When did it become common to wear evening dress for weddings?

[CoastalGrey]

Looking at the pics of Gordon Ramsay’s daughter’s wedding and there seems to be much less traditional wedding wear and more evening dress/black tie. I didn’t think that was usually a thing for daytime weddings - is it common among real people or just celebs?

I’ve got 2 weddings next year and while I’m not a pastel coat dress/pashmina/fasinator type of person I wouldn’t pull off a slinky satin number either!

I hate black tie at weddings. It just looks very untraditional and American to me and I'd not want to to wear a dress that fitted that style.

But then I also don't like the American way of bridesmaids preceeding the bride on entry instead of following.

No I don’t suppose there is but to me stylish means appropriate for the situation including the weather - goosebumps and blue toes don’t really appeal!

Black tie is totally wrong for a daytime ceremony. It made this high-profile wedding look a bit nouveau and tacky.
Daytime is either lounge suits or, if you want to be really smart, morning coat and striped trousers. Women follow accordingly, with hats for daytime.

If there is an evening reception, it would be OK for everyone to change into black tie & evening dresses.

This is true they are young fashion over function i guess 😀

I would expect an invitation to have a dress code and follow that. DD’s wedding was black tie and it was so much easier just to go and find a full length glam dress than some of the horrendous MOB creations I’ve seen! Also able to wear it afterwards for black tie events.

I'm the opposite. I hate receiving a wedding invitation with a dress code. It's pretentious and unnecessary. Everybody knows what the standard wedding attire is and doesn't need to be told.

Black tie would make me roll my eyes, unless just maybe the entire event wasn't starting till after about 6pm which would be highly unusual.

Black tie for a church wedding at a normal time in the afternoon like yesterday's one is tacky.

That dig is a bit unnecessary isn’t it? Did I offend you so much that you had to suggest that I’m pretentious?

Dressing up doesn’t mean it has to be a floor length gown, but a tea dress or the sort of outfit that someone would wear to work isn’t really making an effort, at all.

You don’t need 100s to spend on an outfit. There are a variety of stores with a variety of budgets.

It’s all the fault of Hollywood. Nearly every wedding scene in American movies has the guests in evening dress, even though they’re having the wedding outside in the daytime.

It crossed my mind 😆

Do English brides go in first then? I'm Irish and the bridesmaids have been first at every wedding I've been to! learn something new every day.

I rest my case, your Honour.

Black tie looks a bit out of place pre-evening but times change and it's becoming the norm. American influenced yes but it's been coming for a while. My best friend from school married in 2002 and had a black tie dress code. Lots of female guests sighed with relief as black tie for men means cocktail/evening dresses for women and they could just wear something they already had.

As for red satin bridesmaid dresses, I thought they looked perfect for a wedding at Christmas. Pastel colours are for summer, jewel colours for winter. It's not a new thing either. My grandparents married in December 1944 and they had one bridesmaid who wore a long red satin dress!

Yes, like the Queen does when entering a room with the bridesmaids, who are playing the role of ladies-in-waiting, following.

It's a standard expectation at any event that the most important person is allowed to enter first. Meghan got criticised endlessly and ridiculously for once going ahead of the Queen.

Bride and bridesmaids are meant to follow the same protocol.

Been to Greek, Jewish, Irish & Scottish weddings which are all pretty dressy. I think England is the outlier in that people go fairly casual.

Black tie makes sense to me in the Winter as you need more than a pashmina over a floral dress.

Yeah I think this is it. Things change, things move on. Being rigidly obsessed with etiquette and rules from the past seems a bit ridiculous in 2025. I personally think evening dress looks lovely at weddings, but equally floral frocks don't stick out. Anything goes really, within reason obviously. Anything dressy. How often do you really get a chance to dress up? May as well for weddings.

They've always dressed up at every wedding I've been to (inc hats)

Yes and it also had/has a practical reason as the bridesmaids are supposed to "attend" upon the bride by assisting with the dress and train (carrying it if necessary). Chief bridesmaid is supposed to be right behind the bride to take the bridal bouquet for the vows and help the bride lift and straighten her veil behind her head.

Bridesmaids these days are largely symbolic rather than "attendants" so it matters less if you want to do it the other way around. But when I got married I definitely wanted to go in front as I wanted to be the first person in the procession that my husband to be clapped eyes upon 😂

Depends what you're used to, as well. I know plenty of people working in things like wildlife and agriculture, and wearing any dress at all is dressing up.

It’s definitely another American import.
When I was a young we went to family weddings in UK and then one in the USA. Everything we took from our ‘UK wedding attire’ was unsuitable for the US do. Had to go out and buy new ‘evening’ outfits for not only the wedding but also the rehearsal dinner (which we knew nothing about). Now UK weddings seemed to have moved to this US style.

Absolutely. I´ve been to Spanish weddings and the floral prints they wear in England are massively underdressed.

Really? That’s interesting, I always feel a bit like weddings with evening dresses are out of place, a bit try hard. Sounds like I’m too British 🤣🤣

Recently went to a daytime wedding at a manor house. The men wore suits and the women wore smart but not evening dresses. Hardly anyone wore a hat or fascinator.
Except my sister ( MoG ) and I . We wore very nice trouser suits, with hats and ankle boots. Both very different in style. We gave zero fucks, but everyone said how well dressed we were. Neither of us own a dress and would never wear one again.

I think it’s fairly common to wear more of an evening style in winter but black tie on a man at 11am is odd. Lots of weddings now seem to be later in the day to cut down on the amount of hosting. I think it’s a good idea. Marry at 4 - sit down at 6 - everyone out by 10 rather than marry at 10 - canapés at 11 - sit down at 1 - drinks at 4 - another bloody party at 6 with the b-list - out at 1am.