[gtsecc]

If the wedding is after 6 in the South East, it is semi-formal, even if that is not stated, it is understood. Now if the invitation tells you it is semi-formal, then you have to assume it is. Almost evey male I know over the age of 18 owns a dinner jacket. It is not at all unusual in this part of the world.

 

[gtsecc]

your mileage may vary

prep school crowd, but nothing unusual

semi-formal in:
Atlanta, GA
Augusta, GA
Greenville, SC
Spartanburg, SC
Columbia, SC
Effingham, SC
Florence, SC
Charleston, SC
Asheville, NC
Charlotte, NC
New York, NY

suit in PA

parka and blue jeans in NH

 

[gtsecc]

There is no more confusion over that term on a wedding invitation than over what the word "is" means during a cross examination.
And there is no way someone went to the trouble to put it on the invitation without knowing precisely what it means.

 

[gtsecc]

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.[ /QUOTE]

But formal and semi-formal are precise terms. They specify exactly what to wear down to the color and style amd cloth and how many buttons to what shoes to wear. They mean the samething in every country in the world.

 

[gtsecc]

Even wikipedia has this information!
The only people not wearing a dinner jacket will have to only not know what the term means, but also not even have internet access!

 

[gtsecc]

No one would use slang on an invitation, so they cannot say "black tie" or "tux" on an invitation. There are rules on how invitations are written so that there is no confussion about things. Nobody would go to the trouble of printing invitations without knowing what they are saying. And, even if they did not know, the engraver would clue them into how to communicate the dress code on an invitation.