Space Disco Cowboy? Couple ditching traditional wedding dress code in favor of an out-there theme | Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) Space Disco Cowboy. cruise ship sabbath. Formal Burning Man? More and more couples are ditching tradition in this regard what to wear wedding guests, to some confusion among the invitees.

Maggie Long, 34, recently attended a close friend’s wedding in a Denver lounge. Recommended dress? Semiformal Dive Bar.

I love the theme, says Long, who lives in New York. “It’s great that people don’t take marriage seriously, but I don’t know what that means.”

After months of brainstorming with the officer, who is also a friend, Long pitched her outfit idea for a strappy ultra-mini gown to the bride. The bride thought it was too much of a Kardashian cosplay. Lama finally settled on a subtle gold lam number by Norma Kamali, and the time was right.

There are many vintage jumpsuits. One of our friends went full 1960s in go-go shoes and bouffants. A lot of sequins going on,” Long said.

Some couples offer mood boards as a way to guide guests, including older ones. At the wedding at the dive bar, Long said many of the older guests were excited. One of them was wearing a rainbow T-shirt, Grateful Dead style.

Other wedding guests compete with Tropical Formal,” Snappy Casual and Garden Party Whimsical.

Heading into a busy summer for the wedding and another special, Indya Wright in Washington, DC, has had enough.

She recently posted on Twitter: This new age show dress code is the bane of my existence. What happened to ‘casual’ and formal cocktails? Now I have to Google After 5 Formal Festive Renaissance attire to find out if you want me to give you Great Gatsby or King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table.

Wright, 35, remains frustrated. A college friend’s wedding had a smart, but not-so-smart casual dress code.

Emily Coyne, founder of San Francisco-based Emily Coyne Events, said the odd dress code occurred to couples trying to make their wedding custom and unique.

The key is to make sure there is communication behind the dress code. Don’t just confuse guests, he says.

When her company builds wedding websites for clients, it includes descriptions for dress codes like Wine Country Chic, urging couples to offer a palette broad enough for people to express themselves. A Tropical Formal, for example, could be a long, flowing dress in bright summer colors and a linen suit with a cute tie.

Most of the guests had a great time with it, Coyne said.

Rikki Gotthelf, 32, in Los Angeles, attended a wedding recently and has had three more this year. She was a bridesmaid to a Space Disco Cowboy wedding of friends who drove their guests to an abandoned ghost town near Austin, Texas.

We have this shiny intergalactic steppe Batsheva dress. Mine are colorful, said Gotthelf. Another wedding I attended was the Funky Formal.

For guidance Gotthelf turned to Sophie Strauss, who billed herself as a stylist for the common man. Strauss suggests following up with the couple if they haven’t made it clear.

They would not be offended, he said. They invest quite a bit in how everyone looks having a kooky dress code.

One of his clients is having a Music Festival Formal wedding.

He clarified with the pair that it was more Woodstock, less Burning Man. Good to know, said the stylist.

Difference? Flowy hippie dresses, bell bottoms, tunics, tie dye, oversized round sunglasses and woven headbands for firsts. Mad Max-meets-Carnival in mushrooms on a lam, combat boots, rhinestones, body paint and goggles for last, he says. Her client decided to wear a neutral linen suit with a vintage beaded necklace or two.

She implores guests staring at out-there dress codes to remember: This isn’t a costume. Unless, of course, it’s actually a costume party.

Minor adjustments may suffice, such as wearing a regular suit but swapping out a dress shirt for an on-theme suit. James Berger, 32, in Las Vegas, was among the guests told to express their inner passions. He styled a bow tie with colorful polka dots and a formal suit that made him feel a little out of place among the sea of ​​bright colors.

Strauss, the stylist, often encounters this problem among his clients.

I had a client who had to do a Fancy Ranch theme a few months ago and she was tempted to buy a new outfit from head to toe, she says. But pairing some cowboy boots with a sundress or swapping out a tie for a bolo tie goes a long way. And if you really like it, you can add a cowboy hat. You don’t have to dress like Orville Peck to fit the theme, though if that’s your style, oh my god, go for it!

There is often a sentimental meaning behind the wedding theme. Madison Smith, 32, is a May 2024 bride and her dress code calls for Black Tie Sunset Glam. The wedding will be held at the Bonnet Island Estate on Long Beach Island, New Jersey.

It’s in honor of my late grandfather,” he said of the theme. His favorite thing was the sunset when I got married.”

The vision? An orange, yellow, purple, blue, and pink dress in sunset colors with fun accessories, and a tuxedo with a bow tie and pocket square in the same colors.

Smith, in Arlington, Virginia, didn’t keep guests guessing. he works for Pinterest and it’s pinned inspiration to give them a boost. He bridal shower guests have their own board to address Smith’s LoveShackFancy dress code.

They have no precedent for an unusual dress code where a partner requests something other than black tie, formal, cocktail, or casual attire. When you receive an invitation that says Festive Hudson Valley Chic or Tropical Hipster, it can definitely raise more questions than fewer for those used to more traditional themes, says Amy Shey Jacobs, founder of Chandelier Events in New York.

Beautiful like Fk. Gay Garden Party. Amazing Black Tie. Colorful Cocktails. Sparkle and Shine. Red Carpet Ready. Jove Meyer, owner and creative director of the eponymous event planning company in Brooklyn, has tackled all of the above when it comes to dress code.

While I love a fun and quirky dress code, I always advise couples to clarify exactly what they mean in a descriptive sentence or two so there’s no guesswork, she says.

Brittny Drye, editor-in-chief of wedding resource magazine Love Inc., says guests shouldn’t hesitate to ask the couple about the confusing dress code.

We never want to bombard the couple, he says, but when they ask their guests to adhere to a nontraditional dress code, they sign up for questioning.

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Find Leanne Italie on Twitter at http://twitter.com/litalie

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This story was first published on June 28, 2023. It was updated on July 2, 2023, to correct the attribution of some comments to Emily Coyne, not Rene Strauus.