Traditionally weddings always took place during the day mostly in the afternoon. However, like everything else in the world this has changed. Evening weddings have gained in popularity and more and more couples are choosing to have their wedding in the evening time. For many couples getting married the evening is a special time of romance and therefore the ideal time for a wedding.
An evening wedding can be a wonderful occasion for people to mingle and chat with old friends and family members that they have not seen for a long time. It also provides time for best friends to just have a great time together and enjoying dancing, music, drinks and cake. What better way to celebrate and have fun then an evening wedding. However, there is a certain etiquette that needs to be followed with an evening wedding and it is important to know the rules beforehand so you can come prepared and enjoy yourself.
As with many of the rules and etiquette guidelines of a wedding much of an evening wedding etiquette revolves around attire. It is therefore important to carefully plan what you will wear to an evening wedding. This article will help you make some of the important decisions on what to wear.
Bride and Grooms
According to most wedding etiquette guides and manuals there is not many special instructions for a evening wedding. They will end up wear the same attire they would for a daytime wedding. So they do not have much to worry about.
Attire and Dress for the Guests
However for the guests this is a little more complicated of an issue. They need to carefully think about what they will wear. The first thing to consider when choosing an outfit for a wedding is the wedding invitation. If you still have it good you will want to go back and check what the wedding invitation said if anything about the attire. Keep in mind the invitation might say something directly like "black tie event" or "Formal Event" or it might say something indirectly. If the wedding invitation is going to take place in the evening on the beach and the invitation has a beach theme to it then you can assume that the attire is less formal.
A good guide is to always be safe instead of sorry and the best way to ensure your are appropriately dressed is to call the bride or groom ahead of time. For the men trying to decide what to wear a call to the groom can make the decision easy. For the woman who is trying to make this difficult decision it can be smart to call the bride and ask her about the wedding and proper attire for the event. It is smart for women to also ask about color and themes of the wedding and pick clothes based on these.
For Men
If it is a formal wedding then men should wear a tuxedo or at least a very nice subtle suit. Often if you are not sure it is best to error on the side of being over dressed for the even and a dark colored suit traditionally looks the most formal. If you get there and feel out of place you can always take off the jacket and loosen the tie and you will fit right in.
For the Women
This is a bit more complicated and should be planned carefully. The most important aspect for women is to pick something attractive and something that is flattering yet not to much. You will want to make sure you look your best and catch a few of the men's eyes at the event. However you don't want to catch to many people's eyes and look to great. It is important that you don't steal the fire and attention from the bride. So the guide is to wear something that looks nice and but it should be subtle and understated or you risk making a quick enemy.
When choosing clothes and thinking about evening wedding etiquette again it is important to take the time and plan ahead. The best advice is to call the bride or groom and ask for some suggestions or ideas. They will often be more then happy and it is a great chance to talk with them a little before their big day.
