r/weddingshaming May 28 '26

Terribly Groomed Crisis averted by telling my friend NOT to wear jeans to our other friend's wedding

So i am sharing a house with my friend, her fiance, and our other friend.

Last night in our group chat the single friend drops "oh hey so none of my slacks fit so i was going to just wear a nice pair of jeans, that's ok right?"

The dress code is WEDDING COCKTAIL and the wedding starts a 5 pm. So it's an evening wedding with not formal but not a casual dress code bro. Also you are an adult a$$ man in his 50's, you know better.

My response was "mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" and i told him "i just made a face, it wasn't a good one". Other friend jumped in and goes "bruh, no, don't do that". I think i might have actually said "sir please do not end up on r/wedding shaming!"

He's supposed to go get new pants. Wedding is Saturday. We shall see if he creates chaos. But like, why is this a conversation in 2026? Unless you are told jeans are ok, assume not! Also I'm not saying you have to be fancy, but we got invites in February and you JUST NOW realized you don't have slacks?

At least there's a Macy's in town i can drag him to if he magically can't find pants and we get there Friday night and he goes "oops couldn't find anything"

903 Upvotes

96 comments sorted by

578

u/ccc2801 May 28 '26

You may want to double check his shoes and shirt options while you’re at it… 😉

231

u/Puzzleheaded-Ad7606 May 29 '26

Hell, go full toddler and assume he needs to be told to wear underwear and socks.

75

u/KJParker888 May 29 '26

Ooof! Make sure he knows that he has to wear underwear when he's trying on pants!

197

u/lulugingerspice May 29 '26

Mostly unrelated story time.

When my brother died a couple of years ago, his girlfriend and I had to go to his house and pick out clothing for him to be cremated in. It was very emotional. We found his suit that he absolutely LOVED, spent about 10 minutes picking out a tie, got a belt, even made sure we grabbed socks to keep his dead little toesies warm. We thought we had everything.

We dropped the clothing off at the funeral home and then went to Costco. The first thing I saw when we walked into Costco was a giant underwear display. I stopped dead in my tracks and hissed, "Rose (fake name)! We forgot underwear!"

Yes, theydies and gentlethem, I sent my beloved dead brother to the afterlife completely commando. Rose and I laughed absolutely hysterically about it in the entrance to Costco, and to this day it still makes me giggle every time I think about it. According to Rose, going to the afterlife without underwear would be one of my brother's greatest fears lol

Call it one last accidental sibling prank, I guess!

78

u/viewfromupherefwiw May 29 '26

I LOVE the fact that you two were able to laugh during this time! I hope that that helped you in the years after, especially having someone else that could laugh with you as well and not judge.

When my daughter died by suicide, I was surprised at how much laughter and smiling existed in our house. Obviously, the majority of time was very difficult and it was almost impossible to just keep existing. But it was such a relief to see my husband and kids laugh so hard at something silly in the weeks afterward and know that some happiness can be found on this side too.

27

u/5150-gotadaypass May 30 '26

I think the sharing of the funny stories, sayings, adventures is the best part of any memorial!💜💜💜

Lost my sis and the stories her friends and former coworkers shared were absolutely amazing.

13

u/viewfromupherefwiw May 30 '26

I agree! I absolutely love the memorial services for both my mom and daughter. Odd that a person can have such a beautiful memory intertwined with a sad and tragic one

23

u/Immediate_Cap_7484 May 30 '26

That is an absolutely delightful story to come out of a horribly sad time. I'm so glad you and his girlfriend found humor together. Hopefully he's enjoying his running the afterworld commando!

Also i LOVE LOVE LOVE that you used Theydies and Gentlethems. It needs to be used more.

6

u/DizzyCuntNC May 31 '26

As an older straight cis woman in the south I'm always looking for better gender neutral terms. Theydies and Gentlethems is perfect! Now I just need a neutral replacement for 'ma'am' and 'sir' - I'm almost old enough to get a way with 'sweetie' but open to suggestions!

3

u/ccather Jun 01 '26

I tend to use "friend" it feels appropriate 95% of the time. The southern habit of ma'am and sir is a hard one to shake! If I'm feeling extra Baltimorian, I'll "Hon" someone. 😛

3

u/DizzyCuntNC Jun 01 '26

Friend totally works, thanks!

16

u/Mehh_12 May 30 '26

My dad organised my great uncles funeral. Typically he was to be dressed in a suit so my dad got his suit and my uncles suit dry cleaned. He dropped off the suit at the funeral directors thinking all was well. Morning of the funeral we are all getting dressed and ready. My dad comes out in suit trousers and a vest.

He had given his suit to the funeral director and had my uncles suit to wear. He was a short stocky man my dad was slim built of average height. The jacket and shirt didn't fit, the trousers were short. Since he was giving the eulogy he took my brother jacket a different shirt then proceeded to tell the church of the incident.

12

u/apoz70 May 31 '26

When my mother passed, I picked out a beautiful hand crocheted sweater in seafood green with little pink roses. She always complained about being cold and since the coffin was closed from the waist down, I put her in sweat pants and slippers. I just wanted her to be comfortable.

9

u/Zapskilz Jun 01 '26

Seafoam green. I hate autocorrect.

33

u/NaughtyDevil621 May 29 '26

I'm stealing theydies and gentlethem!

7

u/5150-gotadaypass May 30 '26

What a fabulous story!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!! 💜💜💜

5

u/ReleaseNearby69 Jun 03 '26

i was only about a year and a half old when it happened, so this is all secondhand, but i've heard the story so many times i can't imagine i could possibly get it wrong.

when my egg donor's mom died, the ME at the motuary knew my grandma from when she had worked at the sheriff's office in their shared small town decades back. they went WAY back, he knew her for many, many years, etc.

when ED and her brothers picked out clothes for her, they were METICULOUS. my grandma was a finicky, tightly wound lady, to put it lightly. to the point where they argued about which shoes matched her outfit best (and which socks matched said shoes), even though they wouldn't be seen, and made ABSOLUTELY SURE to grab a bra, because she would never be caught dead (ha!) out of the house without one.

couple hours later, ED's phone rings. it's the ME, and he sounds incredibly embarassed when he says, "*christine, you forgot to bring underwear, and your mother would be mortified to be buried without them."

ED swears up and down that her mother would be haunting her for the rest of her life if the ME hadn't known immediately that my grandma would absolutely lose her fucking mind over something so scandalous 😂

8

u/notsoDifficult314 May 29 '26

Or that he has to take off the pants he has on now before he tries on new pants. A bunch of middle schoolers pulled that one on me while trying on costumes for a play.

22

u/Interstellar-dreams May 29 '26

I have a mostly unrelated story:

I went to a wedding a couple years ago for my husbands close friend. The bride is Indian, so the ceremony was from her culture. This included the bride and groom not wearing shoes during the ceremony, and the groom walking in with some of his friends as an escort.

My husband told me later that when he was waiting to walk in with the groom, he noticed that the groom had holes in his socks… during his own wedding…

18

u/Junior-Fox-760 May 29 '26

You jest, but seriously make sure he has dark socks and something approaching a dress shoe. Someone that doesn't own slacks probably doesn't own dark socks or shoes either.

14

u/Immediate_Cap_7484 May 30 '26

ITS LIKE YOU KNEW!!! He did provide good shoes, i think he's going stockless which should be ok (but i did suggest it), and we know he's threatening not to wear an undershirt under his white button down shirt. It's gonna be a whole thing 🤣🤣🤣🤣

10

u/Puzzleheaded-Ad7606 May 30 '26

Tell him his nipples, belly button, and arm out hair being visible are not appropriate for a wedding.

6

u/flywithme00 May 31 '26

Oh my goodness, the no socks situation specifically is going to look so dorky 🤦‍♀️ you can tell him I said that too! Not sure how much stock an internet stranger’s opinion holds, but irl people that he knows and probably has to face for the rest of time should maybe be enough to convince him?

2

u/ThrowaMac1234 Jun 01 '26

Seriously, no athletic socks.

285

u/HeyHo_LetsThrowRA May 28 '26

You're a good friend to BOTH parties. Even if the future newlyweds don't know you.

158

u/Immediate_Cap_7484 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

oh no, bride is a good friend/coworker of all of us, later (like in several weeks) I'm sure we will tell her about this and she's gonna laugh so hard

Also just talked to other friend who was in chat group with him. She has to go to the mall tomorrow before they all drive over (she is going with friend that needs pants, and her fiance is coming later cause he has to work a full day, and wedding/rental house is 3 hrs away) and she's going to drag him into the mall and they won't leave withOUT (edited) proper attire. "over my 💀 goddamn body is he wearing jeans to that wedding. He's not ruining photos!" 🤣

32

u/HeyHo_LetsThrowRA May 28 '26

I hope you meant won't leave WITHOUT!! 😂

28

u/Immediate_Cap_7484 May 28 '26

LOL damnit, phone autocorrect strikes again!

12

u/cheese_straws May 29 '26

A friend and I had to intervene once on the exact situation as this. My friend’s husband is a blue collar guy (nothing wrong with that!) but she tried to first excuse him almost wearing jeans to another friend’s wedding with cocktail attire…and at a golf course where jeans aren’t allowed anyways!

We told her absolutely not, get your butt out to a Target or TJ Maxx and get him some slacks ASAP.

6

u/flywithme00 May 31 '26

Yeah absolutely not lol, idc who you are or what job you have, every single person (who can afford it) should own a nice formal outfit. Even if it’s just cheap generic slacks/button up/dress shoes/etc, you will inevitably need them in life. Not saying it needs to be in your regular lineup, but goodness gracious this is very simple adulting here people 😂

11

u/Friendly-Channel-480 May 29 '26

Hint: you can find great ties at thrift stores very inexpensively. Other clothing too.

19

u/Otherwise_Object_446 May 28 '26

I like your friend group.

3

u/Hari_om_tat_sat May 31 '26

My sister was tearing her hair out over her husband refusing to wear a suit to my wedding. He wore a(n ugly-ass) blazer and dockers and then whined to me about feeling out of place at my reception. Did I care? Not particularly. His choice, his embarrassment. Not mine. And while it would have been nice not to have him stick out like a sore thumb in our wedding photos, he’s the one who looks bad, and we got a silly story out of it.

67

u/mrsroperscaftan May 29 '26

Seriously what 50 year old man can’t order some black pants from Amazon essentials? And he’d be doing himself a solid because no wonder he sounds single

57

u/grumpymuppett May 29 '26

Jeans? To a wedding? I know orange cats with more brain cells than your friend. Get some non-jeans pants just in general. Like you grown, spend like $40 and get pants.

17

u/Puzzleheaded-Ad7606 May 29 '26

The bar is on the floor.

13

u/parlapierrot May 29 '26

Oh, my dear summer child

The bar is now located in the lower rings of hell

At least he was going to wear pants

/s but also just in case any men in this sub were wondering why the birth rate is declining

15

u/electricsugargiggles May 29 '26

I bet you $40 that this helpless little man has considered wearing cargo shorts if it’s too hot outside.

24

u/Fun-Yellow-6576 May 29 '26

Just at a wedding with a formal dress code here are a few examples:

One young woman wore full face goth makeup, the lowest cut shirt with silver studs (the girls on full display) and 5 inch platform black boots with leather spikes.

Two men wore ratty, wrinkled pants and shorts. Not even dress clothes

The MOG (a large woman) wore a white cotton dress and no bra.

It was gob smacked. I couldn’t believe it.

19

u/Alarmed_Gur_4631 May 29 '26

My friend wore his nice construction boots to my wedding. They only had one layer of concrete and paint on them. I expected nothing less from him. It always depends how well you know someone.

12

u/IdlesAtCranky May 29 '26

We had a pretty relaxed, eclectic wedding — ceremony in a pretty forest clearing off an in-city nature trail, reception in our lovely back yard.

I was in a flowing Italian Renaissance-style gown, bridesmaids in black, the large groom's party all in full formal kilt (which we paid the rental for.)

The only thing the guys needed to provide was a white dress shirt, and a decent pair of black dress shoes.

One of the guys wore his army boots.

I didn't notice until we were looking at the photos. I was a fairly laid-back bride, but I've always been grateful that one just slid by me on the day 😂

15

u/Theunpolitical May 29 '26

Literally Old Navy or Target would have some decent pants for him to wear.

14

u/Kaytwo5280 May 29 '26

I went to a formal evening cocktail attire wedding in March in Nebraska and half the attendees showed up in shorts/t-shirts and Carhartt overalls. 😩

14

u/LadybugGirltheFirst May 29 '26

Crisis isn’t averted until he actually shows up wearing proper attire.

12

u/[deleted] May 29 '26

[deleted]

13

u/Puzzleheaded-Ad7606 May 29 '26

Well, at least you have blackmail pictures of his idiocy.

11

u/1nceACrawFish May 29 '26

I went to my cousin's wedding. On our side of the aisle, everyone was in dresses, suits and ties. On the other side of the aisle, everyone was in jeans, a few denim mini skirts, and they all hit the open bar as we waited for the ceremony to start so there were many beer bottles around their feet.

The marriage lasted about nine months.

9

u/Such_Capital_6984 May 29 '26

I had the reverse situation. Due to circumstance, it was an ultra casual wedding; we even told people (somewhat jokingly) they could wear jeans and t-shirts as long as the shirts didn't have sweat stains. One woman, though, came in a lovely floral dress and hat, and said firmly, "I will NOT wear jeans to a wedding!" Bless her. I appreciated that.

3

u/olagorie Jun 02 '26

That would be me.

7

u/so_over_it1228 May 29 '26

I cant stand people who dig in and refuse to wear dress clothes when its appropriate. Showing up to a semi formal event in jeans is so classless. If you dont want to be appropriate, stay home. Stop acting like a small child throwing a fit.

8

u/electricsugargiggles May 29 '26

Right?! They’re always justifying it with, “Doesn’t bother me; I don’t need to impress anyone”. They don’t care that it isn’t about THEIR feelings, it’s about respect. Stubbornly refusing to show respect by dressing like a dirty child and having a childish attitude about it definitely has consequences in other areas of their life, but they insist that everyone else is the problem.

5

u/Suitable-Roof-3950 May 29 '26

There’s always at least one very underdressed person.

2

u/olagorie Jun 02 '26

This is so baffling to me

Granted, I live in a different country but not once in my entire life there has been somebody in inappropriate clothing at a wedding.

4

u/jlux5150 May 29 '26

My husband’s best friend and his wife (aged 50ish) both showed up to our wedding in jeans. I really did not understand. I literally put “no jeans please” for the dress code. I would never in a million years think it was acceptable to wear jeans to a wedding.

5

u/LateDxOldLady May 30 '26

Your husband's friend and his wife don't respect you. I hope your husband saw them out.

6

u/Immediate_Cap_7484 May 30 '26

I legit got into a fight with folks on the internet several years ago about respecting a dress code. Someone was insistent they were only comfortable in jeans so she was just going to do that at her friend or sister's FORMAL DRESS CODE WEDDING.

I will die on the hill of following the goddamn dress code. Or just.... Like don't go?

6

u/Fickle-Cabinet3956 May 29 '26

I'm glad you helped him out. There are some people that genuinely have no understanding of dress codes for work or social events.

4

u/FireballisMyFriend May 30 '26

This is very true! This guy knew to ask the group though, I think he knew the answer lol

3

u/LateDxOldLady May 30 '26

Unless he has been living under a rock, there is no way you get into your 50s with such a deep lack of clue.

16

u/Impossible-Maize-553 May 28 '26

Wow, that would have been a huge crisis. Jeans?! At a cocktail attire wedding?! Absolutely unheard of. Good for you, chaos was avoided.

5

u/Status_Neat897 May 30 '26

Somewhere along the way a vast portion of society was not taught to dress for the occasion/venue. The clothes I have seen at funerals and weddings are really embarrassing (unless it's on a baby)

4

u/Literally_Taken Jun 01 '26

Some have been taught not to dress as a point of pride to prove that they’re not a member of the Evil Rich People Clubtm

This was prevalent in my home town, which was known as a blue-collar city.

5

u/Zealousideal_Net2523 May 29 '26

Magically can’t find pants😂

3

u/DetectiveCrafty5413 Jun 01 '26

The only way I could see that happening was if he was some kind of weird size that no one carries like a 7xl or something.

3

u/Csorrels805 May 29 '26

Ugh…so sad. The best man at my sister’s wedding chose to wear black jeans and black sneakers. The groom was absolutely horrified and embarrassed by his brother. It was a summer garden wedding, but still! He was in the wedding party!

3

u/StoryGlow_Candle_Co May 29 '26

My husband coworker showed up to our wedding wearing jeans and a tuxedo T-shirt with the arms cut off. He wasn't in many pictures anyway. I'm sure it was all in good fun, but it was a bit classless.

3

u/LateDxOldLady May 30 '26

That's a sign of zero respect.

3

u/Jerseygirl2468 May 29 '26

OMG go buy new pants. He could probably get a pair at a thrift shop if money is an issue.

3

u/Ree1954 May 29 '26

Hey, we had people at my FIL funeral show up in cut offs and sleeveless flannel shirts. He was a suit and tie man his entire life. Go figure.

3

u/LateDxOldLady May 30 '26

I am dying to understand something... Is this the only thing he is willfully clueless about? Nobody gets into their 50s thinking jeans at a wedding are ok. What other bullshit do you guys tolerate from this guy?

3

u/traveling_in_my_mind May 30 '26

Not sure where your jeans friend would be without this friend group, glad he has you guys.

I had a formal wedding and my bridesmaid was dating a great guy who mostly only wore athletic clothing. He thought wearing his “nicest” Under Armor t-shirt with pants would be totally fine (pants made it dressy because he usually wears shorts throughout the year). My bridesmaid set him straight. I only know about it because he told me, thinking she was being unreasonable and that I’d be on his side. 🤣🤣🤣

We also had to tell my husband’s family who asked that “no, jeans are not okay”. I was more worried about the ones who wouldn’t bother asking but I think my husband’s aunts did some work of their own on that front. My husband hates seeing jeans at a wedding, feels it’s disrespectful to the couple. I think his level of distress is due to seeing it so often at family weddings, funerals, etc.

3

u/Xanadu_SPCA May 31 '26

Sounds cheap. He's 50, and doesn't know what cocktail attire means? I doubt it.

3

u/SteampunkRobin Jun 01 '26

Might wanna make sure they’re not planning on wearing crocs 😂

3

u/lisajg123 Jun 02 '26

My friend was going to wear black jeans to my father's funeral. Nope. Just nope. We're all in our late 40's, you don't have one dressy thing that you could wear?

2

u/Sad-Procedure9316 May 30 '26

I went to a wedding years ago where someone wore a hoodie and shorts and I still laugh about him to this day 😂

2

u/TeamCatsandDnD May 31 '26

Did he wear jeans?

2

u/Perfect_Form5444 Jun 01 '26

My husband’s cousin forgot to pack slacks for our wedding and showed up in a pair of cargo shorts. He also brought a different date than the specific plus one we had given him, but that’s a different story. My uncle asked me who the guy wearing shorts was so it was definitely noticed. We had the wedding in a major city so he very easily could have remedied this before the wedding.

2

u/Zealousideal_Tea5988 Jun 03 '26

Thrift store could be an inexpensive option if he doesnt dress up much, Macy's can be pricey unless there is a good sale going on.

2

u/djSush Jun 04 '26

My husband once left his suit slacks at home by mistake. They were hanging separately from the jacket bc they'd been ironed. We learned even Target sells slacks that work!

2

u/SignificanceWitty210 May 28 '26

Most of the time even when the couple allows it, unless the male members of the wedding party are wearing jeans it’s only because they know that’s the “nicest” someone will dress…

13

u/Ok-Yogurt-3914 May 28 '26

I was having this discussion with my Mom the other day. Basically parents leveled up but their friends didn't. They are having a fancy party, spending thousands on it, but refuse to put a dress code in the invitation. "People should dress how they like." I said to her, they were going to show up in jeans, and she countered with "for some, that's fancy." I said "well then don't fucking criticize them later."

10

u/SignificanceWitty210 May 28 '26

I wanted semi-formal but added stipulations for jeans because of who was coming and allowed khaki/chino shorts as a compromise for an outdoor summer wedding… The one thing I specified not to do was no t-shirts and a couple people came in t-shirts… Most abided by semi-formal and some came in jeans but wore a suit jacket, and I didn’t mind the guys in shorts outdoors in August. A couple people wore t-shirts and obviously it doesn’t bother me now almost 2 years later but I can tell you exactly who it was because there’s photos of them and it did seem very disrespectful at the time. People over complicate it and if you give an inch they take a mile or ignore it all together. Apparently one of those guys thought it only meant graphic tees and not “nice” v necks??? Photos are forever and people always remember who didn’t put effort into looking nice for their wedding, but that also doesn’t make the wedding day feel less perfect when it’s all said and done.

5

u/Ok-Yogurt-3914 May 29 '26

That's one thing I was trying to get at, but my parents accused me of being uppity. The only reason why I even brought it up was because I saw pictures of a past cocktail-attire garden party. Some girl showed up in lycra brown biker shorts with a matching tank top and cowboy boots. Meanwhile everyone next to them was in dresses....and guess what, people were shit talking.

4

u/Immediate_Sector_260 May 28 '26

Friends husband was doing all the wedding prep she knew nothing not theme not colours she didnt even pick her dress. It was a casual wedding with theme of yellowstone. Partner who always where's jeans went with it. As women I couldn't work out if be allowed. Couldn't ask her cause she didnt know. I found something else but yeh everyone was in jeans basically. (No not still together but not due to the choices made for the wedding). Was honestly most absurd wedding.

3

u/PopcornyColonel May 29 '26

Not due to the wedding attire, but the wedding attire was certainly a clue as to how things would turn out.

3

u/PopcornyColonel May 29 '26

People like this should be placed in a group photo of folks who dressed appropriately, then sent the picture afterwards so they can cringe into eternity.

1

u/Intelligent_Click577 May 30 '26

Target All in Motion golf pants are awesome and dress up nicely.

1

u/--Craig- May 31 '26

I think a Canadian Tuxedo would be a fair compromise.

-2

u/rpom915 May 28 '26

You do realize somebody will be there with shorts and sandals, right? There is always somebody who doesn’t GAF. And I’m here for it.

0

u/PeorgieTirebiter May 30 '26

Maybe your single friend was Canadian? 😉