Follow Instructions

• If attending a black tie wedding, a black tuxedo is appropriate for men to wear.Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Wedding invitations may provide a clue to wedding guests as to the expected dress code for the event. In this case, some phrases you may encounter are white tie, black tie and dressy casual. White tie consists of a floor-length evening gown for women and a black tailcoat with white shirt and vest and black shoes and socks for men. Black tie involves an evening gown or a fancy cocktail dress for women and a black tuxedo for men. Dressy casual consists of a dress or a dressy skirt and shirt combination for women and a sporty suit or a button-down shirt and slacks for men. If no clues are provided on the invitation, it is acceptable to call and ask the couple what the dress code is.
  
  

Wear Appropriate Accessories

• A wide-brimmed hat should only be worn at an outdoor wedding.Michael Blann/Digital Vision/Getty Images
  
  Use accessories that are appropriate to the occasion and the setting. At an outdoor wedding, wide-brimmed hats are an elegant accessory for women. At the same time, hats at an indoor wedding are completely inappropriate. For both sexes, jewelry can be a nice accent for any ensemble but don't wear more expensive jewelry than the bride and the wedding party.
  
  

No White or Red

• Wedding guests should not wear white to a wedding unless it's an access color.Goodshoot/Goodshoot/Getty Images
  
  In the West, white is the color reserved for the bride on her special day. Wedding guests should not wear a white ensemble and white, if worn, should be relegated to an accent color. If the wedding party will be following another cultural tradition, then you would be wise to avoid those other bridal colors as well. In India and China, for example, red is the traditional color for bridal dresses.
  
  

Look Nice But Don't Overdo It

• Consider camouflaging unnatural colored hair dye for the event.Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
  
  The bride and the wedding party are to take center stage at the wedding. In fact, the wedding party is supposed to dress as nice as, or nicer than the wedding guests. As a wedding guest, aim to dress nicely and appropriately but not to call unnecessary attention to yourself. Also, unless the bride and groom will be sporting them, consider removing any facial piercings for the event and camouflaging hair dyed in unnatural colors; ask your teenage children to do the same.