Acceptable/Unacceptable Semi-Formal Attire

ok, so our wedding is going to be a Semi-Formal Masquerade...well, the masquerade part is more for the reception, but yeah...and when we were telling our friends about the semi-formal part, we got alot of different responses:

"Can i wear a tux?"

"Do jeans count for the 'semi' part?"

"I was planning to wear a white dress. Is that ok?"

and my personal favorite:

"Are there such things as formal flip-flops?"
(NO THERE ARE NOT)

so yeah, we thought with all the questions we'd clarify things a bit for you all!!!

hope this all helps!!!

FOR WOMEN~

Acceptable Dress:
since the word "formal" is in the invitation, this means a dress or a skirt. if you simply WILL NOT wear a dress/skirt, then a sort of pant-suit is ok, i guess...(pant-suits always make me think of an office setting, or a model from a sears catalog from the 90's...ew. also, wearing white or any variation on white is considered very tacky, since the bride is the only one who will be wearing that colour.)

here are some pictures to help:
the first picture shows different types of semi-formal dresses. usually the term semi-formal connotes a short dress, but if you feel uncomfortable with something above the knee, or even just below the knee you can wear something longer.

the second gives you an entire ensemble!
so if you are really searching for how to put an outfit together, i hope this can help. some really great places to get semi-formal dresses (if you don't have one and want an excuse to go shopping :) is Forever 21, Target, or even JC Penney's. they're all relatively inexpensive and have a variety of styles and sizes.

one of the other main things about semi-formal events is that in keeping with the "formal" part of the dress, proper shoes will follow.

proper shoes are normally some sort of high heel. this could range from 2"-5"; whatever you like. (i personally am going to wear 5" stilettoes, and i cannot wait to wear them!!!)

here are some examples:

you don't have to go this high, and you don't have to wear stilettoes if you don't want to (for those of you who love heels as much as i do, PLEASE wear them!!!) :)

you can also wear wedges, which give height but have more stability. and they're not just for casual events, either! nice flats are acceptable if you simply CANNOT wear heels.

the only other thing i have to say on shoes is this:
















FOR MEN~

Acceptable Attire:

for guys a suit is alway nice. if you don't have a suit, then nice slacks, a button-up shirt, and a tie is good. NO JEANS. NOT EVEN BLACK JEANS. :)

here's a good example of what i'm talking about:


menswear is not as complicated as women's, so it should be pretty easy to get together an outfit.

for guys's shoes, you can wear whatever dress shoe you like. also acceptable are Van's Classics shoes, but CLEAN!!! :) like this:












so we really hope this all helps some for you! if you have questions post them here...

again, we are so excited that you have decided to come celebrate with us, and we can't wait to see you there!

p.s.


:)