Ajanta Roy

Blue Jeans or Black Tie?

Determining how formal you want your wedding to be will help you establish the basis for your overall wedding strategy. The level of formality you choose determines, to a great extent, the overall cost of your wedding. Essentially, you can choose from the following four levels of formality:

• Ultra formal
• Formal
• Semiformal
• Informal

Let’s take a more detailed look at what each level entails.

Ultra formal: Glamorous and Glitzy

This is the kind of wedding a movie star, royalty might have. Of course, you can have this type, too, and it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have it in a large church. Ultra formal weddings usually include the following:

• Usually more than 500 guests
• A large wedding party-9 to 15+ bridesmaids and groomsmen
• Elaborate decorations
• A formal served dinner
• A detailed attire for the bride and the groom depending upon the time of the ceremony
• Full bar
• An evening reception
• Formal wear for the guests, with men in tuxedos and ladies in long gowns

Formal: Elegant and Graceful

This is the most popular wedding in most parts of the country. A formal wedding normally includes:

• 150 to 350 guests
• 3-8 bridesmaids and groomsmen
• Either seated dinner or heavy hors d’oeuvres
• Full or limited bar
• Brides’ gown can be elaborate or more towards being simple, to suit the bride
• Men in the wedding party wear tuxedos
• Guests wear suits and ties for the men and cocktail dresses or suits for the ladies

Semiformal: Tasteful and Dignified

This form generally includes:

• 100 to 200 guests
• 1-4 bridesmaids and groomsmen
• Men in wedding party may not wear tuxedos
• Bride is more simple; may wear flowers or comb in her hair instead of veil
• Decorations are more simple
• Reception might consists of hors d’oeuvres and limited bar

Informal: Casual and Comfortable

An informal wedding is usually conducted either in a judge’s chambers, in a home setting, or outdoors. Most times, an informal wedding includes the following:

• Fewer than 50 guests
• Just one honor attendant each
• Simple food such as cake and punch or champagne for the toast
• Simple décor
• Both bride and groom wear simple suits, or the bride may even opt for a street-length wedding dress or day dress
• There are no hard-and-fast rules for the attires of the guests either

Choose the level of formality with which you are most comfortable and which seems to fit best within your budget.