Wedding - morning dress for ceremony and black tie for evening??!

[Somerville]

Just seen all the bumpf about a wedding I'm attending in a few weeks. The dress code is morning dress for the ceremony & drinks, then black tie for the reception. (Two hour break between the two.) I have never encountered that before. What would you assume this means in terms of what female guests should wear?

I know men will need to change their suits, but I'm wondering if it'll be acceptable to buy a cocktail-ish dress that matches one of the jackets I already own, then take off the jacket for the evening and change my shoes.

I also had a sinking feeling that 'morning dress' being specified meant women will all be in hats for the ceremony, but I've just googled and apparently that's very much a matter of individual guest's preference?

I don't know any other female guests who will be there, though I'll be meeting one next week so can ask what her plan is then. But I'll be leaving it a bit late to find things if I hear then that they're all wearing hats and/or really glamming up for the evening.

No. But then again I've never seen an invite which specifies morning suits. The idea of DH having one in his wardrobe "just in case" is genuinely mind boggling.

Lol at Twinkles's thinking that most married men have morning suits

You must move in a very exclusive circle

It seems a perfectly reasonable assumption.

Most women buy their own wedding dresses no? They're a hell of a lot more expensive.

I'd say most UK weddings I've been to are morning dress.

Random thoughts on morning suits.

My boyfriend is unmarried but bought his when being a best man. Dunno, but imagine this might be the case for quite a few men.

My father is forces so wore uniforms. He cheerfully upstaged my DH on our wedding day.

My (late) DH didn't want to get married in a hired suit so bought a morning suit. It lasted five or so years then he put on a stone and before every wedding I'd try to get him to diet and he'd just want to go out and buy another one and I'd tell him that was a waste of money and to come running with me and we'd end up hiring him one at the last minute. Remembering that just made me smile a lot, so thank you.

Now all stop squabbling or I'll have to do my really scary mum stare.

I think you are, once again, just showing the exclusivity of your circle.

I must have been to 70 odd weddings over the course of my lifetime (+ others I've sang at in Church choir, or stewarded at for the Church), and I've NEVER been at a wedding where everyone was expected to wear morning dress.
It really is reserved for the very rich in society (was going to mention 'class' but I know MN doesn't like it )

Polkadotandmoonbeams
Fellow army brat by any chance?

His friend did indeed phone and was nice and helpful. Bad news is I need to buy (or rent?) a hat and sort out two dresses. Good news is I've made a friend to chat to when the men are propping up the bar.

My family solidly middle class and all the family weddings have been morning dress for those not in uniform.
Lots of our friends too.

Backforgood I forgot to add my

In pythonesque fashion I wasn't aware it was a squabble, I thought it was a discussion.

I'm genuinely interested that people don't generally buy their own, given that brides generally buy their dress. (Does anyone dispute the latter?) It would make much more sense to hire a wedding dress given it will only be worn once and is so much more expensive.

Also weddings seem to get ever bigger and more lavish with ever increasing numbers of bridesmaids and exotic honeymoons... A morning suit in that context is small fry.

I have to agree with OP I don't think ms for weddings is particularly grand, it's still traditional wedding attire in the UK.

Giving it some thought, most of my family are quite high church. I wonder if that makes a difference.

But our friends mostly did morning dress too, and they were all sorts of backgrounds. More recent ones have been about a 60/40 split of morning dress/ black tie. Black tie has been young couples.

I think the only lounge suit wedding ive been to was in a barn and I lost a shoe. Weird night.

I like a man in a morning suit much more than a lounge suit and a bit more than black tie, so my conclusion is that I'm glad I'm in the circles I'm in, whatever they may be.

twinkelstein- I presume you don't know anyone who buys their own furniture either!

Oh, word to the wise.it's morning coat, not morning suit.

Bertrand I just googled, suspecting you're right, and it is inconclusive. Even Debretts used morning suit and coat interchangeably.

I also came across this is on Debretts: "should a change into black tie for the reception be required, this should be stated clearly for guests."
So the getting changed in the evening palaver thing is an actual thing.

When did people start calling a dinner jacket a 'tux'?

On a more practical note what colour hat do you want?

I did call it a tux , but only after others have started calling it that on this thread. Of course it's a dinner jacket.

That really does sound like a very formal wedding. I move in fairly well to do circles (most of my friends are lawyers, doctors, bankers, etc) and the vast majority of weddings I have been to have been lounge suit and nice frock affairs. I think that dress code and the two outfits demanded would have me rolling my eyes so I am glad you are looking forward to it.

I'm solidly middle class too and so are most of my friends and I've been to lots of weddings (I'm in my 50's). A few of the wedding parties have worn hired morning dress, but I've never been to a wedding where the guests wore it too, or dinner jackets in the evening.

I think the only lounge suit wedding ive been to was in a barn and I lost a shoe. Weird night.

That's much more my kind of wedding. I don't like formal occasions much.

On a more practical note what colour hat do you want?

Ooh yes!!

You've just reminded me I need a hat for a wedding soon too!

Ooh the derailment's over.

If I wear the dress I've got already, I need to buy a hat that goes with a very pale mint green. Or, best friend's just offering to lend me an amazing hat which is dark pink. (She described it as a cerise disc hat.) she's bringing it over soon for me to try. But then I'll need to buy another dress.

Wherediditland - I'm glad someone agrees with me that it sounds amazing. I feel like the free accommodation and no gifts balances out the excessive dress code.
I'm also easily pleased because happy to get to spend 24 child free hours with my boyfriend

I've been to one of these weddings before and it's a total pain. I had the two hour interlude too ...

And, whilst we're on the subject of things I hate (;)), can I point out that I hate black tie at weddings (it's evening wear ffs) and I hate British people referring to DJs as tuxes!

Derailment back on

Tux is shorter to type than dinner jacket.

Interesting that you've been to a wedding with this dress code iisme

My main concern is on greed grounds. If the ceremony, drinks and photos overrun, as they so often do, and then the 2 hours to get changed gets pushed forward and dinner is really late. I lan to take Jaffa cakes so I can cope with this eventuality.

I also don't want the two hours to be compressed because I've got 1 hour and 50 mins of it earmarked for a nap rest. Meeting so many of boyfriends friends at once will be exhausting. Nice to have a while on our own.