Wedding attire

Friend is going to a wedding in Vail, Colo. and invitation says, "mountain formal". Where do people come up with this stuff? Anyway, she is a bit confused, well, a lot confused, as to what mountain formal means. I'm assuming the wedding is outdoor.

Anyone want to weigh in on this with suggestions?

Well, not a cruise, but I have been to a "Mountain Formal" wedding. Picture "Hippie" type dresses, gauze, earthy tunics with leggings and killer jewellery. Turquoise and silver with "dressy" denim. I saw some gals in cowboy boots with dresses and skirts, but I don't have the legs for that :-). No high heels or sequins for sure!

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Friend is going to a wedding in Vail, Colo. and invitation says, "mountain formal". Where do people come up with this stuff? Anyway, she is a bit confused, well, a lot confused, as to what mountain formal means. I'm assuming the wedding is outdoor.

 

Anyone want to weigh in on this with suggestions?

Contact the bride or groom or someone close to them and ASK.

I'm not sure anything formal is "mountain formal"....I, too, would get clarification from whoever made that request! Maybe something in a "hemp" fabric????

I highly doubt they mean hemp fabrics. We got married at Copper, which is just on the other side of Vail Pass and Vail is much more expensive with lots of higher end shopping. Wife has plenty of hippie friends and not one wore anything particularly terrible to our wedding like hemp. No dress code was stated, but a few people did ask what to wear( "I don't have to wear a tux do I?"). I interpret mountain formal as country club dinner attire, if that helps. Anyway, cowboy boots and jeans with dress shirts and vests and or coats. Lots of slacks and dress shirts, not a lot of ties, except for those wearing suits. For women, you guys can get away with whatever, but I'd expect dressy without true formality if that helps. Heels were common, sparkly little evening purse thingies were common, not much for really long gowns, which makes sense because there will likely be parts of the wedding outside.

Be careful with heels, many of the outside staircases may be grated for traction in the snow. Girls had to take their shoes off or move very carefully around those.

1) I would ask. If unable to get clarification, and this is for a summer wedding, I would wear a maxi dress, wedges (no heels for outdoor weddings ;-) and a light cardigan. I did go to a friends' outdoor wedding in Park City UT many years ago, but that really was a hippy wedding. I wore a sundress & birkenstocks, and I'm pretty sure the bride did as well :D In that case, I knew the bride and her husband and what kind of wedding it was. It was NOT a country club wedding. It was on top of a mountain.

We were on a cruise in which one of the men wore a "western tuxedo" -- nice black fabric, well tailored, but with touches such as a yoke across the back, like a plaid shirt would have. I believe he might have worn a bolo tie rather than bowtie.

However, I doubt that a tuxedo would be expected for guests at a wedding. I, too, would be mystified.

Haha I pictured tuxes and gowns with no shoes! So much for my imagination.

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I agree with the suggestion of contacting whoever sent the invitations and ask what it means.

Contact the bride or groom or someone close to them and ASK.

Yes...

I'm from the Canadian Rockies area and would wear a mid calf dress with cowboy boots. Probably something cotton in a print. I'd have DH wear jeans, boots, button down shirt & jacket. My guess is women would be a bit boho, and men would be Western.

I highly doubt they mean hemp fabrics. We got married at Copper, which is just on the other side of Vail Pass and Vail is much more expensive with lots of higher end shopping. Wife has plenty of hippie friends and not one wore anything particularly terrible to our wedding like hemp. No dress code was stated, but a few people did ask what to wear( "I don't have to wear a tux do I?"). I interpret mountain formal as country club dinner attire, if that helps. Anyway, cowboy boots and jeans with dress shirts and vests and or coats. Lots of slacks and dress shirts, not a lot of ties, except for those wearing suits. For women, you guys can get away with whatever, but I'd expect dressy without true formality if that helps. Heels were common, sparkly little evening purse thingies were common, not much for really long gowns, which makes sense because there will likely be parts of the wedding outside.

Be careful with heels, many of the outside staircases may be grated for traction in the snow. Girls had to take their shoes off or move very carefully around those.

I think that was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the legal sales of hemp-based products in Colorado ;)

The former mayor of my Mountain Town did a series of commercials to promote tourism to the town. In one, he says he is always asked what to wear to the fine dining restaurants in town. His reply: "clean jeans, cowboy boots, and a hideous Hawaiian shirt." He called it "<our town> semi-formal." ;-)

If the ceremony and reception are outside, I would definitely leave any heels at home and go with flats or sandals. Even kitten heels will sink into the grass and make walking on pebbles and grass look like a sprained ankle just waiting to happen. Outside of that, I would really ask the bride what she means. "Mountain formal" can mean one thing in high-end Vail and Aspen, but something totally different in a regular mountain town like Steamboat or Crested Butte.