[Miket61]

In the Buckhead-Sandy Springs area, I'd be hard-pressed to find a man who is unaccustomed to wearing his dinner jacket after 6, and evening weddings certainly require one.

I live in Buckhead.

I'll grant you that on the occasion of a black tie party at the Cherokee Town Club, it's unlikely to see any rentals, or any nondescript dark suits. At the spring debutante balls, the gentlemen will be in white tie without exception.

But to suggest that all of my neighbors, from Deering Road to Club Drive, from Piedmont Avenue to Defoors Ferry, make a regular habit of wearing dinner jackets, is not even a quaint notion now gone with the wind - it's just false.

 

[Miket61]

I think JCV brings up an interesting perspective

Yes. It shows the range of confusion that this silly, vague term causes.

"Semi-formal" implies that the hosts and all invitees have a common definition of "formal." Clearly, the original poster doesn't think that they do.

 

[Miket61]

I think that Letitia Baldrige and the late Lee Annenberg would disagree about whether "black tie" and "white tie" are slang, based on this example of the work of their successor:



I think it's safe that many of the regulars on this forum, including myself, know what "Semi-Formal" means when it's on an invitation.

I've certainly seen my share of weddings with all the male guests in tuxedos. But I would judge the accuracy of the term based on how likely it is that the host understands it.

Can the parents of either the bride or groom be contacted? If they were expected to wear tuxedos they certainly would know by now.

 

[Miket61]

Well, I finally got a repose from the bride to be.

"I don't know about black tie, but most people will be wearing suits or uniforms. We decided against tuxs since most of the groomsmen were Air Force people."

That settles that.

If the bride told you to wear a suit (unless you can legitimately wear a uniform), then wear a suit.

Personally, her response seems as frustrating as the confusion over the original invitation.

If she's been so hard to get a hold of, how does she know what "most people" were wearing? And if most but not all of the groomsmen are Air Force people, does this mean that the Air Force people will be wearing uniforms and the non-Air Force people will be wearing suits?

Seriously, if she's indicating that the groomsmen won't be wearing black tie, then the guests shouldn't either.