Five Ways To Let Guests Know Your Wedding Dress Code

Want to let guests know your wedding dress code? I’ve got the five major ways to let them know right in this post!

The thing is, letting guests know your wedding dress code is a nice thing to do. It’s not essential, it’s thoughtful. Most people, if they are anything like me, aren’t entirely sure what to wear to events. And when it comes to weddings, it can be doubly confusing. Some weddings are very casual, and others are quite fancy. You don’t want to be the causal person at a fancy wedding, or a fancy person at a casual wedding, you know what I mean?

The great news is that with minimal effort, you can totally let guests know what to wear to your wedding. It doesn’t take much time and it doesn’t cost any money. Once you do, it’s up to your guests to decide what they have that matches the dress code. You’ve done your share of the work at that point.

Five Ways To Let Guests Know Your Wedding Dress Code

This post is going to give you five ways to let guests know your wedding dress code. It will also give an overview of the various dress codes that events may have. Keep in mind, every location is different. The definition of “black tie” may be different in New York than it is in California. So, take this as guidelines and suggestions and use your own judgement as you plan your wedding.

Let’s get into it! 

THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF DRESS CODE

As promised, let’s go over the various categories of dress codes. If you are getting married in the kind of location where people regularly dress up, you may want to assume that black tie is very, very, fancy, and informal is still kind of dressed up if it’s a wedding. If you live in a causal location, you can assume the opposite. Black tie may not be that fancy, and informal may be quite informal, so to speak.

Side note – if you are a guest reading this, don’t wear pajamas or ripped jeans to a wedding. No matter what the dress code says. Unless it explicitly says to wear them. In that case, do what feels right.

Alright, on to the various types of dress code:

BLACK TIE & WHITE TIE – Black tie or white tie is fancy. Very fancy. I’m talking as fancy as going to the Oscars, fancy. Long gowns. Tuxedos. Professional hair and makeup, if you can swing it. If you see white tie or black tie as a dress code, feel free to go for it.

FORMAL – Formal is a super common dress code. It means to dress up. Wear a dress. A suit. A tie, even. Formal is fancy, but not that fancy, if you know what I mean.

BUSINESS CASUAL – Business casual is the kind of clothes you would wear to work if you worked in an office setting. Now, of course, this is a broad definition. Some offices are fine with leggings and jeans. Others are not. If you happen to see business casual as a wedding dress code (and this would be rare), think tasteful dresses, slacks, or nice sweaters. The footwear should be elevated a little (boots, dress shoes).

CASUAL – Casual is well, casual. What would you wear if you were meeting a friend for coffee? Going to a park? Eating at an informal restaurant? I would imagine that a wedding with a casual dress code would be fine with jeans. Maybe a collared shirt, but no requirement for it. Cute tops for women, and open toed sandals as well.

INFORMAL – Informal kind of implies anything goes. I would use your own judgement if you happen to see this as a dress code for a wedding. It likely does not mean wearing your pajamas, but it may mean some comfortable leggings are okay. Or jeans. Maybe imagine what you would wear to a barbeque and go with that.

OTHER – Some weddings have dress codes that are not that common. These are the weddings where everyone is asked to wear a certain color. Or, a costume. Maybe you’re going to a wedding where they want everyone to wear their best pajamas (or their worst, I don’t know). In any case, it should be clear what the request is so you can match it easily.

FIVE WAYS TO LET GUESTS KNOW YOUR WEDDING DRESS CODE

Okay, onto the five ways to let guests know your wedding dress code.

Understanding what dress codes are helps, but it doesn’t help if you can’t communicate it out. Remember, there are five ways below, and you get to pick and choose the ones that work best for you. It doesn’t have to be just one. Do them all, or do a couple. If you do none, though, your guests really won’t know how to dress. Just saying.

1. LET YOUR GUESTS KNOW YOUR WEDDING DRESS CODE IN PERSON OR WHEN YOU TALK TO THEM

One way to communicate your wedding dress code is to just tell people when you see them or talk to them. As it comes up in conversation, mention what they should wear to your wedding. Chances are, they are already wondering.

While this way is cheap and easy enough, it does have one major drawback. Actually, two. The first is that you’re not likely to see all of your wedding guests before the wedding. Meaning, some of them won’t get the message and will wear whatever they think is appropriate. Some may miss the mark. The other issue with this way to let your guests know your wedding dress code is that the message may change over time. You may tell one person one thing, and then four months later it’s morphed into another. It could be inconsistent.

In short, this is a great way to communicate the dress code in accordance with one of the other ways in this post.

2. POST DETAILS OF YOUR DRESS CODE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

For a mass communication to let guests know your wedding dress code, make a social media post.

Now, of course, you can just post the dress code to your Facebook feed, or on an Instagram story, and be done with it. However, not everyone will see those posts, even if they are on social media and you are connected. The right way to do this, in my opinion, is to create a Facebook group and include as many of your wedding guests in it as possible. This can be a hub of communication for your wedding, and a way for guests to get to know each other (see this post for details on that), as well as a spot for guests to share photos after the wedding.

A social media group will have multiple purposes, and will allow you to communicate with ease on dress codes and other announcements.

3. PUT THE DRESS CODE ON YOUR WEDDING INVITATIONS

One surefire way to let every single wedding guest know your wedding dress code is to simply put it on your wedding invitations.

Now, of course, the dress code isn’t mandatory on invites. It does get an honorable mention in this post on what to put on wedding invites, though. It’s easy enough to include, too. At the bottom of your invite, where you put things like “reception to follow”, simple add “Formal Dress Code” or “Informal Dress Code” or “Please wear your favorite costume”, or whatever you and your partner are envisioning. No judgement.

With this way, as long as your guests have some understanding of what the code means, they will definitely see the note and follow suit as best they can.

4. PUT THE WEDDING DRESS CODE ON YOUR WEDDING WEBSITE

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I’m a huge fan of wedding websites.

I just am.

They are a fantastic, easy, usually free way to communicate with guests, track what you need to track, and share links and information about your wedding. And, because I’m so in love with wedding websites, I have to call out that they are a great way to let guests know about your wedding dress code.

I mean, other than taking some time to set up your site (and you can reference this post for a list of options), you have nothing to lose here. And, you don’t have to put the dress code on there day one. You can add it later, as you get closer to the wedding. Just put it in your general wedding information section, and your guests will see it, if they are looking.

5. CREATE AND SHARE A PINTEREST BOARD TO LET GUESTS KNOW YOUR WEDDING DRESS CODE

If you are engaged and not using Pinterest, you may be missing out.

Pinterest is a fantastic hub of inspiration and information on weddings, among other topics. Within it, you create boards of images and links on various topics. If you want to be super extra about letting guests know your wedding dress code, you can totally create and share a Pinterest board for them to look at. Within the board, post photos of the types of outfits your guests should wear, so they can gather information and inspiration. Some of those images may even have links so they can shop right from the board.

Not sure how to share a board? Create the board (trust me, it’s easy), and the find the link to the board. Copy and paste that link into a social media group, your wedding website, or even put it on an insert within your wedding invitation if you want to go a little old school.

For the full details on how to use Pinterest for your wedding, check out this post.

THOUGHTS ON WAYS TO TELL GUESTS YOUR WEDDING DRESS CODE

Friends, I’m sure there are other ways to let guests know your wedding dress code out there, but this post lays out the five major methods. The key, in my opinion, is to hit a few of them for the full effect. Do what makes sense for you, what is easy to work into your wedding planning, and what will provide the most communication to the greatest number of guests. If you’re not too worried about it, don’t worry about any of the ways. If you are, do what works for you. Happy wedding planning!

More On Wedding Guest Experience From Hummingbird Wedding Advice 

14 Low Risk Wedding Takes To Delegate To Your Friends and Family

Nine Ways To Connect With Guests At Your Wedding

How To Deal With Family Drama Around Your Wedding

Did you find this post helpful, inspiring? PIN it to your Wedding Guest Experience Board on Pinterest!