Hi Skillfulsugar, welcome to MFA! You cannot post a link and a text description at the same time, it's one or the other. Don't worry, this way of posting is perfectly fine. As you're young you have plenty of leniency when it comes to dress codes given budgetary restraints. That said, it's always best to shoot for an outfit as appropriate as possible. First we need to define what "semi-formal" means - traditionally it actually means black-tie (i.e. tuxedo!) in which case this outfit clearly does not meet it as it's not a tuxedo. If by "semi-formal" they just mean "vaguely dressed up" then we're more on the right lines. Conventional wisdom says to only wear a tie if you have a jacket on as well. A jacket without a tie both looks better and more closely adheres to the spirit of formal-wear than a shirt and tie do. A waistcoat ("vest") is a complete misstep - it is a very common thing for younger men to try adding a waistcoat without a jacket to an outfit to be classy, but it looks awful/tacky in most instances. Unless you're wearing a full three-piece suit, just avoid waistcoats. If you were wearing a neck-tie it'd look really dodgy but the bow-tie does not look awful without a jacket - indeed this style can play into a youthful, hip, geek-chic kind of vibe. However, if the even is just dressy rather than Formal I would certainly consider losing the bow-tie. The biggest problem this outfit faces apart from the tie/jacket problem is the shirt. The shirt is much too dark to work here and certainly too dark to support a tie. Look at how a bow-tie is normally worn formally . The stark blackness pops off of the aggressive white of the shirt - it is this conflict that, under evening lights, produces a sharp and sleek look. In your outfit the black of the tie gets buried and lost under the suffocating darkness of the shirt which blurs into the darkness of your trousers.. In effect it is visual mud with no definition or distinction. The casual button-down collar of the shirt does not help matters. In general dark shirts should rarely if ever be paired with ties - dark ties get lost and bright ties against dark clothing are very tacky. Other issues with the outfit, not directly related to your question but worth mentioning for the future: The trousers are too long and need to be hemmed (an easy piece of sewing, maybe someone you know can do it or if not a tailor can do it pretty cheaply). The solid belt buckle is very striking but pretty ugly. The slip-on shoes are also pretty ugly - dressy shoes usually demand laces. Please take these comments in the spirit intended - not as criticism of you but direction to steer yourself in for the future. Depending on your budget and the nature of the event I would suggest the following actions in descending importance: Replace the shirt with a white shirt Either add a jacket or lose the bow-tie (event dress-code permitting). If the dress-code and your budget do not permit then it is not the end of the world to just wear the bow-tie, especially as you are young. Replace the belt with one that has a buckle like this New shoes (probably out of your budget, that's ok) Hope this helps you! More on reddit.com

There are 2 aspects. In order to qualify for a certain dress code, you need to provide enough amenities to justify it. Amenities are things directly for the guests: open bars, higher quality food or alcohol, better service, comfier furniture, a better dj/band, valets, +1s, weekend and evening events, etc. The more/nicer amenities you provide for the guests, the nicer you can ask them to dress. Hiring a luxury photographer or having a custom Dior gown aren’t for the guests, and therefore do not factor into the amenities. On top of that are the aesthetics. Aesthetics (outfits, florals, decor, venue, etc) can lower the dress code of the event, but they aren’t enough to raise it. Like, the most gorgeous decor in the world is not enough to make a potluck wedding a Black Tie event, but cheap/skimpy decor is enough to make an otherwise Black Tie event only semi-formal. The setting and vibe need to be on-par with the dress code, but can’t, by themselves, set a dress code. The vast majority of modern American weddings should be semi-formal/cocktail. Unless you have good reason to deviate, just stick with that. More on reddit.com

Men: suit or blazer with dress pants, a tie is recommended but not required Women: a knee or midi length dress, suit, jumpsuit or two piece outfit. I'm not a fan of elaborating on your website. If someone truly doesn't understand the dress code, it's easy enough for them to look it up. Sometimes all these instructions can come across as the guests being unable to dress themselves without your help. This can be particularly offensive to older guests. More on reddit.com

A super simplified down description of the difference is that formal is generally a long dress or gown, and semi formal is short. There are exceptions - like a jersey maxi dress could be too casual for either - but a short black dress is most likely semi-formal. If you went to high school in the US, you can think of prom as formal and homecoming as semi-formal. More on reddit.com