wedding attire

As the Wedding Coordinator for our church, I see a lot. Specifically the tardiness of guests along with their attire.

If you're offended by this post, then I'm talking about you.

In my humble opinion I believe that if you are invited to a wedding that is taking place in a church, regardless of what you typically wear to church, you should dress up. Jeans and t-shirts are not acceptable. Save that for the wedding that is at a ranch.

Perhaps wedding invitations need to start doing what cruise lines do; tell their guests what to wear.

Suggested attire for a casual wear: sport shirts and slacks for men (this does not mean a sweat-wicking athletic shirt), sundresses or pants for women.

That seems reasonable, as long as you know what sport shirts are.

Smart Casual: Jackets and ties for men, dresses or pantsuits for women.

That leaves formal, which most people know but don't necessarily follow: Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women.

In my opinion, a cocktail dress does not mean a brightly colored and sequined dress that a teenager might wear to a homecoming dance. I looked up the actual definition and am surprised, so I'll let you read about it here.

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, or was raised conservatively but the things I see people wear make me shudder. I wouldn't even consider buying something like that let alone leave the house in it if I did. Unless it's Halloween.

I'll have to talk about the tardiness of guests at a different time. In the meantime, just know that the sport shirt I was talking about is the reason for this post. Bill asked that I make sure he never leave the house for a wedding dressed like that. Considering he wore a suit to the wedding on Saturday, I don't think I'll have to worry about how he dresses. I'm thankful that Bill knows how to dress and look good.

dress-up

I am really into dresses. While I have only started wearing more of them recently, I remember the first time I was really drawn to a dress. It was Cousin Mark's wedding back in 1994. His mom wore a beautiful pale green gown. For whatever reason, that gown is my Cinderella dress.

I haven't owned a dress like it yet. My wedding dress was close, but it no longer fits (yay)!

I have had the occasion to purchase a gown for a black tie event. I bought a black gown. Unfortunately it came from China and, in typical Emily fashion, I didn't pay close attention to details. The dress fit, with the exception of length. It was about a foot too long. Apparently to the Chinese we are all towering giants. I had the dress altered but haven't had the occasion to wear it again.

Tonight, Bill and I are going to an event. The dress is business casual, but I will still wear a dress.

I have several to choose from. However, I just found this website (thanks to my favorite blogger the Pioneer Woman). I'm in trouble. They have adorable dresses! And the prices are decent. Yikes.

This dress came from Jenny. 

I wore it to our High Tea at a Quota event last summer.

Thanks PW for the new website. I'll be dreaming and shopping for sure.