On our wedding day next year in our Costa Rican with a beach ceremony, my fiancée will be wearing a 'Guayabera' shirt. I'm creating the 'Save the Date,' and I'd like to guide our guests on attire. I’m thinking about leaving it for the actual invitation, but considering putting it on because it’s a destination wedding (?).

I don't want anything more formal than the Guayabera, (specifically for men) but I also want to maintain a certain level of elegance for our beachfront sunset wedding. Considering the hot province and the outdoor setting for both the ceremony and reception, what attire would you recommend for our guests?

I'm considering “cocktail attire” but open to suggestions. Some friends suggested either an all-white dress code or providing a color palette for guests to choose from. What are your thoughts?

Needing a little help with guest attire for our destination wedding. It’s at a resort in Mexico on the beach. For a dress code, do I just tell people “beach attire?” Do I even need to specify? I have seen on the sub that guests like direction and leaving it completely open can be problematic which I get. I’m not sure what else to call “we’re going to be on the beach, in sand, dress comfortable and cool?” Beach casual? Is that a thing

I am attending a “beach formal” wedding in Cancun in April - I don’t understand what the dress code means.

I assume a long dress - but like in a fun print? Wedge heeled sandals? For my husband I was thinking a cotton button down shirt and tan slacks?

I’m also usually a size 16 or 18 so I am limited in what stores/brands/websites carry clothes in my size.

Any direction/links would be helpful!

Also PS I’m so tired of shopping for dresses, every wedding I attend has a new dress code and I have to go spelunking for a dress. I am one wedding away from buying a pant suit. 😂

I know y’all hate made up dress codes that confuse more that clarify , so I’m trying to make sure I’m not committing that sin.

The wedding will be at a restaurant in the jungle that has a lot of windows in order to show off a 270 lush rainforest view. It will be June so highs in late 80s.

I will be in a wedding dress and groom in a suit (possibly tan ). Ceremony and cocktail hour will be in daylight hours but it’ll get dark during the reception.

I’m thinking “tropical chic” meaning about cocktail attire or just under level of dress but encouraging bright colors , bold prints , lightweight fabric suits or even colored suits for men . Instead of traditional dresses , I wouldn’t be bothered if a lady went for a fancy 2 piece set or jumpsuit. Are there better words to convey that? I have a FAQ on the website where I’ve drafted language explaining the dress code in order to clarify.

Edit : Thanks for the feedback. Tropical Cocktail seems like the consensus .

Full disclosure, I am a +1 at a bunch of weddings this year therefore this is a huge source of stress for me right now so I'm trying to commiserate and/or get a little inspiration LOL

Have you been set up for success with clear-cut instructions like "cocktail" or "black tie"?

Or has the happy couple cursed you with their whimsy, inviting attire like "fancy ranch" (sounds like a salad dressing btw), "elegant tropical", or perhaps "maritime boho goth"?

Thankfully my most confusing dress code is only "summer formal" but at least "Roman burlap carnival" would give me some direction

We're attending a wedding at a beach resort, and I recently checked their website. The dress code is formal, and they request that guests avoid wearing light blue, as that color is reserved for the wedding party. I'm not a fan of wearing heels normally sowearing them on the beach sounds awful. Avoiding at all costs in possible.

What would you recommend for both men and women? Thank you in advance! 😊

I thought “beach formal” made sense, but apparently it’s obnoxious lol. I am about to send out invites and want it to be helpful. The wedding will be on a deck on the beach. It will be in November, but in Mexico. I don’t really care that much what people wear, though I’m picturing florals, tropical, and elevated beach attire. Help me word this not obnoxiously please

Also, I don't know if it matters but it's my brother's wedding

Hello, I will be attending a beach wedding in Monterey this weekend and I’m stuck in between two dresses. It will be an outside beach ceremony follow by an in-door reception and the dress code is cocktail. I have both dresses already but was unsure which one is best for the occasion. Thank you in advance!

Curious, anyone have a pinterest board for examples of how to dress at a resort wedding for guests? My fiancee and I basically just said “resort wear” or "beach chic" but a TON of our guests are asking for specifics.

We are getting married in Cabo in March of 2025. We are not getting married on a beach, it is solid ground.

Im confused as to what dress code to put please help. It will be on june 7 by the water but not on any type of sand. Its a waterfront wedding. Do i put beach formal?

What is everyone's opinions on dress codes for guests?

I went to a wedding on Halloween where they asked us to wear costumes, it was super fun and I didn't think anything odd of the request. But recently I've been seeing a lot of hate to brides who ask thier guests to wear a certain color palette (like all white or blue shades). Where do you draw the line when it comes to brides asking wedding guests to wear particular clothing? Is it dependant on theme? Size of wedding? Location?

I'd love to hear opinions on this! It was brought up in a local Facebook page today so I'm really curious what other brides think!

I am getting married in February 2025, and I’m throwing myself into planning in earnest as I get my Save the Dates ready to send out, and playing with invitation formats. Seeing the dress code line got me thinking on dress codes, and I wanted the opinion of the masses.

Is a semi-formal or formal dress code annoying as a guest? I love the idea of everyone being super dressed up, especially because I feel like once you finish high school and go to prom, you don’t always have the opportunity to dress fancy.

So what do y’all think? Is it annoying? Will people be able to dine and dance and mingle comfortably in formal wear?

EDIT: Thanks for the information everyone! We are having a full, open bar and a plated dinner at an old golf club turned wedding venue in the DMV area, so I think with a bit of extra flair in the decor and some amenities I might be able to swing a semi-formal dress code. And during the planning stages if it looks like our stuff not up to the level it needs to be, I’ll change to cocktail before sending out invites. (:

EDITEDIT: Cocktail is fancier than semi-formal, just registered that (😭). so I guess my question would be how not to lock people into the idea that their dress choice has to be knee length and not longer? Since that seems to be the defining nature of cocktail.

Dress code is semi formal beach attire. I fear this isn’t beachy enough and I should maybe look for a brighter colored dress.

Now, I’ll admit that I haven’t been to a ton of weddings (only 6 and all in the South), but at all of them the dress code was either cocktail or formal, and there was always so many people that didn’t follow the dress code. I feel like the reason so many people choose cocktail or formal is just to avoid having people show up in jeans or casual sundresses, and then people still showed up in those types of more everyday/relaxed clothes anyway.

For example, I went to a wedding this past weekend where the dress code was cocktail attire, and if you looked at a photo of all the guests together, I doubt anyone would have been able to guess that they were told cocktail. Quite a few men in jeans (including one of the bridesmaids boyfriends) and short sleeve polo shirts, women in sundresses or casual dresses that looked more appropriate for a beach or backyard wedding, etc. Seeing it annoyed me on the bride and groom’s behalf because they chose a specific dress code for a reason.

I guess basically what I’m asking is how everyone goes about trying to ensure their guests understand and actually follow the level of formality you have planned without being a bridezilla lol? Or is this one of those things where you just have to accept that no matter how much you try, it’s just not gonna happen lol? I’m a bit of a perfectionist so I just know it would frustrate me afterwards to be going through my wedding photos of everyone looking nice in fancy suits and dresses and then randomly have some guy in jeans looking out of place in the middle of them 😂