Black Tie Wedding Attire: A Styling Guide

Wedding season is upon us and with all the postponed weddings and delayed nuptials, you are bound to have a few extra invitations in the mail this year. Many weddings are still on the smaller side, but the trend seems to be an uptick in more formal weddings. Black tie attire is the most formal option for weddings, save for those extra lavish events that go full white tie.

If you find yourself staring down a few formal weddings coming up and need some guidance, we’ve got you covered. Today we are going over the must-have looks and all the trending colors to have you looking your best, and catching the eye of everyone in the room.

We have to start with the essential elements needed for dressing up for black-tie weddings. First things first, longer gown style dresses are a must. Shorter dresses can sometimes be appropriate enough, but only if they really are that fancy (we will circle back to this later). Let’s break down the main rules for gowns first.

Different from white tie events, skin can be shown in trendy and stylish ways at black-tie weddings, just ensure that your gown is classy, not trashy. Stick to the main rule when showing skin: pick one area that you want to show off, and be more modest with the rest.

A great way to do this would be a long gown with a side slit detail. You will have the appropriate length of the dress for a formal event but the slide slit will expose some leg while you walk; it’s a great detail and adds a little sexy side to your look.

Skirts on gowns like these tend to be a fuller option, so in order to give your body great shape and really nail the trend, be sure to pick a dress with a fitted bodice and strap detail. The straps can be off the shoulder or thinner strap but this detail nonetheless will be great for elongating your torso, causing a slimming effect. Similarly, with the fitted bodice, you can expect the silhouette of a perfectly cinched waist. You’ll knock them dead in this!

If sheath or straight gowns are more your thing, consider a backless style gown instead. It’s a great detail that will be formal and modest in the front with a dramatic showstopping quality whenever you turn around. Imagine flirting by the bar and when you turn to wave goodbye that back detail hits them like a ton of bricks. It’s like the stuff rom coms are made of!

This silhouette can handle a variety of skirt details and cuts, so don’t be afraid to work the design you connect with most. Mermaid gowns that are backless will be the sexiest choice and sheath gowns will be a beautiful touch but on the sweeter side versus sexy. However you decide to wear this look, a floor-length gown detail will assure that you are dressed perfectly for a black-tie wedding.

Your back might not be your best feature, and you would rather show a little cleavage; well, we love this for you and think you should go with a plunging neckline instead. This will create the focal point on your bustline, so the collarbone and shoulders will have added emphasis and attention.

If this sounds right up your alley, we suggest a gown with a straight skirt or mermaid cut. These will offer the same sexy/sweet combo of the backless option, stronger significance on sexy given the attention to cleavage, but will be tasteful and classy with the correct cut.

With all of these styles, tight wrap bracelets and chandelier earrings work best. For the high slit, you can work in a great necklace but be careful not to draw too much attention up toward your neck and forget to give your peek-a-boo thighs the attention they deserve. As with any formal gown, a strappy platform or heel is the way to go; closed pumps and wedges can feel clunky or heavy for these looks.

Embellishments, like fringe, can be worn for black-tie weddings. The event says formal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your unique tastes to the table. We love a great embellished detail that adds depth and a bit of drama to your look. It’s all about the bride but a little tea on the side never hurt anyone!

We love the fringe detail on full-length gowns because it adds movement to skirts that tend to be weighed down. Even a full ball gown won’t move as much as a short option would due to the length so the fringe really adds that action without needing a lot of layers of tulle to do so. Fringe is a fun detail that we’ve kept in fashion since the 1920s, so know that you are wearing a look that is literally timeless.

Plus we all know that Gatsby’s parties were the epitome of class, style, and elegance so don’t ever feel like a fringe dress isn’t formal enough. Try to find a style that features straps and a fitted bodice. The skirt will be loose, basically hang on your hips and drape to the floor, so the fit needs to be tighter through your top half to give the dress a silhouette without impacting the movement of the details. Straps help to keep the gown balanced with fabric and details and ensure that your gown is formal enough for a black-tie wedding.

Beading is a great style detail for a gown at a black-tie wedding. Regardless of the heaviness of the beading, whether all over or little touches here and there, beading always comes off as delicate, intricate, and rich. It will sparkle and shine and create a talking point for your entire evening. Trust me, in a gown this beautiful you are going to be getting a ton of compliments.

Metallics are also a great choice for a black-tie wedding. While this is more about the fabric than any additional detailing, it is a diversion from traditional materials so it definitely belongs in this category.

Metallic gowns are so cool; it’s a trend we borrowed from the ’80s but has had a few facelifts since then and can be worn at formal affairs anywhere anytime. It is such a trendy look that we recommend a few added styling points to keep it formal and not overwhelming.

A deep V-neck or high slit would be perfect for an allover metallic gown; because the material will be bright and bold, a little skin will give you some room to breathe in the outfit and keep you from drowning in metal.

We do need to address one elephant in the room: lace formal gowns. While there are ways to wear lace to an event, you have to be really careful. Lace definitely screams bridal so you don’t want to wear a full lace gown and potentially match the lovely lady getting married.

If you do for lace, we know some of you out there just can’t help yourselves, opt for a style with some sheer detail and definitely make sure to go for a darker color. At the very least the darker lace options will be so different from bridal white that you won’t run the risk of offending anyone on their big day.

These styles and details definitely need to take center stage, so keep jewelry and accessories to a minimum. Simple stud earrings or thin bracelets are great options and very simple heels are the way to go. Nude is always a good option and would complement these styles immensely.

As we said before, we were going to circle back to short styles. We know that some of you just don’t feel at home in floor-length gowns or dresses in general, and we want to make sure that you are formal-ready but comfortable in your skin.

So we want to go over a few styles that aren’t what you typically expect or see at formal events but are still totally appropriate.

There are ways to wear shorter styles to black-tie weddings, but you have some seriously strict rules to follow. First and foremost, your dress needs to be a cocktail style and should be a richer fabric. That doesn’t mean you need to spend an arm and a leg to get it, just don’t wear anything breezy that would also look at home at brunch on Sunday.

You want to keep it dressy, and probably even fancier than a floor-length gown to ensure that you don’t look underdressed. This is a perfect time, and way, to wear lace to a wedding. Lace is a fancier fabric and material and in a shorter style looks less bridal and more formal. Due to the shorter cut, opt for a dress with a higher neckline to keep from overexposing skin. You will look fab.

Midi slip dresses are seriously trending right now and are a perfect alternative to a floor-length gown. These dresses are long enough to be right at home at a black-tie wedding and with the perfect strappy heels, you will be stylish and make the best-dressed list for sure. It’s also a perfect style that you can keep and wear to other events and parties so you can feel good about the purchase.

Jumpsuits have come back, and designers are creating great formal options. While many times they would seem casual and fun for a day out, there are now a ton of styles and necklines that translate perfectly for black-tie weddings.

You have to go for pants, nothing in a short romper style; this will ensure that it’s appropriately formal without being a gown but cool and trendy to make you stand out. Try an asymmetrical neckline for an added detail or even an overlay skirt option to give you a bit of extra glam.

Many jumpsuits tend to be more of a simple fabric and design so play up your jewelry and shoes. This is the perfect garment for a full pump versus strappy sandal but wedges are still too casual for black-tie affairs.

These styles would be at home at any black tie wedding and we can’t wait to see what you choose! Weddings are a great excuse to bust out your best gowns and garments so don’t be afraid to go all out; there isn’t a bride alive that will be mad at you for adhering to the dress code and taking it all the way!