What to wear to a city hall wedding as a guest

A city hall wedding is twenty minutes in a municipal room and then six hours of lunch, drinks and walking between them. The outfit has to work in daylight, in a corridor with strip lighting, in a restaurant, and on a sidewalk. That points to tailoring, not to a gown.

A suit in a soft colour is the modern answer. Pale blue, stone, blush, sage: it photographs like an occasion, it moves like a Tuesday, and it is nowhere near bridal. Full black tailoring reads corporate at noon; the colour is what makes it a wedding.

Base: a matching blazer and trousers in one pale colour. Double-breasted if you have it, because the buttons are the only decoration you need. Wear it closed for the ceremony and open for lunch.

Underneath: a silk camisole or nothing but the blazer. A shirt makes it an office.

Feet: a pointed heel or a polished flat you can walk ten blocks in. City hall weddings involve more walking than any other kind.

Finish: one bag, small and structured, and earrings that catch daylight. Skip the hat unless the couple asked for it.

A city hall wedding is usually planned in weeks, not months, so the invitation arrives late and the outfit panic arrives with it. The fix is the same as for any event: decide in daylight, days early.

In Sleqk the wedding goes in your planner with the city and the time, the stylist assembles options from your own collection, and you see each one rendered on your own photo. Suit or dress, it is a two-minute comparison rather than a two-hour mirror session.