Picture this, you come home and find a wedding invitation in your mailbox.  It seems pretty straightforward. But what’s that?  Suddenly panic and confusion set in.  You find yourself fixated on the words following the section “Dress Code”   Formal??? What does that mean?  Do I need to get a tux??  I’m so confused!!!! OH THE HUMANITY!

Well don’t worry, I’m going to break it all down for you! Every year I see dress codes that just get more and more confusing (Looking at you “Australian Black Tie”) .  So we’re going to tackle all the dress codes you’ll likely find and what you need to make sure you’re dressed your best (besides the bride and groom). 

Black Tie:  

By far the most popular dress code post pandemic. When an invite says black tie it means one thing and one thing only,  a tux.  Black is preferred  but a dark navy or charcoal tuxedo is acceptable.  Your bowtie should be black (preferably one you did yourself)  and your shirt should have the ability to take both cufflinks and studs, but studs are optional.  While traditional black tie is rigid, feel free to inject your personality into your pocket square and socks.  As for shoes, patent leather is the norm but a well polished black lace up or loafer is more modern.  

Creative Black Tie:

 CBT is the funner cousin of black tie.  While bearing slight resemblance to each other, CBT really gives guests the ability to showcase their sartorial personality.  Have a green velvet jacket?  This is the time to wear it.  Bold colors and prints are encouraged for CBT.

Black Tie Preferred:

You’ll see these all over and they all mean the same thing; wear a tux if you’ve got one, but if you wear a dark suit you’re still invited.  So if you don’t have a tux don’t worry.  Just wear a black, navy or charcoal suit with a dark tie and you’re good! 

Formal:

If we were in the UK right now this would mean a different thing.  The formal dress code (USA Edition) is the other most common dress code along with black tie. And it’s by far the simplest.  The formal dress code boils down to a simple dark suit, white or light blue shirt and a tie.  Unlike black tie optional,  you can have fun with your tie and other accessories.  But the tie is absolutely required.  

Semi Formal:

While a tie is required for formal attire, when you get the semi formal invite you can feel free to skip it.  You can wear a suit in lighter color or with a bolder pattern or even skip the suit altogether!  A sportcoat and slacks are acceptable, but I would suggest wearing a tie if you wear a sportcoat to help even out the formality. 

So next time you get an invite and start to panic just grab your handy dandy Connection Magazine and ask yourself “Which of these five is the invitation the closest to?”  Then suit and hit that dance floor in style.