What to Wear to a Fall Wedding

I think dressing to attend a fall wedding is a difficult task.  The weather varies greatly depending on location, and here in the south, I’ve seen sunny and 80 in November.  Fall weddings are the ones where I really hope that the invitation spells it out for me; I closely examine that thing looking for words like ‘semi-formal’ or ‘black tie’.  If the invitation doesn’t plainly state the attire, then I look for the venue and the time of the event.  For instance, I’m going to wear something rather formal to a 6:00 p.m. wedding being held at The Crystal Ballroom and a simple, pretty dress to a church wedding being held at 2:00 p.m.  So here are a few tips to help if you receive a read-between-the-lines wedding invitation:

• This is an obvious one but never wear white, cream, or ivory.
• Try to find out what color the bridesmaids will be wearing so you can avoid that color as well.
• When in doubt overdress; it is far better to be the one that is overdressed than the one that is underdressed.
• Wear comfortable but cute shoes.  Clearly you don’t want to wear flip flops or casual shoes but make sure your shoes can withstand plenty of standing and dancing.  Uncomfortable feet can put a damper on a fun-filled evening.
• Modesty is the best policy.  If your grandmother would cringe, then odds are that it’s not a good choice.
• Take a wrap or shawl.  It might be warm when the event begins, but as the evening continues on it can get rather cool. 

As the year has moved along, we’ve also addressed What to Wear to a Winter, Spring, and Summer wedding.  If you are looking for additional help, please check out those blog posts.  Finally, when the big event is over, don’t forget to have your ensemble properly cleaned before putting it away.  Your dress may look clean, but some stains may not show themselves right away and will then darken with age.  Plus dirt and food are invitations to insects.