Hey, since this is a beach wedding, can I just wear linen pants and a collared shirt?

This is the first question I received from my plus one after extending the invitation to accompany me to a friend’s upcoming beachside wedding. Having just spoken to the bride about wedding details, my immediate response was “No. Please don’t!” However, I could not have blamed my date for wondering if it was acceptable to dress semi-casually for a late-August, beachside wedding (and I have to give him credit for asking). In all honesty, prior to speaking with the bride, I found myself questioning, black dress and stilettos, or summer dress and flats?

It is not uncommon for guests to debate over proper attire for weddings or other formal events, especially when these events take place in an “off beat” location such as the beach. If guests’ attire is important to the feel of your event, or if they could be left wondering “what to wear,” what is the best way to let them know?

While browsing through Perfect Wedding Guide’s blog this morning, I found a great article addressing this common dilemma. Having so recently related to this issue as a wedding guest, naturally it caught my attention.

Hitting the nail on the head, this article, Wording Your Wedding Invitations So Your Guests Know How To Dress, offers up very helpful, very simple tips on addressing this topic. It includes both creative and basic, and both subtle and direct ways of letting your guests know just what to adorn themselves in honor of your fantastic event.

My favorite tip has to be

Please remember that no matter how clearly you spell out exactly what you want your guests to wear, you will have some that will show up inappropriately dressed. My best advice is to forget it! Relax and enjoy your wedding day and ignore the couple in jeans.

Thank you, Perfect Wedding Guide, for your helpful advice!