Daytime, evening, and black-tie dress codes decoded, with the tailoring details that separate a guest who fits in from one who is remembered for the wrong thing.
Wedding dressing is mostly about reading the invitation accurately and then committing to a single colour note. The tailoring is the easy part once the decision is made.
Daytime
A light suit in beige, stone, or a soft blue reads correctly outdoors and in photographs. Keep the jacket unbuttoned, skip the waistcoat, and let the shirt collar do the work. Linen and seersucker are the right textures when the ceremony is on grass.
Evening
Charcoal, navy, or a dark grey with texture. If the invitation says black tie, a tuxedo is not optional. If it says semi-formal, a dark suit is enough provided the shirt is crisp and the tie is not a novelty.
The three things clients get wrong
- Wearing white or anything close to it anywhere near the bride.
- A suit one shade too light for an evening reception.
- Trousers with visible break creases or shoes that were resoled recently.
Dress for the part of the evening you will actually be photographed in.