Attending a wedding usually doesn't involve much more than showing up — with a gift, of course — and getting your dance on while enjoying a nice dinner, swapping funny stories and maybe imbibing in a few drinks. 

But just because the attention isn't going to be on you for the duration of the evening,formal office dresses for women that doesn't necessarily give men a green light to show up in a polo shirt or slightly wrinkled dress shirt and dress slacks. 

The question is then: What is acceptable and what is not? 

Location counts 
Ron Kahan, owner of Top Hat Formal Wear in Whitehall Township, says male wedding guests should pay close attention to the invitation before heading to their closet. 

"If it's a black tie wedding, even the guests should wear tuxedos," he says. "If it's black tie optional, that means they would like you to wear a tuxedo, but you don't have to." 

Kahan says guys should dress more casually only if it is specifically addressed to do so. Otherwise, it is imperative to look your absolute best. 

"Guys were dressing like slobs," Kahan says of a recent stretch where he noticed male wedding guests showing up in less-than-favorable formal attire. 

Location is also key, says Michael Moran, assistant manger at C.E. Roth in Allentown. He says the wedding venue, to some extent, is going to dictate what you should be wearing. 

"Obviously, if it's an outdoor picnic wedding, you're going to dress accordingly," Moran says. "If it's in social clubs, like a fire hall, you're probably not going to dress up as much as if it was at Northampton Country Club or Bank Street Annex." 

"The more upscale the venue, the more upscale you're going to dress," Moran adds. 

Tied up 
Though ties are a staple of nearly any formal event, Kahan says the fashion curve has swung back toward bow ties. "In the last year, I've rented more bow ties with tuxes," Kahan says. 

He says the trend has even been picked up and sported by many of Hollywood's most famous — and stylishly suave — male celebrities. 

"I watch award shows and I could care less who wins. I watch what they're wearing," Kahan says. "If you look at (George) Clooney, Brad Pitt, even Sean ('P. Diddy') Combs, they're wearing bow ties." 

Kahan notes that cummerbunds are also making a comeback. However, there is one bow tie-themed look of which he does not approve: wearing a black vest and a colored bow tie. "I don't love it,high neck wedding dresses gowns" he says. 

Nancy Miller, owner of Tuxedo Express in Stroudsburg, Pa., says she has also seen a resurgence of bow ties. She says she has a specific Hot Sale Ball Gown Wedding dresses goal when it comes to helping groomsmen and guests choose the right outfits.

"Sometimes you can downplay the attire,wedding dress 100%silk but (the wedding) is very formal.designer beaded evening gowns I always try to have the guys not look like the wait staff," Miller says. 

The "old-school" look of two and three-button coats has become a popular trend among groomsmen in recent years, adds Moran. 

"There's a move toward almost a retro look: slimmer cut coats and lapels, more so for the wedding party, not so much the guests," Moran says. 

Color-coordinated 
Kahan says he has noticed a growing number of gray and brown color schemes among grooms and groomsmen in order to match the rise in pastel-colored wedding dresses. 

"(Gray) gives the bride and groom a little more flexibility," Miller explains. 

Another way to add coordinated color is a three-piece suit with a vest and pocket hankie for groomsmen without being distracting, Miller says. 

"A three-piece suit gives you the option (for more color); you can still look wonderful but not glaring," she says. 

Miller says after 37 years working in the formal wear business she has seen a lot of trends come and go. But she says it's important to remember that, at the end of the day, a wedding is a formal and special day that should be fashionably treated as such — even if that means playing it safe. And a tie doesn't hurt. 

"A real comfortable way to fit in is a sport jacket and a pair of slacks. It's a half-notch down from a suit but can fit in with a suited wedding or tuxedo wedding," Miller says. "You have to keep in mind that (the wedding) is probably the most formal thing (the bride and groom) are going to do in their lives," Miller says.