What to wear to a wedding, decoded

Read the invitation first. The dress code is usually printed in the bottom corner, and if it is not, the venue tells you almost as much.

What it means

Wedding guest is not one dress code, it is five. Black-tie optional, cocktail, semi-formal, garden or beach, and festive each ask for a different length and a different shoe. Match the formality to the ceremony, not to the reception, because the ceremony is the stricter of the two.

What works

• A midi or maxi for an evening ceremony, a midi for daytime
• A defined waist. It photographs better than a column at every size
• A shoe that survives the ground you are standing on for two hours
• A dress you can sit down in for a ninety-minute meal

What to avoid

• White, ivory, cream and champagne. Never, at any formality
• The bridal party colours, if the couple named them
• Anything that needs constant adjusting. You will be photographed candidly all day
• Brand-new shoes. A wedding is the wrong place to break them in

One more thing

If the invitation says nothing at all, a midi in a solid colour with a considered shoe is correct at ninety per cent of weddings.