What to wear to a wedding as a guest

As a wedding guest, follow the dress code on the invitation, dress a little smarter than you think you need to, and never upstage the groom. If the invitation gives no code, a well fitted dark suit with a tie is the safe answer for almost any wedding.

Read the invitation first

The couple have already told you what they want. The words on the invitation are a dress code, and each one has a fairly settled meaning.

Black tie

A dinner jacket in black or midnight blue, matching trousers with a silk braid, a white dress shirt and a black bow tie. A dark lounge suit is not black tie. If you do not own a dinner jacket, this is the time.

Black tie optional

The hosts will wear black tie and welcome you to do the same. If you do not, wear a dark suit in navy, midnight or charcoal, a white shirt and a dark silk tie.

Formal

A dark suit, a white or pale shirt, a tie and polished leather shoes. Formal usually sits just below black tie, so think of a sharp navy or charcoal suit.

Cocktail

A suit, with a little more freedom in colour and texture. A tie is expected at most cocktail weddings, though an open collar can work at a relaxed evening venue.

Smart casual

The most misunderstood code. It does not mean jeans and sneakers. A tailored jacket with good trousers, a collared shirt, perhaps a fine knit, and leather or clean suede shoes is the right reading for a wedding.

Garden or beach

Lighter colours and lighter cloth: stone, light grey, soft blue, linen or a linen blend, and loafers rather than heavy brogues. Leave the tie off only if the invitation suggests it.

If you are unsure, ask the couple or someone in the wedding party. Nobody minds the question, and everyone remembers the guest who got it wrong.

Never upstage the groom

The groom and his groomsmen set the tone, and a guest should sit comfortably below them. In practice:

• Do not wear a dinner jacket to a day wedding, or when the groom is in a lounge suit.
• Avoid the exact colour and style the groomsmen are wearing, if you know it.
• Keep white and ivory jackets for occasions that clearly invite them.
• Choose one point of interest, such as a pocket square, a textured tie or a jacket with a quiet check, rather than several at once.

What to avoid

• A suit that does not fit. Shoulders that overhang, sleeves past the thumb, trousers that pool at the shoe. Fit is the difference between dressed and well dressed.
• Black head to toe in daylight. It can look severe at a garden ceremony. Navy or charcoal is softer and just as smart.
• Novelty. Loud prints, joke socks with a formal code, sunglasses during the ceremony.
• Tired shoes. Polish them. People notice.
• A crumpled shirt. A crisp shirt cut to fit, such as one of our made to measure shirts, holds the whole look together, under a jacket or on its own once the jackets come off.

Dressing for Melbourne weather

Melbourne can give you four seasons in a day, and weddings often run from an afternoon ceremony into a cool evening. Dress for the whole day, not just the hour you leave home.

• Summer: a lightweight wool or a wool and linen blend around 240 to 280 grams, a lighter lining, and a pale or mid tone for daytime. Bring the jacket even if it comes off later.
• Winter: a heavier worsted or a flannel, a waistcoat, and a tailored overcoat for arrivals and photographs outside.
• Spring and autumn: a mid weight wool, with a knit or a waistcoat you can add or take off as the weather turns.
• Country and coast: Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula ceremonies are often on grass, so think about your shoes, and expect wind near the water.

Spring racing season fills the calendar with events, so if a wedding falls in October or November, plan your outfit early.

A guest's wardrobe that works hard

If you attend a few weddings a year, one or two well chosen pieces cover nearly every invitation. A navy suit handles formal, cocktail and most day weddings. A mid grey suit, or a soft check jacket with odd trousers, covers smart casual and garden codes. Add a dinner jacket if black tie invitations come your way.

Our made to measure suits are designed for your physique from over 25 measurements, in the cloth and details you choose, so the same suit can be dressed up or down for years. To see yourself in YB before you commit, try on a YB suit in our virtual fitting room. If a wedding is coming up, book a fitting and mention the date so we can plan around it.

Questions