Does Black Tie mean a long dress?

RuthM, who or what were you in a former life? Fantastic detailed knowledge, really impressive :)

Could they mean "Morning Dress" - top hat and tails for the men, very smart dresses and hats for the women, worn at both the ceremony and the reception? That would be "White Tie", the most formal form and very unusual for weddings (except maybe royal ones)... D. We had morning dress for the wedding party at our wedding, you just hire from Moss Bros, certainly nothing regal about it :)

Black tie is otherwise known as dinner jacket, which advises what time of day it should be worn. Morning dress would be more commonly expected at a daytime wedding, which should not be confused with white tie which is actually evening attire. Traditional formal attire would be morning dress for daytime and white tie for evening. Occasionally white tie will be worn for a daytime wedding, in winter, late in the afternoon so sunset arrives quickly. Really evening attire should not be worn before 6pm. Black tie is considered more semi-formal evening attire therefore cocktail dresses should be acceptable, that said for my black tie evening wedding reception I wore a full length dress but I was the bride! For men wing collars with black tie are a bit of a faux pas (unless in America) these are typically reserved for more formal white tie occasions but do ensure you have a marcella or pleated shirt with button studs. If you do decide to go with a wing collar it should be a stiff wing collar and it is absolutely necessary to have peaked lapels as shawl collars are certainly less formal and do not go with wing collar shirts at all. Waist covering (waistcoat/cummerband) are vital for men, (unless they have washboard abs and go for the Daniel Craig Casino Royale look), silk braces should be worn (there should be no belt loops in a dinner jacket) and plain leather oxfords or patent leather oxfords. If opera pumps are preferred (again generally a white tie thing) then peaked lapels are necessary and ensure the grosgrain on the lapels matches the pumps (as well as the tie!). Don't forget a linen pocket handkerchief or silk for a more casual look. As for tuxedos, no idea what they are some kind of Americanism I imagine! Okay perhaps a little on Tuxedos. You did advise the wedding was in Ireland so if it is an American style wedding differing rules may apply. I think Americans try to dress tuxedos up (more on the level with British white tie) so then full length dress for ladies, wing collars etc. for men may be necessary and I don't think they have the more casual shawl collars on their jackets. I am sure I have seen Americans wear black tie for daytime weddings on TV and such, but then that is on TV. edited by RuthM on 20/05/2012 <em>edited by RuthM on 20/05/2012</em>

yeah, black tie at the afternoon wedding seems odd. i would have thought standard wedding attire for the afternoon (morning dress/suits for the boys, jacket and hat for the girls) then change. btw - black tie is not a 'tux' this is a horrific american bastardisation!

Could they mean "Morning Dress" - top hat and tails for the men, very smart dresses and hats for the women, worn at both the ceremony and the reception? That would be "White Tie", the most formal form and very unusual for weddings (except maybe royal ones)... Does the invitation state "Black Tie" or "Black Tie optional"? If it's optional, short cocktail dresses would be fine. If it's Black Tie, it means tux and bowtie for men and long dress for ladies. However, a tux is normally only worn after 5pm for dinner and dance afterwards, not in the afternoon. Hence, if it's really a posh event, it certainly involves changing clothes after the ceremony and having Black Tie dress-code for the evening. Normally a Black Tie in the evening means quite a sophisticated ceremony as well, so it could be that hat for ladies is expected, so would definitely check back with the maid of honor or one of the bridesmaids about the bride's expectation.

Could they mean "Morning Dress" - top hat and tails for the men, very smart dresses and hats for the women, worn at both the ceremony and the reception?

I think I would change from cocktail to long dress in between. I can hardly believe they will keep you occupied between 3.30 and 9 In which country is this wedding, how well do you know the bride. Couldn't you just ask?

Black Tie would not neccesarily mean long dress for women. Cocktail dress is also fine, as long as it's formal and festive and more dressed up then you would normally wear to a party. For men to wear black tie in the afternoon is quit strange though. Are you sure that you're not meant to change clothes after the ceremony, for dinner and party? edited by Oopsiedaisy on 20/05/2012 edited TWICE for spelling. <em>edited by Oopsiedaisy on 20/05/2012</em>

Black tie is formal so it is long dress, cocktail or ball gown. For men it is tuxedo, however they may let you wear a black suit and tie.