Thai Wedding : Dress code
I’m going to share what I’ve learned about the dress code at Thai weddings. I’m not an expert, I’ve gathered information and want to be helpfull for those of you who still have to figure out what to waer to a Thai wedding.
The first thing you need to know is that a traditional Thai Buddhist wedding will consist of 2 parts and the both parts have different requirements in terms of clothing.
The first part is the traditional buddhist ceremony. The restricted clothes in temples are also not appropriate for this (or any) part of a Thai wedding. Sometimes you have to sit on the floor during a traditional buddhist wedding, so as a woman make sure you’re not wearing anything too short. To be appropriate cover your shoulders, upper arms and cleavage. But keep in mind that there will be hot and sweaty conditions. So dress lightly, but appropriate.
It’s considered bad luck to wear black. Don’t wear black dresses, avoid black tops, shirts or ties. Black trousers for men are ok though. It’s ok to wear black shoes and/or a black purse. Do not wear flipflops of any color.
Picture by Tik Foto - Traditional buddhist part : Carrying heavy gifts in the hot weather conditions.
The last part is the dinner in the evening. This part is very different from our Belgian wedding parties in general. I’m only going to talk about the clothing on this page, you can click here to read about my experiences with the differences.
A lot of Thai weddings have a theme color at their wedding party. Often will the theme color be the color of the day when the bride and groom were born. The decorations and background screen will be in that color. The first time I heard somebody tell me that the background screen for the pictures at the wedding were in a certain color I thought ‘So what?’, but it’s a much bigger thing than I realised. The first and last thing you do at wedding parties is stand next to the bride and groom in front of that screen and a professional will take pictures. You should check if there is a theme color. If you are a foreigner like us, you will stand out without being dressed in a different color than the majority of the guests anyway.
About wearing black it’s the same ‘rules’ as for the Buddhist ceremony. Nobody will forbid you to attend if you do not follow this ‘rule’, but try to be understanding. If they believe it is bad luck, be respectful and avoid black.
Also don’t wear completely white, this is the part where the bride will wear her white dress. You don’t want to steal her thunder on their special day.
As for the rest of the things to keep in mind, don’t dress inappropriate. If you don’t dress like you are going to the beach (no flip flops or hawaii prints), a motorgang or gothic party (no black, no skulls, and so on…) and don’t dress like you’re going to work in a gogo bar, you’ll be fine. If you are from a country where baby drinks are a thing, think about what would be appropriate to wear there, but don’t wear black.
Don’t feel stressed out when you get invited and have no clue. It’s not an all night party and it’s all about the bride and groom anyway. Sit back, relax and enjoy the celebration.