If they end up going tuxedo less though they should wear a formal dark suit and tie instead.
Black tie optional wedding women s attire.
Floor length gowns are always permissible and the most formal outfit.
For a black tie optional wedding men can wear a tuxedo but it s not a requirement.
While attire may be slightly more casual than a black tie affair some overlap in appropriate dress exists when comparing black tie and black tie optional events.
Both men and women have multiple options for black tie optional outfits.
As far as women are concerned there s not much of a difference between black tie attire and black tie optional attire although mae says it s more acceptable to wear a dress that shows the ankles.
It s actually simpler than it sounds.
If you lack a full length gown a special occasion cocktail dress one adorned with sequins and worn with formal shoes for instance would work as well.
As such it requires a sophisticated level of dressing.
Evaluating the dress code.
A black tie optional dress code calls for formal attire.
Apart from white tie attire black tie is the most formal of all dress codes.
Black tie optional wedding attire for women most black tie optional weddings take place after 6 p m so anything you d wear for a daytime function probably wouldn t make the cut here.
For women the code typically calls for a floor length dress or gown.