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I've been invited to a friend's wedding later in the year. It is an outdoor wedding by a lakeside, which is a first for me, so I am not quite sure what appropriate attire to wear. The invite only says "formal or semi-formal attire, no jeans" but in the case of an outdoor wedding, what can constitute as semi-formal? A tuxedo may be too formal for an outdoor beach wedding I understand. I don't want to dress too casually but I also don't want to dress as if I were going to work either. I want to look as if I really did put on effort in dressing impressively so as not to embarrass my friend or any of her other guests. Can anyone help me out here?
OK, so you're male. If you're the type who likes to dress up, do formal if you want because obviously the bride & groom know it's outdoors & STILL gave formal attire as a choice. Otherwise, do the other choice (semi). Any very nice 2 or 3-piece suit should be great if you want an in-between look as long as it's not some outrageous pattern nor a color like probably yellow, orange, or pink.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Urban Peasant
I've been invited to a friend's wedding later in the year. It is an outdoor wedding by a lakeside, which is a first for me, so I am not quite sure what appropriate attire to wear. The invite only says "formal or semi-formal attire, no jeans" but in the case of an outdoor wedding, what can constitute as semi-formal? A tuxedo may be too formal for an outdoor beach wedding I understand. I don't want to dress too casually but I also don't want to dress as if I were going to work either. I want to look as if I really did put on effort in dressing impressively so as not to embarrass my friend or any of her other guests. Can anyone help me out here?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Forever Blue
OK, so you're male.
It’s super weird they gave you both formal or semi formal. Since it’s outdoor AND they said no jeans, IMO they might be trying to get ppl to err on the side of formal but don’t really mean “formal formal”. I’ve never seen both on the invitation like that.
Do you have a date or spouse? What is she wearing? If she is going formal...you should too. BUT if you are going by yourself, a semi formal look with tailored trousers & jacket would fit right in. It doesn’t always have to mean a matchy match suit! As a matter of fact, it can look more sleek & fashionable if it’s not...you just have to think polished.
Thanks for the responses! Yeah, sadly I will only be going by myself this time so it is even more important not to look awkward in front of other guests. I guess I will have to be creative and come up with a look that is both respectable and polished but not necessarily formal. What are opinions on neckties? On the one hand, I feel like putting one on makes me feel like I'm going to a work related function and yet on the other, it feels weird to put on a dress shirt and suit jacket and not have one on.
We went to a lakeside wedding two summers ago and it was really a mix of attire. The setting was not very formal either. There were khaki pants, dress pants, short and long sleeved shirts, a few ties. There may have been suit jackets but it was a really hot day so other than the bridal party, men weren’t wearing them.
Depending on the venue and depending on the weather, I can see a sport coat with an open-collared dress shirt and khakis being appropriate. Outdoor, and not on the grounds of a country club or similar takes the formality down a notch.
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