Tag Archives: formal wear

Formal Dinner Parties

Many people host formal dinner parties throughout the year for a variety of reasons. Some just enjoy breaking out the fine china while others do so to friends or family members or special occasions such as a wedding. Regardless of what has prompted the formal dinner party, you’ve been invited and now you have to figure out what to wear. Below are some general guidelines for you to follow.

Men

Black Tie: This means you are to wear a formal tuxedo. Go to the “nine’s” when attending a black tie event. You should have the tux, vest, shirt, black tie, cummerbund, buttons, cuff links and matching shoes. Black Tie Optional: For these events, tuxedos are appropriate, but so are formal dark suits. When opting to wear a suit to a dinner like this, make sure it is a formal suit and you have a nice white collared shirt, tie (still required, doesn’t have to be black) and nice shoes. White Tie: White tie events are very rare, but they are still held from time to time. These dinner parties are extremely formal events. Make sure you wear a very formal suit, white tie, freshly pressed formal shirt, vest, cummerbund, cuff links and shiny shoes.

Women

Black Tie: As these are very formal events you should wear a long flattering evening gown with nice matching high heels. You hair should look as if it has been professionally styled as well. Black Tie Optional: Women have a little more freedom at black tie optional dinner parties as formal cocktail dresses are appropriate. Cocktail dresses are those where the hemline is at the knee or a little above, make sure the dress is not too short though. High heels are also appropriate and your hair should still be fixed nicely. White Tie: Dress…

Make Time for Vacation

Several decades ago, families didn’t think twice about taking family vacations together. It was something families just did together. However, today things are quite different. Most families have two working spouses and the kids are generally in a ton of activities during the summertime, making it hard to get away for a family vacation – no matter how small it may be.

The sad thing is that the time families used to spend with each other on vacation is something that families of today desperately need. With the advances in technology and all of the demands pulling family members away from each other, it’s important to make time to spend with each other. Taking the family on a vacation is one of the best ways to accomplish this.

Okay, so how in the world are you supposed to make time for a family vacation? Well, one of the best ways is to use a summer event to jump-start your vacation. For example, most of us get invited to a wedding every summer. The fun thing is that some of the weddings we are invited to aren’t close…like, they’re in another state. For those weddings, most of us go online and send a gift to the happy couple.

Why not make the decision to go to that wedding? Sure, you’ll have to pack formalwear for members of the family (boys’ suits, dresses for girls, men’s formalwear, etc.), but if you can turn the wedding into a 5-7 day vacation, isn’t it worth it? Plus, by doing this, you’ll be killing two birds with one stone, so to say, as you’ll be able to attend the wedding of a relative or close family friend and be able to take your family on a vacation. All you need to do is look for …

Tips for Family Pictures

You may be thinking about having new family pictures taken because it’s been a few years (or decades) since your last family pictures were done. That’s great! However, family pictures do take a bit of planning in order for them to be successful. Below are some tips to help you get started.

The Photographer – Your family pictures are only going to be as good as the photographer taking them. Therefore, make sure you’ve selected a photographer who, you feel, takes great pictures and that you’re comfortable with. The Date – Once you know which photographer you want to use, you will need to choose a date. This may not be that difficult if your children are still living with you. However, if your children are grown and out of the house, you will need to pick a few dates (probably a month or two in advance) and work with everyone to narrow them down to just one. This will allow everyone to get their “say” in and to make plans in their schedules for family pictures. The Location – Another thing that has to be considered is where you want your family pictures to be taken. The days of going to a studio for family pictures are long gone as most photographers enjoy doing “on scene” pictures, and often include it in their prices. Therefore, choose a location that everyone in your family enjoys. It may be the beach, a scenic lookout point or even the backyard, whatever it is, make sure everyone likes the location as this will make the pictures even more successful. The Dress – Finally, you will need to decide what to wear for your family pictures. Obviously, you will need to take your location into account for this decision. You may have a fun…