Day weddings and evening weddings

It depends on the location (indoor or outdoor) but I would say that wearing a dress that ends at or below the knees would be best. Bring a nice coat or shawl with you that you can leave at your seat while you’re dancing/socializing, but wear when you’re outdoors.

I hear you. Weddings are tricky! I have written a novel for you; I hope you can get something out of it:

The formality depends on the venue. Outdoors is less formal than indoors. Someone’s backyard is less formal than a fancy reception hall, and even some reception halls are fancier than others. If you can check out the venue online, do it. The invitation should also give you some clues even if it doesn’t explicitly state the dress code— if it’s got fancy gold embossed script it’s probably more formal than a cutesy one. Church ceremonies with a mass and all that are more formal than if the ceremony is performed at the same venue as the reception. Daytime weddings are generally less formal than evening weddings, and I believe that 4pm is actually a day wedding too (“evening” weddings generally start at 6 o’clock).

Obviously, you know not to wear white. Black is definitely acceptable for evening weddings nowadays but not daytime, although I have seen a few people do that— if I were you I’d just steer clear.

If the ceremony is in a church you need to dress modestly. Wear a cover-up if you need to.

Don’t dress in clubbing clothes! That is so inappropriate. You don’t have to dress like a frumpy old church lady but there is a middle ground. I went to one wedding at a hoity-toity hotel where there were a bunch of girls in stilettos and skintight backless polyester dresses that barely covered their chests and butts, and people staying at the hotel (not wedding guests) were making snotty comments like “this is not the Jersey Shore!” They made the wedding look bad.

Generally, these things are good:
-heavier-weight cottons with lining
-chiffon
-linen
-silk or a synthetic silk that doesn’t look cheap
-jewel tone colors
-structured pieces
-fitted cardigans or blazers
-fit-and-flare dresses
-hair accessories like rhinestone barrettes or a fabric flower
-patterned maxis (nice ones, not like a long, clingy striped tank dress or something)

And these things are bad:
-anything overly stretchy
-jersey fabric
-unlined dresses
-fabric with too much spandex
-one shoulder dresses
-I am not a fan of a lot of those dresses with the sewn in elastic waists; they seem cheap and they hang limply.
-flat sandals
-since these are day weddings you don’t want anything too slinky

I have actually found a few wedding-appropriate dresses at Forever 21. Unfortunately I think you’re more likely to find stuff like that there right before the holidays when people are shopping for parties.

One thing I do when I’m trying to decide if something is too casual: I ask myself if the dress would look okay with flip flops. If it does, it’s probably too casual.