Dress Code for the Wedding

laurash03 · December 2013

If my husband to be and me are going to put the best man and all of his groomsmen and him in Texas Tuxes. What kind of dress code is that so that I can put that on the invite for the wedding? Any help would be very helpful.

vsgal · December 2013

You can't put anything about a dress code in the invitation. It is rude to tell people what to wear. You dictate the dress code by formality of the invitation and venue. Leave anything dealing with what people should wear off the invite and you will be fine. People know how to dress for a wedding.

The only exception is if the event is held somewhere that has a specific dress code for the venue, like a country club. Even then, you should spread the information via a website or word of mouth

Rebl90 · December 2013

You don't put "dress codes" on an invitation, it comes across as rude and is a breach of traditional etiquette. Just choose invites that convey the style of the wedding and maybe explain the type of venue you are using on the website (but don't put a dress code on the website either!)

QueerFemme · December 2013

laurash03 said:

If my husband to be and me are going to put the best man and all of his groomsmen and him in Texas Tuxes. What kind of dress code is that so that I can put that on the invite for the wedding? Any help would be very helpful.

You don't. Your guests don't get a dress code unless the venue requires it (i.e. a country club that requires ties. A Church that requires covered shoulders).

The formality of your invitation, the venue type and the time of day will dictate what your guests will wear. it's rude to tell adults how to dress. They can dress themselves just fine.

manateehugger · December 2013

Ditto everyone else on no dress code on invitations. What is a Texas tux?

ETA: Nevermind, I googled.

AussieCat42 · December 2013

Yadda yadda etiquette yadda yadda

But if you wanted to spread the word *somehow* that the wedding will be casual/afternoon picnic style, as a guest I would appreciate it! It's pretty awkward showing up to a wedding in an fancy cocktail gown only to find you're waaay overdressed for the occasion. (Who's done that before? Oh yeah, THIS GIRL).

TiaTea · December 2013

I would call it "western -inspired , or "country -inspired" . But I wouldn't call it a "dress code". "Dress code" is mandatory. You can not dictate what the guests wear.
You can make a playful invitation and mention that your guests are encouraged to wear something western/country inspired , if they like . Just like if you are having a costume party with a certain theme like pirates , sci-fi , and you invite people and encourage them to wear costumes if they like. But you don't require costumes
The style of your invitation will give them an idea what you are going for.

manateehugger · December 2013

AussieCat42 said:

Yadda yadda etiquette yadda yadda

But if you wanted to spread the word *somehow* that the wedding will be casual/afternoon picnic style, as a guest I would appreciate it! It's pretty awkward showing up to a wedding in an fancy cocktail gown only to find you're waaay overdressed for the occasion. (Who's done that before? Oh yeah, THIS GIRL).Y

YEAH! You're right. Screw all those people coming to celebrate with you and spend time and money on you. Who cares about their comfort!? It's all about MEEEEEE.

If you're so worried about being overdressed or undressed, be an adult and ask the bride or someone more involved in the wedding. It's not hard.

Liatris2010 · December 2013

Google tells me a texas tuxedo consists of jeans, and that's about where I stopped reading. If you want your guests to know the wedding is casual, choose a casual invitation. Forgo the fancy paper, and pick something in color, maybe with a picture of a cowboy hat to send the message. Do not put a "dress code" on the invitation. People can always figure out what to wear, until someone makes up a dress code and then the guests are clueless as to whether or not what they've chosen meets that "code" or not.

kitty8403 · December 2013

I am also confused by your dress code. But you don't need to specify attire. Are you just trying to figure out how to explain what others are wearing in case guests are confused?

What people show up in is dictated partly by your location and friend circle, so keep that in mind. Simple, casual or fun invitations on inexpensive paper indicate a more laid-back event. Telling them it's on a ranch, in a barn, or outside is also a big hint.

Are you looking for the Western (cowboy cut) tuxedos? Those are common in my area and have some distinctive things to the cut of the tux. See, eg:
http://www.jimsformalwear.com/lord-west-lariat-western-tuxedo.htm Often worn with cowboy boots, boleros, and sometimes hats. (Eta: if you're in a Western state, a lot of rental places will have them. But your guests likely won't wear one).

Are you looking for the semi-formal western style of dark vest/jacket, bolero, black jeans, pearl snaps, church boots and black cowboy hat? That's standard for special events in the ranching/rodeo crowd. Urbanites won't get it and will likely make themselves look and feel ridiculous trying--better to say, if they ask, that dark wash jeans or church clothes are perfectly fine.

Do you mean light blue jeans and flannels? Or those weird "summer" cowboy shirts with the sleeves cut off? Then you're talking a REALLY casual wedding.

ETA: OP, this part isnt directed at you, specifically, more a point of general frustration that I mostly blame on people going Pinterest happy.
I'm marrying a former bronc rider and ranch hand. We live in the country and have a lot of friends in this type of circle. There is a definite subculture with its own way of dressing in play here. So I would like to add that the general trend of urban non-Westerners trying to appropriate (and rather badly misinterpret) elements of this subculture for the sake of fashion or cutesyness is offensive. People who are genuinely part of this subculture will know how to dress without you telling them. People who are not will make both themselves and others uncomfortable by getting into costume and pretending to be somebody they aren't. So giving them a "dress code" is a lose-lose.

Viczaesar · December 2013

What is a Texas tuxedo? Is that a real thing?

AddieCake · December 2013

I agree to spread by word of mouth that the dress code is THAT casual. I once went to a wedding where I and the bride were the only people in dresses. Everyone else looked like they rolled out of bed for the occasion. I felt absurdly overdressed and would have appreciated someone telling me it was more casual. However, it's not appropriate to put that in or on your invitations.

melbenso · December 2013

On my wedding website, I created a subsection of the Guest Information page where I tried to answer some common questions, including "what should I wear?" Several people were concerned they would be over/under dressed and had asked me. Basically, what I did in that section was explain what WP, FI and I will be wearing, so that if guests want to "match" the fanciness level of our outfits, they can. In the end, I don't care what my guests wear, as long as they are comfortable. But I know some of them would be uncomfortable if they feel they are over or under dressed.

rmueller89 · December 2013

I'm in agreement with the others above- you don't put anything on the invitation. If you have a wedding website, you can always put a FAQ section- (my fiance & I did this) and it says stuff like, what's the theme? What should we wear? There, we have recommendations or suggestions but be very careful with your wording.

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