Another reason it is good to dress in a semi formal wedding attire is so that you are not dressed up any more than the couple. To nail perfect mens semi formal wedding dress, wear suit pants with a good button-down shirt and suit jacket or blazer. Long pants and a button-down light-colored shirt with short to three-quarter sleeves are the proper beach wedding casual outfits for the men guests.
Semi-formal beachwear calls for a dress that is shorter in length or is tasselled, which is nice as it does not get in the sand, and also it is nice for a wedding reception held in a restaurant or beachfront hotel. Short dress or tea dress is what you want.
If the dress code is formal at the beach, then a traditional suit and tie is appropriate, particularly if the reception is held close to the beach at a restaurant, resort ballroom, or on a yacht. Traditionally, formal wear, black tie, and white tie are the only wedding dress codes which call for full-length dresses. Black tie typically indicates a nighttime wedding, with men wearing black tuxedos with black bowties, and women wearing formal, floor-length gowns. While a waistband is generally preferred at black tie weddings, guests can choose to wear suspenders as part of semi-formal attire.
For women, dressy cocktail dresses, joggers, or elegant trousers, or a long formal gown or skirt with a high-top are all acceptable choices for black tie dress codes. For men, a classically tailored suit or tuxedo including a tie is required, while evening formal dress (floor-length gown or evening trousers) is appropriate for women. Their outfits should resemble those worn by older male guests with trousers, button-down shirt, and jacket. For a daytime event, you can probably get away with wearing blazers and slacks, or light suits, but for an evening wedding (or if you want to be extra cautious), you will want to opt for the classic dark suit.
If you prefer leaving color up to the groom, navy suits are a great formal evening option for the bridal party. If bride and groom are planning on having a wedding with less formal styling, then it is very likely that the bride is going to be wearing a beautiful gown, while the groom is probably going to wear a suit. If it is in the most formal setting, women may choose to wear a sundress, casual maxi dress, or beachy yet stylish skirts and tops, and dress things up with a few sparkly accessories to give them that slightly dressed-up look.
Guests at semi-formal weddings are generally allowed to pick out clothes they could wear at other occasions, such as graduations, religious ceremonies, business events, or fancy restaurants. Like cocktails and semi-formal, black-tie and formal optional weddings involve a similar level of attire, according to Samantha Brown and Julie Sabatino. Sabatino agreed, suggesting that guests wear a dressier gown or nice pantsuit combo for a cocktail or semi-formal wedding, although the gown does not have to be floor-length.
Solid, dark colors and subtle patterns, like a classic floral or striped pattern, are always safe choices for guests semi formal wedding attire. In this sense, the semi-formal dress code is smart wedding dress language for couples that want to give guests a little direction on their attire, but still give them the flexibility to pick out their own version of semi-formal wedding dress. In general, we would recommend against wearing jeans at any kind of wedding (even at the most casual, if a couple specifically does not permit jeans), and particularly not at the semi-formal dress code.
Even when an invitation has an explicit dress code printed directly on it, it is hard enough figuring out what to wear at your wedding. Semi-formal and cocktail dress codes overlap, meaning shorter clothing hemlines — think midi and high-low skirts — and suits — as opposed to tuxes — are appropriate. Choose between a cocktail dress or formal blouse and skirt, perhaps keeping the dress shorter to fit into the semi-formal theme; hair and makeup may be informal: you will want to pack a hair tie or hairclip for use later in the evening.
