Women Wedding Suits

What dress code do I write on my wedding invitations?

I would like my male guests to wear dark suits but not a tux, I would like the ladies to wear pretty dresses which are between knee length and 3/4 length.Or perhaps a blouse and pretty skirt. I don't want to say cocktail because then the dresses may be too short. I also don't want to say formal because people might think they have to wear long dresses. The wedding begins at 4pm and is being held in a very structured looking garden. It finishes about 9pm. It will be summer and the days will be long so most of that time will still be sunny.

Public Comments

1. It's rude to dictate what adults wear to the wedding unless it's required by your venue. Why can your guests not chose their attire themselves?
2. That sounds extremely particular. What is wrong with just having your guests show up dressed up as they are? I am not sure why you are being so picky, but you really can't ask that of your guests. It's alright to ask them to formal or dressy, but you can't give them length requirements nor pick the color of their suits. I would simply say formal cocktail, but don't expect everyone of your guests to have the wardrobe to accommodate your particular needs. Personally I'd say get over it and just be happy anyone showed up at all. I think you may be missing the whole point of a wedding.
3. Your invitations are the "hint" as to how the guests are to dress. Putting a dress code on the invitations is a bit ostentatious. If your invitations are printed on western background paper and invite the guests to a converted barn, they know its "dress down." If the invitations are engraved on expensive paper, they know to "dress up." And everything in between is a clue. You will have all sorts of attire because it's outside, but that's okay. Let your guests be comfortable. Dictating their attire is worse than having matching robot bridesmaids with matching hair styles.
4. You don't tell or suggest to people what to wear unless it is a costume party and you have a theme. This comes across as very rude and demanding. And if I received an invitation telling me what to wear, I would probably decline . Most people know what to wear to a wedding, and if you don't care for their choice OH WELL. Do I hear BRIDEZILLA??
5. The dress style you are asking for is "tea dress". This is the correct daytime wear for all but the most formal parties, where the style would be "morning dress". (Morning dress would not permit skirt-and-blouse and would require hat and gloves for the ladies, and for gentlemen requires a cutaway jacket -- different in style from the cutaway worn in the evening that most people incorrectly call a "tux", grey trousers with a subtle stripe instead of the dark evening trousers with side braid, and an ascot or windsor tie.) The way to indicate tea dress is, as HIS says, by the style of your invitation and the time of day the wedding is held. No-one should be wearing evening dress before six o'clock anyway. You indicate that morning dress is not required by a less formal invitation: use subtly coloured card instead of plain white vellum; perhaps with a slight decoration embossed on it. Use a dark coloured ink instead of plain black, and a slightly informal font in the engraving. And then consider that too much greed for control is just as unpleasant in a bride as too much greed for expensive dresses and fancy gifts. When you have done what you can to be consistent with the level of formality you have chosen, relax and let people take responsibility for their own dress and style. You cannot control everything.
6. Im sorry but you cant tell your guests what to wear. Thats rude and it puts a burden on your guests. The world does not revolve around you, honey-- yep, even on your wedding day!
7. Evening Attire.
8. The only person who ever dictated exactly what her guests should wear was Jackie O. They stated that all the male guests come in tuxes, and the ladies in long gowns. I'm willing to bet my entire wedding fund that you are not as famous as Jackie O. You cannot dictate what your guests wear; focus your energies on something that actually matters. All you're going to do is make people upset. If I was invited to your wedding, I'd either not attend, or wear a really long dress, as to be outside your silly dress code.
9. You don't. Try word of mouth and be prepared that many will just wear what they want. The only way you could really get away with dictating what your guests wear is if your location had a strict dress code. The only places I can really see that happening is a country club or something.
10. um its alright as long if the guest like what there wearing, you just cant pick out thee outfit, but if you want to write somethin than mabye put casual, or somethin
11. I would say semi formal on the invitation & then inform your Mother, MOH, bridesmaids & mother in law to be of what you want so they can inform your guests. Good luck.
12. i think ur guest should pick so everyone isnt the same
13. Since it's not Black Tie, I don't think you should ask the men to only wear dark suits. Some men might have to buy one just for the occasion. I would word it as semi-formal. Hopefully everyone will know what that means.
14. I wouldn't put it on your invitation if I were you. I would mention it on a wedding website but you cannot be that detailed in telling someone what to wear. The reason you tell the guests what the attire is because you don't want them to feel out of place if it's somewhere fancy and they show up in jeans or if it's in your backyard and they come in a floor length dress. It's for them to have an idea not for you to dictate what they show up in. For your needs I would say the attire is semi-formal to formal garden party.
15. Well sorry, but I have to agree with everyone else...it's kind of rude to dictate what your guests should wear, at least to that extent. It's perfectly acceptable to request a dress code, but to get down to what colors they should wear is a bit ridiculous. Besides, it's going to be outside, and dark colors attract heat - do you want the guys to be sweating to death in dark suits with jackets on? I think you should probably put on your invitations "Tasteful ________ attire is strongly suggested." (insert your dress code of choice)
16. Ok, calm down Bridezilla. Unless your going to go dress everyone yourself, people will wear what they want to wear.Just put formal and let people wear cocktail dresses or shirt and tie.
17. Most people invited to a wedding will wear those things anyway. No ones going to turn up in jeans and t-shirt. Credit your friends and family with some sense and don't be such a Bridezilla!
18. I disagree that it's rude to dictate what your guests wear. When you indicate certain elements that are to occur at your wedding on your invitation, you are, in effect, telling your guests how to dress. This way, they know what type of event it is. For example, if someone is having an afternoon wedding by the beach which is very casual, they'd indicate this in the style of their invite, the type of invite it is, and with the wording (and, also by word of mouth). That way, no one goes to their beach Luau style wedding in a suit. That being said, you can only go so far ... you can't state specifically "wear 3/4 length dresses" for ladies. If your wedding is an evening wedding, guests should know this, since it's a typical rule of etiquette. You can write on the invitation, "Black tie invited" so that your guests know that it's a formal wedding. Based on your description of what you want them to wear, this is considered formal wear. However, you might get some guys who do wear a tux, since this is what black tie means, but most men will wear a dark suit and tie, since tuxes are typically custom fit and expensive, and not all men own one.