What To Wear To A Civil Wedding: Dos And Don’ts

You can better understand what to wear to a civil wedding by remembering the dos and dont’s for this type of wedding. You will also learn about the expected etiquette in civil weddings. 

We recommend browsing our blog for more dressing tips regarding various types of weddings. Perhaps you’ll also attend another friend’s wedding but in a church setting. 

what to wear to a civil wedding

In that case, read what to wear to a church wedding to ensure that you will be respectful to everyone. 

 

How To Dress For Civil Wedding

 

Check the dress code

Before anything else, check the wedding website or the invitation you received. It should mention the desired dress code requested by the couple.

You can also ask the bride and groom themselves if they have any particular preferences, colors, or styles for the outfits of their guests. If it’s hard to reach them, try communicating with other wedding attendees so you won’t look out of place when you attend the civil wedding. 

Much like with other types of weddings, you don’t want to stand out or look like other groups of guests of which you aren’t part of. Therefore, it’s much better to ask questions beforehand than blindly dressing for any wedding. 

 

Be modest and subtle

The main rule to remember when attending a civil wedding is to keep modesty and subtlety in mind. For example, you can consider the current season, such as light dresses for women in summer, but be mindful of their lengths and coverage. 

You can also wear a blouse with a blazer, a classy pair of pants, and ankle boots as a guest at a civil wedding. However, steer clear from white colors and related tones to respect the bride unless she states that she’ll wear other colors. 

You also want to avoid casual clothes like jeans and t-shirts, especially as a male guest. And much like in church weddings, do not wear any color or pattern that will draw attention to you. 

 

Afternoon vs evening civil wedding

The time of the civil wedding can affect your considerations when deciding what to wear. For example, at civil weddings during the daytime, it’s acceptable to wear something semi-formal compared to those in the evening where you can dress up more. 

Women can consider midi dresses or even classy jumpsuits on a daytime civil wedding, or they can go for something longer if it’s for the evening. On the other hand, men can wear light-colored semi-formal suits on daytime civil weddings or something interesting like a velvet blazer for evenings. 

 

Can You Wear Black To A Civil Wedding?

You can wear black to a civil wedding as long as it’s not the singular color of your outfit. You can also check with the couple if black is not an offensive color for their culture. 

Remember that some people view black as the color for mourning, and others even believe it symbolizes bad luck. But upon confirming it with the couple, make sure to pair black with other colors to balance your overall look. 

Do you know that even brides nowadays wear black? Get to know what a black wedding dress means

 

Can I Wear Jeans To A Court Wedding?

You can check the dress code or ask the bride and groom about casual outfits for their courthouse wedding. Unless it’s stated, it’s best to avoid wearing jeans when attending a court wedding. 

You don’t necessarily need to be very formal, but it’s better to be slightly overdressed than underdressed, which can be inappropriate, especially for a wedding. So, in general, wear nice clothes to a court wedding but without looking too different from the other guests. 

 

What to wear to a courthouse wedding?

Consider semi-formal clothes for a courthouse wedding. A classy pair of blouses and skirts or even a nice dress can be acceptable to a courthouse wedding as long as it’s not too revealing. 

If you’re more comfortable with pants, you can pair them with a semi-formal blazer. On the other hand, men can wear business attire or even a smart-looking buttoned shirt and dress shoes

 

What Should I Do To Prepare For A Civil Wedding?

  1. Select a location and check the requirements required by the state for your marriage license application
  2. Follow the requirements and regulations regarding your marriage license
  3. Prepare all the vital paperwork before the wedding ceremony itself
  4. Make sure you’ve paid the necessary fees
  5. Decide on a witness for the courthouse wedding and notify them 
  6. Plan the ceremony, including the guests numbers that the courthouse allows and attire for the wedding

 

Can I Have Bridesmaids In A Civil Wedding?

You can have bridesmaids in a civil wedding as long as you confirm to the courthouse the number of guests you can have during the ceremony. Some weddings have up to three bridesmaids, but it’s best to check the rules and requirements of where you’re doing the civil wedding. 

More so, some people opt for a civil wedding to stay within a budget range. If this is the case, it’s acceptable to have few bridesmaids or even none at all. 

 

Conclusion

And that’s it! We just discussed what to wear to a civil wedding and found out it’s mostly semi-formal attire. 

You can also ask the couple themselves or check the dress code on the invitation. And much like with other weddings, be mindful of maintaining modesty, class, and respect. 

Do not wear something eye-catching or potentially disrespectful. We hope this guide helps; leave us a question if you still have any.