As of today, we are officially getting married this month! Our wedding is the foremost thing on my mind, so after doing my first black tie wedding dress roundup, I wanted to put together another, more comprehensive wedding dress code guide. Before we get to that, I want to touch on one thing first. The most important thing to keep in mind is any specific dress code details that have been provided. For example, we asked our guests to wear muted colors (besides white or ivory, of course) to complement our wedding’s aesthetic.

Semi-Formal

Semi-formal dresses are typically, but not always, below-the-knee or midi length. This is probably what you’d consider any nice dress hanging in your closet to be! A key consideration of this is the time of the wedding. Darker colors are great for an evening wedding but you can get away with lighter ones too for daytime.

Formal

This wedding dress code is the hardest to define because it includes black-tie optional. Both formal and black-tie usually necessitate a floor-length dress, so I distinguish the two through the little details. For example, I think you can get away with more standard fabrics and defined slits like this one and this one that are very of the moment.

Black Tie

Here you can lean into more dynamic silhouettes and fabrics that match the drama of a black tie event, as long as you don’t upstage the bride. A floor-length gown is typically required for this wedding dress code, though in certain cases, an extra formal knee-length or midi-length dress can work. I would definitely be the most thoughtful about colors for this dress code. Neutrals are usually a safe bet, and you can’t go wrong aligning with the couple’s wedding palette (unless you really don’t want to risk matching the bridesmaids).