Weddings are a lot of fun to attend. People use them as opportunities to wear their favorite outfits, and best jewelry and even show off new spouses or partners to friends and family. However, when it comes to going to other people’s weddings it’s common for attendees to second guess themselves and worry that they are going to take attention away from the bride or groom by, say, wearing an extravagant outfit or expensive jewelry.
This post will focus on personal decoration, i.e., jewelry, tattoos, and other things of that kind rather than specifically clothing, so you can figure out what is appropriate and what is not.
Subtle Items of Jewelery
At a wedding, you need to make sure that you are not wearing jewelry that is too loud. By loud this post means showy. Wear jewelry that is a little more subtle and tasteful. While you might enjoy wearing bold accessories, it is not appropriate to wear them to a wedding. When you wear this kind of thing to a wedding you run the risk of drawing attention away from the happy couple and worse, making yourself look arrogant. What constitutes subtle items of jewelry depends entirely on you as an individual and your culture. In Scotland subtle might be a watch and a ring whereas in Bangladesh it could be a full set of gold jewelry, without gemstones. Subtlety is subjective. It’s something you can only judge for yourself.
Covering Your Tattoos
Unless you live in a part of the world where the predominant culture permits the open display of tattoos at formal events, like in some Pacific Ocean nations, you should cover them up. Showing your tattoos off can be considered rude, especially if those attending the wedding you are going to are very conservative people. If you are unsure whether or not displaying your tattoos is going to be permissible or not speak to the person that has invited you or exercise common sense and do what you think feels right in the situation.
Wearing Accessories
What kind of accessories do you plan on wearing beyond jewelry? If the answer’s something like a big expensive bag, hats, and other things of this kind then it’s perhaps time to think again. Wearing showy accessories can be very bad for your personal image and again can appear arrogant and even rude. Make sure that the accessories you wear are tasteful and in keeping with your culture. Try not to wear anything particularly expensive, especially if the people getting married are not very wealthy as this can be seen as arrogant and rude and may upset them a great deal.
Considering Footwear
It’s not uncommon today for people to arrive at weddings wearing things like sandals. Sandals are a totally inappropriate choice of footwear for a wedding, no matter how casual everybody else plans on being. Make sure that you wear a tasteful pair of pumps, high heels, or leather shoes if you are a man (or just like leather shoes, anybody can wear them). If the footwear you are wearing is too bold then again you will come across as eccentric and perhaps arrogant which is the worst way to look at somebody else’s wedding as you could potentially offend them.
Bringing Guests
Moving away from what you wear, think about the guests that you are going to bring. At most people’s weddings, you are allowed to bring guests with you. If you plan on bringing guests then make sure they behave well and are suitable choices. For example, if your new partner is an enemy of one of the people getting married, then obviously you should not bring them. Only bring guests that you think are going to behave well and are going to be received positively by the bride and groom. Do not bring anyone you think would be unwelcome.
Your Outfit
Finally, and briefly, make sure that the outfit you wear is suitable for the occasion. Some people have casual weddings and other people have formal ones. On the invitation that you get, you will most likely receive instructions on what you should be wearing. Follow these instructions and do not deviate from them. Deviating from the instructions given by the bride and groom is an unwise choice to make as this again can make you look like you do not care. Looking as though you do not care can be bad for your relationship with the couple getting married and your personal image.
Weddings are the high points of many people’s years and social calendars. If you have been invited to one then make sure that you dress appropriately. If you do not then you could end up being disinvited to future events.
