
In comparison, women can wear both cocktail dresses and prom-style dresses that would be considered too short or revealing for any other type of event.
Tall women (and all other sizes) can also choose from long formal dresses where there is more fabric to cover their legs and less skin to be seen, which means their legs will not cause anyone to look twice.
What To Consider When Picking A Wedding Reception Outfit
Picking a wedding reception outfit can be tricky! If you check out any wedding photographer’s website, you’ll see there’s a range of different styles worn to wedding receptions. There are some great examples on Chicago wedding photographer Rife Ponce’s website.
Reception outfits should be comfortable and versatile by nature, but they should be stylish enough to be worn again in the future.
As a general rule, expect to wear similar dresses/dresses for your wedding and reception, depending on the type of venue. The only exception is a black-tie event where you may wear more formal dresses for your wedding but choose more casual separates for the reception.
What Should You Wear?
That’s a tricky question! If your dress style works for the ceremony, then it’s likely it will work for the reception.
When picking out your wedding attire, there are two main things to consider: clothing style and occasion-specific fashion elements. What you wore to the wedding ceremony may be completely different from what is appropriate attire at a reception.
A Morning Wedding Reception: What To Wear?
If you are attending a morning wedding, you may wish to consider wearing a casual style that is appropriate to wear to any event.
For instance, a woman could wear a simple dress or skirt, perhaps complemented with a long sleeve top and heels. A man could do the same and just add an elegant tie and jacket.
For both men and women, this type of event is too early for a formal suit or tuxedo. Instead, opt for smart casual attire: a jacket, tie, or skirt along with clean and well-shined shoes.
What Should I Wear To An Evening Wedding Reception?
An evening wedding is a great time for women to show off their wedding party dresses, as it may be the only time you can wear them.
No matter what style of dress you choose, it’s likely to look good at an evening wedding in comparison to a daytime event.
Now you know how to look best at a wedding reception!
