Appropriate Civil Ceremony Attire

perfectisboring

Hi there,

This is my first post!

I've gone back and forth on the issue for a while, and I'm just at a loss. I'm getting married this spring in a very small civil ceremony (there will be about 10 people present, and we're just going out for a nice dinner afterwards) at the council house in Nottingham, and I originally wanted to wear a short dress because my partner and I are keeping things very low-key.

I found a long lace sheath dress on ebay (about 90% off of the retail price), and decided to get it altered to knee-length when it arrived. However, the dress is stunning long, but I feel like it wouldn't be appropriate to wear a long dress to such a low-key wedding. Especially since we're going to have a traditional proposal and bigger wedding a few years down the line, I don't want to take anything away from that by getting super dressed up on this occassion.

This is an album of the dress: http://imgur.com/a/kJqUs . The first two photos are from the seller and in the last one, I've pinned it up to see what it would look like if made it into a knee-length dress.

So, I wanted to poll you - is this dress low-key enough for an informal wedding? Or, would it be better to make it into a knee-length dress?

Thanks!

misssunshine17

There's nothing wrong with wearing a dress you feel gorgeous in! If it was a ballgown, I'd probably tell you that I would find something else, but this sounds fabulous!

perfectisboring

I see what you mean. I'm from Canada, and living with my boyfriend in England, so our ceremony is only going to include us and our parents. We would like to have a big event later down the road either in my hometown or here when more of my friends can travel - so I guess that would be the 'reception' or a vow renewal? Forgive me; I'm just a bit uneducated about this process!

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_appropriate-civil-ceremony-attire?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:ed718c2a-ef87-43dc-bdbb-9243ba3ccdefPost:9941d66e-46be-431d-97b3-7ecffb40390e">Re: Appropriate Civil Ceremony Attire</a>:
[QUOTE]Hey there. I got a file not found error, but I'm going to guess the dress is lovely. It is your wedding day, I think it is okay if you a are a little overdressed. However, your post says you're going to have a traditional proposal and wedding a few years down the line, and that just isn't possible, unless you get divorced in between. A wedding is a ceremony in which you are wed, your courthouse ceremony is your wedding. Anything after that is a farce, a breach of etiquette, and will make you look silly. If you really want a big traditional wedding, nix your courthouse plans and go the big shabang route.
Posted by Liatris2010[/QUOTE]

perfectisboring

I've updated the link finally - but thank you! I'm going to keep the accessories to a minimum to dress it down. :)

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_appropriate-civil-ceremony-attire?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:ed718c2a-ef87-43dc-bdbb-9243ba3ccdefPost:fb94c059-3f56-4562-af6b-23027678e006">Re: Appropriate Civil Ceremony Attire</a>:
[QUOTE]There's nothing wrong with wearing a dress you feel gorgeous in! If it was a ballgown, I'd probably tell you that I would find something else, but this sounds fabulous!
Posted by misssunshine17[/QUOTE]

perfectisboring

Great, thank you, both! The consensus seems to be 'keep it long', so that's what I'm going to do!

And, thanks for clearing all of that up about the vow renewal and reception. I'm very new to all of this and I have a pretty complicated situation, so it really helps to know what is and isn't acceptable. :)

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_appropriate-civil-ceremony-attire?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:ed718c2a-ef87-43dc-bdbb-9243ba3ccdefPost:ec889d93-48e9-492e-8fbb-13a6ebcca0b6">Re: Appropriate Civil Ceremony Attire</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks for updating the link. They dress is beautiful, and I like it better long. If you have a big party later, I'd just make it an anniversary party. Vow renewal make sense after a hardship or to celebrate a milestone anniversary, but if you haven't been married very long, I think it is silly. Your reception will be the dinner after the ceremony, with you, your new husband, and your parents.
Posted by Liatris2010[/QUOTE]

NYCMercedes

Your dress is beautiful. Enjoy!