Family

• Close relatives are expected to make a little more effort than the rest of the guests in putting together their wedding attire. After all, a wedding is a family affair, and family members are there representing their good name. If the wedding is casual, male family members should still wear at least dress slacks, collared shirts and ties. Female relatives should wear nice pants outfits or a tea-length casual dresses. If the wedding is semi-formal, a man should wear a matching suit of jacket and pants with a coordinating dress shirt and tie, while a woman should wear either a formal pants outfit or a tea-length party dress. A very formal wedding is likely to specify attire on the invitation, and family members are not exempt from any formalwear requirements.
  
  

Guests

• Proper wedding wear depends on the age and gender of the guest and the season of the event. Children should be in dress or semi-dress clothes, for most occasions. It's rarely good etiquette to wear shorts or jeans to any wedding unless specified by the hosts. Men should wear ties for all but the most informal weddings, although whether a suit or jacket is required depends on the season and the formality. For women, modesty and conservative dressing is usually a good guideline, because it's inappropriate to draw of attention to yourself on the wedding couple's special day. Wearing a black, red or white dress to a wedding is sometimes frowned upon by traditionalists as well. Color choices should match the season, but color rules aren't as hard and fast as they were considered to be in the past. Darker colors are usually more appropriate at fall and winter events, but a black jacket is rarely out of place. Lighter colors are traditionally worn at spring and summer events, but they can be perfectly appropriate for a less formal winter or fall wedding, too.
  
  

Occasion

• Consider the location, style and formality of the wedding when planning an outfit. For example, don't wear spike-heeled shoes to a ceremony held on a lawn. And, casual or country-style weddings are examples of occasions where Parisian couture is quite out of place. If the ceremony is a simple courthouse proceeding, business attire or neutral-colored dresses are appropriate, while a hard-partying destination wedding might mean lots of bright or glittery nightclub wear is fine. For a wedding where black-tie dress is specified, keep this rule in mind: Black tie just means a black suit or tuxedo is required for men, and between Memorial Day and Labor Day, a white or ivory dinner jacket is also acceptable for men. White-tie, on the other hand, requires men to wear black tails and trousers with a white shirt, vest and tie and gloves. It is the most formal attire possible. Women should wear cocktail dresses to black-tie events, and long formal gowns to white-tie events. See the Resources section for a guide of to what to wear in response to some common invitation wordings.