Dress Code?

LMB311

We are having a beach wedding in GA in June and serving barbecue in a vintage community center.  All of that is on my info sheet for save the dates. My FI thinks we should make sure to tell people that they shouldn't wear suits.  I'm not down...I think it's just up to them, and if they want to wear a suit on the beach in 90* weather, then whatever.

What do you think?

banana468

I wouldn't put an attire anywhere except maybe the website.  Will your FI even wear a suit?  If he isn't you could have a little FAQ section stating,

Q: "Wondering what to wear?"  
A: The feel for the area is quite casual.  The groom will be wearing a linen shirt and pants and the bride will be wearing a long flowy gown.

LMB311

Great advice guys!

My Save the Dates came in today, btw:

lyndausvi

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_dress-code-4?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:08b5c2ae-7b7e-46d8-adf7-24ca56af278aPost:832d9224-73db-4e94-bc40-c87b8aaaec6a">Re: Dress Code?</a>:
[QUOTE]I wouldn't put an attire anywhere except maybe the website.  Will your FI even wear a suit?  If he isn't you could have a little FAQ section stating, Q: "Wondering what to wear?"   A: The feel for the area is quite casual.  The groom will be wearing a linen shirt and pants and the bride will be wearing a long flowy gown.
Posted by banana468[/QUOTE]


This is what we did for our wedding and our guests (especiallly the guys) were so happy.

There were 2 main reasons for us doing that.  (1) DH was not wearing a suit or tux so we didn't want anyone to feel like they were over dressed compared to the groom.  

(2) not one of our guests had attended a beach wedding.  99% of them had only attended a big  semi-formal  to formal church weddings.  A wedding to them means suits/ties and cocktail dresses.   We thought it was our duty to at least guide them or let them know they do not have to follow that train of thought.

To me there is a difference between a dress code and letting people know how formal a wedding is going to be when the type of wedding is outside the norm for the guests.

fwiw - at the island resort where I work  half the weddings men are in ties and jackets.  The other half the time the men are not.  Same venue but 2 different approches to formality.   

Attire for a beach wedding is not as cut and dry as say for a church wedding.

quotequeen

Your STDs are really cute, but it's not a great idea to tell everybody your full names.

ARod22

I don't think this is rude. Actually, it's considerate to assure people that they need not feel pressured to wear suits in 90 degree weather.  Most weddings exepect sutis and jackets, so your guests might feel like they have to wear hot clothing to a beach.  It would also clear up the awkwardness of some people showing up in suits and feeling out of place amongst others who are dressed more casually. 

Why don't you just say "casual" or "smart casual" or whatever?

lisalou402

I think it's absolutely fine to say something on the invite.

People do write 'black tie" or "semi-formal" all the time, etiquitte or not. (and I honestly can't think of any place that won't allow you in if you are in a tuxedo rather than a suit!)

I think i would be really upset, if i wore a dress a hose, and shoes, and my FI wore a suit....and the groom was in a linen shirt.  If we CHOSE to dress up that way knowing how the groom woudl be dressed, AOK.

twilight.rose

Your STDs are adorable. Cute idea!

Also, I agree that it's quite rude to put a dress code on your invitations. Your guests are grown people who can judge for themselves what attire is appropriate for the weather, etc. Furthermore, if the men get too warm, they can always remove a suit jacket once they arrive and see the occasion is more casual.

sister2groom

You could get the same effect more subtly by listing his attire on the website. And guys who do wear suits can figure out to dress down pretty easily (you know, remove the jacket and tie and roll up the sleeves.

Another reason I wouldn't tell guests what to wear because there might be some older, super traditional person who doesn't feel comfortable at a wedding without a suit.

squirrly

Banana has the right idea.  Put info in the FAQs on your website and spread it by word of mouth.

filaw

Maybe it's the casual Californian in me, but I think you aboslutely *should* have a simple dress code line on the invites' info card (and *especially* on the website).  I look for it (and see it) on every invite I've received, and I would be very frustrated if I couldn't find the info on either the invite or website, and was driven to "bug" the bride, groom or their families for the info.

*I* would not feel comfortable nor capable of just trying to "figure it out" based on sublte cues.  And I also would feel like and idiot if I showed up dressed up and the WP wasn't, or vice versa.

relsts

I was also just thinking about this same issue. I'm getting married on the beach in SC and it will be hot. However, I hope no one comes to the wedding in their bathing suits. I don't mind if the guests want to be barefoot. What do you think about that? Are  you guests/bridal party being asked to wear shoes?

Its funny, I  never thought I'd be thinking about whether or not my guests would be wearing shoes. I plan on going barefoot as well as my bridal party. I just wonder if I should make it a fun guidelline for attire or just let people do as they wish. I also wonder if I should address the issue of bathing suits? Should I make it a clear cut please dont or wait till someone asks? I'm in your same boat with this one. Hopefully, people gather that your wearing a dress and that a bathing suit isn't proper for your wedding.

Hope this helps!