Formal night.. my boyfriend may be in trouble!! ha..

[grod19]

Just out of curiousity, for all the people who don't own a suit or dress clothes, what do you wear to weddings and funerals?

 

I am not trying to start a word war, just wondering since I grew up in a part of the world that a suit was the required attire for those events.

[Keksie]

Just out of curiousity, for all the people who don't own a suit or dress clothes, what do you wear to weddings and funerals?

 

I am not trying to start a word war, just wondering since I grew up in a part of the world that a suit was the required attire for those events.

 

It is entirely possible that a person could go several years without going to a wedding or a funeral and what fit then may not fit now either to weight loss or gain.

 

Personally I have not been to a funeral for at least 30 years. We have a small healthy family. None of my dress clothes would be appropriate for a funeral anyway. My husband probably has a suit that would work but it has never been to a funeral either.

 

As for a wedding the last wedding we went to was 3 years ago and it was ours. My husband rented a tux and my dress would not be appropriate for a ship's dining room. We are at that age where our friends are all married.

[Talus731]

Well in my hubby case, if he really needs to get dressed up he wears his dress blues from the Navy.

[trish1c]

Just out of curiousity, for all the people who don't own a suit or dress clothes, what do you wear to weddings and funerals?

 

I never understood that either. Maybe it's a Jersey thing.

[CapeCodCruiser]

Years ago I bought DH a couple of banded collar shirts - dressy but no tie or jacket required - a white one with black slacks looks very dressy without the fuss of jacket & tie. Still not "formal" but a far better look than Polo/Khakis. Also less to pack.

 

Tip - if you stick to black & white as well, it will make him "appear" dressier.

 

One word about the tie/no jacket - DON'T DO IT!!! I have to agree with the lost school boy look - or worse yet - used car salesman!

 

Whatever you pick - have fun - thats really what its all about.

[ATL2LAS]

A simple linen outfit would be fine. Linen slacks and shirt are very easy to pack. Its always a clean look especially on a cruise if he doesn't want to pack a suit.

[Gathina]

Out of respect for you he should do it. If it were my guy, I'd explain to him that there are times in life when you should dress the part, and it's not going to kill him to dress a little nicer. He can't always have his way.

 

When you are on a job interview, you are expected to dress accordingly, when you go to a wedding or funeral, you dress accordingly and this isn't any different. If it's an elegant night, kahkis and a polo shirt hardly qualify as elegant. People wear khakis and polos when they ride the city bus. If it's a formal night, then one would wear more formal clothes. Why can't he at least wear a nice sport coat and a shirt/tie? Who knows, if he dresses up he might actually like how he looks and want to dress a little nicer in the future.

 

Sorry if this is a little direct but you asked for an opinion.

 

I have been on 2 cruises before but I can't remember what all the guys wore... I know what the website "says" but I am wanting the opinion of others. We are going on the carnival ecstasy in Jan. It is a 5 day cruise so I am guessing there is only 1 formal night but I want to do it but my boyfriend will be the problem! Would khaki pants..nice shoes..and a polo tucked in be alright? If not how about instead of the polo it is a nice dress shirt with a tie? Thanks so much!

[yellowbird23]

Elegant night is the only night they have lobster, and it is only in the dining room...EM

Lobster on a 5 nighter?? That's news to me!

[eagletwo]

Yes, it was a sarcastic response and you will get some of those here. (BTW, name calling is a no-no here; calling someone a jerk is name calling. I'm not a moderator, but thought you might not know that rule yet.)

 

But let me ask you this: What responses were you looking for? You asked for opinions and you got them. The opinions range from "No, that is not appropriate for an elegant dinner and you surely must know that or you wouldn't have mentioned that you know what the cruise line lists and what he should wear" to "It's not formal/elegant, but he will be unlikely to be turned away" to "He should wear whatever he wants regardless of what the cruise line requests and what other wear." Pick whichever suits the choice I suspect he will make regardless of what we write here and go with that.

 

If you want to know if he can "get away with" dressing casually for an elegant dinner night, then the answer is that on Carnival (and some other lines) he would not usually be turned away, but he may feel out of place because shoes, casual slacks, and a polo shirt is not by any stretch of the imagination elegant. You've been on two cruises; you know what most people wear for the elegant/formal nights (at least, I presume you do); you know what the cruise line requests. You asked for opinions, but it sounds like you were looking for support for your boyfriend's preferences.

 

This is definitely a place for information about cruising. The responses you got answered specifically the question you asked. IMO, if your boyfriend doesn't care to dress as requested, then you and he should make use of the casual dining venue(s) that evening. He's an adult and should behave like one by choosing between dressing casually and having lobster for dinner. Surely he has attended events where a specific type of attire was requested or required?

 

The bottom line is that if you don't want responses that you might not like, then don't ask a question and request opinions from others.

 

beachchick

 

Best response I have seen since I signed up in 2005.

 

Thanks beachchick!:D

[eagletwo]

Just out of curiosity, for all the people who don't own a suit or dress clothes, what do you wear to weddings and funerals?

 

I am not trying to start a word war, just wondering since I grew up in a part of the world that a suit was the required attire for those events.

 

Our Bubba's wear camouflaged shirts and mud boots (greasy hats optional). Baked squirrel and fried rabbit will be served after the wedding/funeral. Deep fried turkey optional.

 

Momma, where's my blue leisure suit? :rolleyes:

 

Sorry, I could not help myself.

[MoYerclan]

stephic411

 

FWIW, grown men in dress shirts & ties with no jacket look like lost schoolboys. Grown men wear jackets. A man in jeans, a golf polo & a jacket still looks more dressed up to me than the same guy in dress pants & a tie without the jacket.

 

Happy cruising & enjoy your lobster.

 

I totally agree about how the shirt and tie sans jacket looks! What is even sadder to see is when the guy is dressed so (or worse, in just khakis and a polo shirt) yet his partner is dressed up. It looks very juvenile to me. Time to get some grown up clothes and enjoy the special night! Even back in High School the boys all looked fabulous dressed up, and it added to the specialness of the night. A good dark suit is a good investment. One never knows when they might need it for funerals, job interviews, special events....

[llois50]

I love the special way my hubby and I treat each other when dressed up.

[knuts1]

Next time try NCL as that would be just fine for any night dinning in any of the dinning rooms and they have lobster in at least one dinning room each night.

[julieanne]

Our Conquest cruise ran the gamut from dark suits to one young man in ripped levis with a jacket/tie/dress shirt. We saw dress shirts without ties, polo shirts etc....I don't care what others wear but, if you know the cruise line requests formal wear and you'd like to eat in the MDR then I feel you should participate. This time, my DH asked me what I would be wearing, I told him that I bought two dresses that would look very nice but, by no means as formal as ones I have worn over the years. If Carnival chooses to change/bend their dress wear request to their passengers attire, so be it. While I enjoy dressing occasionally, why should I take the time if many will not? LOL! Maybe I am a jerk too but, I would think that your boyfriend could find a nice dress shirt to go with his khakis and still be comfortable. :)

[julieanne]

It is entirely possible that a person could go several years without going to a wedding or a funeral and what fit then may not fit now either to weight loss or gain.

 

Personally I have not been to a funeral for at least 30 years. We have a small healthy family. None of my dress clothes would be appropriate for a funeral anyway. My husband probably has a suit that would work but it has never been to a funeral either.

 

As for a wedding the last wedding we went to was 3 years ago and it was ours. My husband rented a tux and my dress would not be appropriate for a ship's dining room. We are at that age where our friends are all married.

Where I grew up (in California), men would always wear suits for weddings/funerals. Out here in NM, jeans and t's are the standard for both....LOL! I guess the way some look at it, if you show up, doesn't matter what you wear and I guess I am going to have to agree. They cared enough to show up!

[Gathina]

People judge you by how you dress. Is it nice? No. But everyone does it..the people who dress appropriate are judged just as much by the slobs and vice versa. It's reality. And half the time nobody voices their opinions. I saw a young man with 90% of his body tattooed and all kinds of unusual markings on his body and all I could think was "what kind of mother raised a son like that."

[momofmeg]

People judge you by how you dress. Is it nice? No. But everyone does it..the people who dress appropriate are judged just as much by the slobs and vice versa. It's reality. And half the time nobody voices their opinions. I saw a young man with 90% of his body tattooed and all kinds of unusual markings on his body and all I could think was "what kind of mother raised a son like that."

 

LOL! That is unfair to the mother. Perhaps the father should be blamed.

[Gathina]

We were at dinner yesterday and I saw a 300lb+ man with his 3 year old son..the man had on pink shoes and white lace socks....no joke..you don't want to know what I was thinking, but I do think it takes a lot of courage for a man to wear something like that in public!

 

 

LOL! That is unfair to the mother. Perhaps the father should be blamed.

[Keksie]

People judge you by how you dress. Is it nice? No. But everyone does it..the people who dress appropriate are judged just as much by the slobs and vice versa. It's reality. And half the time nobody voices their opinions. I saw a young man with 90% of his body tattooed and all kinds of unusual markings on his body and all I could think was "what kind of mother raised a son like that."

 

People may judge but, at least to me, who cares what unrelated people think? People you will never see again who for a fleeting moment may have a thought about how you look, how you dress, your height, your weight or your body art. It just doesn't matter. I don't see how what a stranger thinks of you should matter in the least. My opinion is as valid as theirs. When I see someone who is obviously different from the norm, my thought is that they probably have a very interesting story to tell. Who knows what they have experienced in life to make them who they are? The only time I wonder about upraising is when someone is obviously rude to others.

[ATL2LAS]

Lobster on a 5 nighter?? That's news to me!

Actually on Carnival, they serve lobster on all cruises regardless of legnth.

[Bonnie J.]

Just got off Carnival's Glory, was on the Triumph last Sept. Carnivel has NO formal night, They call it "Elegance". Saw almost no one in a tux or even dark suit. Even had a tablemate in a T-shirt! The 'Capers' actually said long shorts were now OK at dinner in the dining room. We miss the old code of formal, informal - men with jackets, no tie and casual!

[Happy ks]

We all size each other up whether we admit it or not. As far as judging people, I suppose we do that too, people tend to fall into a "type" of style no matter what that style is. I may glance and think something like "biker" or "party girl" or "what a lovely couple", but I also appreciate any style as long as it is done well.

 

To the OP, it's always nice to see when a couple looks as if they belong together. If he puts in a little bit of effort to show his appreciation of you and is considerate on that level, it doesn't matter much after that. I did not say you have to match, my husband and I agreed before we got married we would never wear matching clothes and so far in 23 years we haven't.

[Gathina]

Exactly. I'm glad you saw my point.

 

I think you are so spot on, him being willing to dress a little nicer is a respect thing for her and her wishes. Maybe not going overboard, but certainly every man should have a nice sportcoat and a pair of trousers in his wardrobe.

 

Look at those makeover shows..the women who never wear "nicer" clothes, and some of the men too..always LOVE it "after" they have the makeover..and learn how to dress more flattering/appropriate, etc. There is something about looking good that makes you feel good. I dated a man once who had a 17 year old son who basically dressed like a thug..but we really hit it off and I insisted on buying him a suit and taking him to a symphony..I explained to him he was a man now and men wear suits for some occasions..he was a little weird about it but willing to be adventurous...and when everyone saw how fine he looked, HE wanted to start dressing better.

 

Keskie: If you saw a well dressed waiter with dirty nails and hands, would you let him serve you? I think not. He is a stranger, but yes, looks do matter.

 

We all size each other up whether we admit it or not. As far as judging people, I suppose we do that too, people tend to fall into a "type" of style no matter what that style is. I may glance and think something like "biker" or "party girl" or "what a lovely couple", but I also appreciate any style as long as it is done well.

 

To the OP, it's always nice to see when a couple looks as if they belong together. If he puts in a little bit of effort to show his appreciation of you and is considerate on that level, it doesn't matter much after that. I did not say you have to match, my husband and I agreed before we got married we would never wear matching clothes and so far in 23 years we haven't.

[luddite]

Just got off Carnival's Glory, was on the Triumph last Sept. Carnivel has NO formal night, They call it "Elegance". Saw almost no one in a tux or even dark suit. Even had a tablemate in a T-shirt! The 'Capers' actually said long shorts were now OK at dinner in the dining room. We miss the old code of formal, informal - men with jackets, no tie and casual!

 

On 'elegant' night, he had a T-shirt? :eek:

Man, that musta been some kinda NICE T-shirt!

Don't keep us guessing, though. What,pray tell, was he advertising?

[Keksie]

Keskie: If you saw a well dressed waiter with dirty nails and hands, would you let him serve you? I think not. He is a stranger, but yes, looks do matter.

 

That is a matter of cleanliness not looks. He could be a poorly dressed waiter, a tattooed waiter, a fat waiter, etc. My response was to a post about how someone was dressed or how much body art they had not in response to a post about serving people with dirty hands.