What to Wear: The Definitive Guide for Wedding Guests

Over the past few years, I’ve received so may questions about what to wear to weddings. And over the past few weeks, I’ve had even more from our wedding guests. So let’s do this thing! Here’s my opinion on what to wear to every sort of wedding:

Brunch wedding – This includes lunch weddings too. A light cotton dress or a skirt and sweater would be perfect for this. Aim for something you might wear to church on Easter. Men should wear slacks and a collared shirt or light colored sweater.

Garden wedding – Also backyard or other outdoor wedding. The keys here are sunblock, layers and flats. Go with a pretty dress in a bright color and pair it with a pair of flats or wedges. And don’t forget a sweater in case it gets cold.

Late afternoon wedding – Again, a dress isn’t going to do you wrong. Skip white, black, red (unless it is a Chinese wedding) or gray. Something like this silk dress from DVF would carry you easily from the ceremony to late night dancing. Men should wear a collared shirt, slacks and either a tie or a blazer.

Evening wedding – In general, I don’t recommend J.Crew dresses for wedding guests because there is a change you’ll look like a rogue bridesmaid. But something like this lovely silk sheath in peacock with classic black pumps would be perfect for a basic evening wedding. Men should wear a suit.

Winter wedding – Go with a dress that has a bit of a darker color and pair it with tights and a light colored good coat.

Urban wedding – In a loft, public park or rooftop. This is the only time I would give someone the seal of approval to wear black. Even then, it’s sort of a cop-out. Go for a modern design in steel satin to stand out from the crowd. Men should wear a modern tailored suit.

Formal wedding – This is always a stumper because we don’t really have a lot of formal weddings in California. Even celebs here tend to get married in the afternoon outdoors. Unless you know that the event is going to be very formal, you probably don’t need a floor length gown. I think a rule of thumb is if your S.O. has to rent a tux, you might want to go with a long gown. Otherwise, pick a glam short cocktail dress in an age appropriate cut for most occasions.

In general, you should always try to wear a pretty color to a wedding. It will look great on you and in the photos. A dress is always the right choice. Go from more coverage to less coverage as a wedding gets later in the evening. Done and done!