Afternoon wedding / evening reception ?

**Colquhoun** · 22nd October 06, 10:57 AM

Greetings all

I'm attending, as a guest, the wedding of a friend this upcoming Saturday out here in Orange County CA.

The ceremony is scheduled for a 3:30pm church service, but the reception is a 5:30/6pm-ish evening reception at a nearby yacht club. An after hours party will round out the festivities in the hotel bar.

The Groomsmen, father of the groom, as well as the ushers, will all be in PC's with bowties, even though word of mouth says the nuptials will be semi-formal. My problem, at least from my point of view, is the reception.... which will be more of an evening affair at one of the better known local yacht clubs here in OC. To the best of my knowledge the guest list appears to run the gambit of numerous tax brackets so I expect everything from designer suits to shirt/tie/slacks combos.

Wanting to make sure I'm not completely underdressed for the reception, but also not wanting to blend with the wedding party in the afternoon, (coupled with my aversion for wearing a formal coat and the fact they were out of one in my size) I'm weighing an alternative suggestion by the good folks from the Tartan Patch down in Tustin.

Reminded that folks out here in SoCal tend to be a little more relaxed with their dress codes, along with their fondness for adding personal touches to even the most traditional wear, I/we came up with the following:

My Colquhoun modern semi-trad coupled with a black, banded-collar tuxedo shirt, mother of pearl stud over the top button, black hose, matching tartan flashes, a silver/dark gray full mask sporran, and a nice pair of lace-up black dress shoes. Added to this, at my discretion, will be a PC waistcoat (rental) to take things up a notch if I so choose. In other words, I'm going sans jacket.

Other than the black dress shirt, and looking like I parked my coat somewhere, which I assume will be the norm shortly after the reception gets going, I'm hoping I should be acceptably attired. My only worry is that if I decide to wear the vest to the wedding, it has those adjustable straps on the back and may look a bit out of place.

Anyone have a thoughts or suggestions?

Brett

**Tattoo Bradley** · 22nd October 06, 11:37 AM

The one thing that screams "NO!" is the idea of wearing a waistcoat with no jacket. That's a definite no-no. As you've stated, the straps are going to look awful; especially if worn during the wedding service. Being a guest, you should be more than fine without a jacket. I personally would ditch the banded tux shirt, and got with a lay down collar and a tie. But, that's simply my opinion.

I have a wedding to attend in a couple of weeks. It will be an afternoon, outdoor wedding. I plan to wear my lovat grey, argyle jacket with a white dress shirt and black tie, Henderson (ancient) kilt, grey hose with black flashes and a pair of Doc Marten, black, wing-tip oxfords. Oh, and a plain black, three tassel, day-wear sporran with black 2.5" belt. Being a guest, and not wedding party, I wanted to avoid blending in with them... ie. black jacket.

**Deil the Yin** · 29th October 06, 08:14 AM

I would disagree with not being able to wear a waistcoat without a jacket, though I might say a tuxedo waistcoat might seem a tad bit odd. Living in South Georgia where the humidity often keeps the temps pretty high, I have frequently donned a waistcoat with tie and sans jacket for dressier occasions. This I think will come down to the style of the waistcoat though, and I would go with my gut: if you think it looks good- wear it, if you feel awkward in it- dont.

Given the relaxed attitude to formal dress in your part of the country and the casual ceremony, I would suggest this option for above the waist (and keep in mind I'm from the fashionabley conservative South): a white button down dress shirt with no tie and wear a less formal waistcoat unbuttoned. If you want to wear a tie I would keep the waistcoat buttoned. I'll try and put up some pics later today to demonstrate... I must add that I would prefer to err on the side of being over dressed; folk will rarely fault you for looking your best!

Regarding ties I prefer a solid colour to match one of the accent colours in my tartan, but a tie in the same tartan would work well with a waistcoat (buttoned), and I think most club ties do well with a kilted kit. I've seen my chief and his family wear some very bold ties with their kilt, but they have that very distinctive British fashion sense that I'm still trying to come to terms with...

Dont forget to post some pics from the wedding and reception etc (especially if there's lots of hot chicks in them!!!)...

Originally Posted by Tattoobradley

The one thing that screams "NO!" is the idea of wearing a waistcoat with no jacket. That's a definite no-no. As you've stated, the straps are going to look awful; especially if worn during the wedding service. Being a guest, you should be more than fine without a jacket. I personally would ditch the banded tux shirt, and got with a lay down collar and a tie. But, that's simply my opinion.

I have a wedding to attend in a couple of weeks. It will be an afternoon, outdoor wedding. I plan to wear my lovat grey, argyle jacket with a white dress shirt and black tie, Henderson (ancient) kilt, grey hose with black flashes and a pair of Doc Marten, black, wing-tip oxfords. Oh, and a plain black, three tassel, day-wear sporran with black 2.5" belt. Being a guest, and not wedding party, I wanted to avoid blending in with them... ie. black jacket.

**Deil the Yin** · 29th October 06, 08:30 AM

At my art opening this past May, Hildegard's Cafe in downtowne Valdosta, Georgia...

**Sir Robert** · 29th October 06, 09:49 AM

I do understand exactly your problem, there is nothing between ultra-casual and ultra-formal. Hot climates like Georgia or SoCal make jackets beyond uncomfortable, life-threatening from heat injuries is more like it.

First be under no false idea that I know anything about fashon but I will take a shot here:

First, below the waist, good stick with it.

Second, no waist coat or vest as they look a little odd alone.

Third, a nice shirt with a standing collar designed to be worn without a tie OR a fold down collar with a tie. DO NOT wear a fold down collar shirt without a tie. This would be way too informal. I often see colored shirts sold with a matching tie as a set, look around.

Fourth, the time of day is problematic, for day wear you should wear brown belt, sporran and shoes after 5PM black belt, sporran and shoes should be worn. I would wear black.

**Tattoo Bradley** · 29th October 06, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by Deil the Yin

At my art opening this past May, Hildegard's Cafe in downtowne Valdosta, Georgia...

Those are some great pictures!

**Blu (Ontario)** · 29th October 06, 10:30 AM

How about renting a jacket from a tux rental place... even if it's not the exact size.

.

**O'Neille** · 29th October 06, 11:48 AM

I hate giving advice but here it goes. Wear a white shirt and self color tie. It should be cool enough for dancing. Everyone who wears a PC will soon be out of them or dripping wet. Don't forget that a sweater will be very handy especially if you are outdoors. If you don't wear it there will be many ladies with cold shoulders to wrap it around. O'Neille