Wedding Dress Code 101

Mentioning dress code on your wedding invitations is often encouraged. Why? It ensures your event stays as formal or as casual as you want. Plus, wedding guests appreciate knowing exactly what is expected of them for attire. After all, no one wants to show up to a black tie wedding wearing khakis.

But, how do you politely tell your guests what to wear? On your wedding invitation!

For example:

Addressing your envelopes to include children:

Mr. & Mrs. John Nessbit and Children
1393 North Larkspur Avenue
Chico, California 93028

Addressing your envelopes to exclude children:

Mr. & Mrs. John Nessbit
1393 North Larkspur Avenue
Chico, California 93028

But where does the dress code go on your wedding invitation? That’s the easy part! You have options. First, you can include your wedding dress code on the bottom center of your invitation.

For example:

Together with their families

Rebecca Mae Hanford

and

Alex Benjamin Burke

request the please of your company

as they are united in marriage

Saturday, the fifteenth of September

two thousand and twenty four

four o'clock in the afternoon

The Lilian Garden

100 North Pointe Avenue

Hanka, Washington

Dress Formal

Or, your dress code can be printed on an information card. These cards are a great place to share extra wedding details like travel details, your wedding website and more.

Here’s an example of how you can incorporate your dress code on an information card:

Wedding Details

A block of rooms has been reserved at

The Ellendale Country Inn and Suites

978-464-1000

Nothing Fancy, Just Love!

Casual dress attire, please.

More details at www.meganandmaxwellforever.com

What Are The Different Types of Wedding Dress Codes?

Once you learn how wedding invitation dress code works, it’s time to decide what your dress code will be. This part is a little trickier, so we put together a guide to explain some standard wedding dress codes.

Take a look and decide what fits your wedding style best.

Casual Wedding Dress Code

How to say it on your invitation: Casual Dress

What it means: Casual dress means wedding guests can wear pretty much anything they want.

What to wear: We recommend a casual dress for the ladies and dress pants with button-down shirt or polo shirt for the guys. But, if the wedding is at a rustic location, or extra casual like a barbeque, even jeans and cowboy boots will do!  

Cocktail or Semi-Formal Dress Code

How to say it on your invitation: Formal Attire or Black Tie Optional

What it means: These two phrases are very common in today’s weddings. They indicate that the wedding party will be in formal wedding attire, and it’s optional for all guests.

What to wear: We recommend a dark suit or tux for the men and formal evening wear (floor length dresses or evening pant suits) for the women.

Black Tie Wedding Dress Code

How to say it on your invitation: Black Tie

What it means: Black Tie usually indicates an evening affair where the men where tuxedos and the women wear formal gowns of any length.

What to wear: For the guys, a black tux. Women should wear a formal gown of any length.

White Tie Dress Code

How to say it on your invitation: White Tie

What it means: This is the most formal of all wedding dress codes. We’re talking soirees at the White House kind of evenings.

What to wear: The gentlemen dress in long-tail tuxedos and the women don full-length ball gowns. If only we could be so lucky as to attend one of these fabulous affairs!

We hope this shed some light on what the different kinds of wedding dress codes are. As always, we’re here to help with any questions you have as you customize your wedding invitations. From reception-only celebrations to your post-wedding announcement, we’re full of ways to perfectly personalize each piece of wedding stationery till it’s perfect for you and your wedding day style.