If this is a worry to you, go ahead and tell them the style of dress you expect. Couples do not have reservations about telling them where to but their presents from so let them know if hats are the order of the day. Some of my clients request that guest bring evening dress with them for the reception, or suggest that hats be worn by the ladies. I recall a celebrity once insisted that all guests dressed in white, if it's good enough for her..!

I think that this is quite easy to overcome. It is absolutely fine to stipulate a 'dress code' on the invites and guests will respect this. Alternatively, you could have a 'theme' whereby you control the type of attire your guests wear. This way you get to be more specific about the style of dress you expect them to wear. It could be 'top and tails', 'cocktail dresses', 'hats/no hats', 'black and white', 'long dress/short dress only', 'beachwear', 'quintessentially english', whatever takes your fancy! No-one is offended and it all adds to the fun of the day. Many high profile weddings do this and its quite fashionable too. Hope that this helps a little. Siobhan