Knowing what to wear for each occasion will help you dress as a family. But to do that, you need to learn how to dress appropriately for any occasion. Not only that, but you need to do it as a family.
So if doing that is on your mind, then you’re at the right place. Here are a few tips.
Know the Dress Code
Not every occasion is flexible for you and your family to dress however you like. Some occasions will specifically require you to follow a dress code. When we take a look at what these occasions are, weddings are the obvious ones.
Considering that more than 2 million people in the US get married each year, it’s only a matter of time before you get a wedding invitation.
You can’t dress the way you like when attending a wedding. While we are seeing more and weddings following a more casual dress code, most will require you to put on your best dress and your husband to put on his best suit.
As for the kids, you also want to pick out an outfit that doesn’t scream playground. So the first tip we can give you is to know whether or not there is a dress code for the event you’ll be attending as a family.
So, let’s give you typical dress code examples.
Black Tie
A black tie is a very formal dress code. If you’re invited to an event with a black-tie dress code, you’ll need to put on your floor-length evening gound whereas your husband has to put on his best tuxedo.
White Tie
The chances of you being invited to a white tie event are small. Regardless, they do exist. But what’s the big fuss about them? White-tie events have more to do with politics than families. Even if you do get invited to one, chances are your kids won’t.
An example of a white-tie event is a state dinner. These occasions are more formal than black tie events and you’ll need to wear your ball gound that is at full length. As for the husband, a long-tail tuxedo with a white bow tie is what’s expected from him.
Casual
The casual dress code is exactly what it sounds like. Attending events with a casual dress code usually means summer dresses for women and dress shirts and pants for men.
However, some casual events follow a theme. In that case, stick to what the theme asks.
Beach Formal
A beach formal dress code is only applicable in the summer months where we can put on our summer dresses and heels. As for guys, a beach formal means linen suits, pants, and shirts.
Thus if you’re attending a beach wedding where the dress code is beach formal, you’ll need to pack even more than you usually do when packing clothing for vacations.
Consider the Location
Knowing the dress code is the first way to make sure you’re dressing the whole family the right way. But another factor to consider is the location of the event. Even more so, make sure to Google what’s the weather going to be like, especially if the even is open-aired.
You should do this for several reasons. The first and most important reason is that certain fabrics are better suited for specific weather conditions. Summer weather makes us sweat more. So you should go for fabrics that absorb moisture as opposed to causing it.
Don’t Forget About Color
Color is oftentimes tied to the dress code. But not always. Color is very important for many events where photographers will be taking photos of the guests.
A clear example of that is a wedding. The last thing you want is to stand out at your friend’s wedding by picking a color that deviates from the dress code. If you’re required to wear black and white dresses, you won’t go out there in a pink dress, will you?
More so, you’ll need to dress the family in matching colors so you won’t stand out from each other. This is why the best color for any sort of formal event is black or white. As for casual events, it’s anyone’s game as you could be wearing a pink dress, black dress, or green dress, without anyone batting an eye.
See What You Own
The last thing you want is a wardrobe failure. Not checking whether or not you have the necessary clothing to dress for the occasion can be a nightmare to deal with.
Unfortunately, these scenarios are all too common with families. So before you even accept the event invitation, check your wardrobe and confirm that you can dress for it.
