What NOT to Wear to a Wedding

June 27, 2006

A wedding is a special occasion.  Some weddings are very formal affairs at downtown hotels in Chicago, and other weddings are a little more semi-formal and occur sometime in the early afternoon.  Unless you are attending a destination wedding on the beach in Tahiti, it’s never okay to wear flip flops and shorts at a wedding.

Today, a colleague and I were discussing the many horrific outfits we have seen at weddings over the years.  I’ve seen skin-tight lycra dresses, flip flops, shorts, mu-mu style house dresses, and gym shoes from every designer label around the globe. 

Often, these are the same people that skip the ceremony and drop in on the reception without having RSVP’d to the wedding.  Oh yes, these are the winners.

Unless someone is pregnant, or they have a specific ailment that prevents them from wearing dress shoes to the wedding, it’s not appropriate to wear flip flops.  Keep in mind that the couple put in a lot of time and energy planning this wedding and they would like people to dress as if it is a very special occasion. 

Even if it is 125 degrees outside, please keep the shorts at home.  You can change into them later and sip on a Pina Colada around the pool, but put on a nice suit for the wedding.  If you get hot, you can always take your jacket off during the wedding ceremony.

It’s unbelievable that people wouldn’t know that it’s inappropriate to wear summer fun clothes to the wedding, but inevitably someone will show up with the same outfit they wore at their neighborhood Walmart the day before.

One other thing, it’s inappropriate to wear white at a wedding because it clashes with the bride, who traditionally wears white.  That gorgeous white dress will be great for a night on the town, but skip it for the wedding.  It takes the focus off of the bride who, understandably, wants to stand out a little bit on her special day.

There are no rules, but there are things to consider when attending a wedding.

Take care!

Alison