Wedding invitation and enclosure card are parts of the most important elements in your day because they convey special information about your wedding to your guests. Mentioning the dress code on your wedding invitations if you want guests to know. Why? Including the dress code on wedding invitations is an easy way to ensures your event stays as formal or as casual as you want, and it’s helpful for guests to know exactly what is expected of them and helps ensure everyone is properly attired for your wedding. It is as same as bridesmaid dresses. But make sure it sounds fun so they’ll want to participate, instead of feeling obligated to.

wedding photos

Where does the dress code (“Black tie,” “cocktail attire” or “casual attire” are all acceptable) go on the wedding invitation? That’s the easy part!

If your ceremony and reception are at the same location, the wedding dress code should be printed at the bottom right or bottom center of your invitation. This is known as corner copy and is available on most wedding invitations.

If the ceremony and reception are in separate locations, your dress code should be printed on both reception card and invitation. That way, there’s no confusion! This can also be helpful if your wedding and reception don’t have the same dress code.

wedding invitation with dress code

Now that you know how wedding invitation dress code works, it’s time to decide what your dress code will be, Casual? Cocktail? Semi-formal? Black tie?

Use straightforward wording to get your point across. Include brief, straightforward phrasing like “black-tie event” or “semi-formal” for your guests. Your guests can then research those terms for specifications if they’re not familiar with different dress codes, or you can include brief details next to the dress code. Wording for dress codes might be: Black Tie (tuxedos and formal gowns)

Your invitation design will also clue guests in. An ultra-formal, traditional invite with letterpress and calligraphy will give guests a hint to the formal nature of the event, whereas a square invite with a playful font and bright colors would fit a much more casual style. Design your invitations to reflect a themed wedding. Themed weddings are becoming more and more popular. Choose elements of your theme to include on your invitation to make the dress code more clear to guests.

beach themed wedding invitations

Write your dress code on an enclosure card, alternatively. Including a simple enclosure card that accompanies your wedding invitation is a great way to let guests know about important guidelines, especially if your wedding invitation design doesn’t easily accommodate extra information about the dress code, like remind guests to bring warm layers and appropriate footwear for a winter outdoor wedding. Also, it can be a big help if you attach inspiration photos, especially for a theme party, so they’ll know what you have in mind.

Another way is to direct guests to your wedding website about the dress code.