Hi there,
I have been invited to a wedding in Spain. It's in the evening, and that's all I know. Can anyone give me the run down of the appropriate dress for a woman to wear. Colors, long/short, fancy. Also, I'm not even Catholic so I have no idea how the ceremony will be. Length of time, etc... Anyone info about a typical wedding would be GREATLY appreciated

he he, funny, I think it's not so different from the film Four weddings and a funeral, although it's not so usual that women wear hats, but it depends on how snob or rich they are. I think that anything smart is appropriate.
Here you can find some photos of president Aznar's daughter wedding :
http://www.hola.com/moda/2002/09/11/isabelelegante

They voted for Isabel as the most smart. I preferred the beautiful Inés Sastre, although it's a little bit cheeky?, link in the photo and you will see the other models (Inés is the 3rd)

The ceremony will be 40'-50' long and then people wait outside until all the godfathers and witness sign. Then people use to throw rice or flowers on the new married.

Miguelito,
Muchas gracias!

ceremony will depend on if they choose to do the full mass (with comunion) or just the marriage ceremony (the latter will be shorter!)

Dress nice! Formal but you don't have to go black tie formal- go on what you know on the couple getting married- and don't be afriad to ask the person who invited you! Wear nice but COMFORTABLE shoes! You're going to be doing a lot of dancing! Depending on the church- should you decide to go strapless, make sure you take a shawl or something to cover your shoulders- its one of those catholic things- you'll see people who don't, but you really should cover them up whilst in the sancturary. Other than that, its pretty much the same as in the US- but don't expect a full procession with bridesmaids etc. Its unusual and those weddings that do have it is following american tradition. About the rice, don't worry about bringing any- usually someone from the family will be in charge of passing that or rose petals around for people to toss Also, its also not typical to give favors as in the US- Tradition is that they pass out cigaretts for the women, and cigars for the men. You will not be forced to smoke them! So no cultural pressure with that if you're a nonsmoker

Oh! Colors! No white, (for obvious reasons) and NO red and DEFINATELY I would not recommend black. Its like saying you don't approve- its a color of mourning. The red, well... that's pretty self explainatory. Any other color should do.

Have fun!

Hey, Espe3: How about hats? Back in my day, ladies who attended the wedding ceremony at the Church but were not part of the Wedding Party used to rent and wear very nice hats to weddings.

It made for some nice photos for the paparazzi (i.e., free lance photographers who show up in front of the Church and take lots of photos, none of which the wedding couple is obliged to buy).
P.S.
I got married in Madrid and some of the paparazzi photos were a lot nicer than the 'studio' photos we had contracted for ... Now, I guess it's VCR but remember your U.S. VCR (NTSB format) may not be viewed on a Spanish TV.

Contrary to what Espe writes, I think that Spanish weddings are much more formal than American weddings....and not all American weddings can be classified as the same. What I am trying to say is that the "style" of accepted dress at an American (USA) wedding varies greatly from geographic location. Obviously the bigger cities, more specifically the east coast, tend towards more formal style dressing. But I have been to American weddings in upstate New York and out west in Wyoming, and believe me, by the way some women dressed, I thought they were going to a picnic!

I have also been to a couple of weddings here in Spain. One was bicultural (Spanish/German), smaller garden wedding... but the guests still tended to dress formally. The other was rather large 600+ guests ... also formally dressed. At both weddings, the women were presented with favors, not cigarettes.

When my husband (Spanish) and I got married (in the States) his sisters were more formally dressed in long or longer dresses with matching shawls, shoes and bags... but no hats! We did favors in the American tradition and also passed Cuban cigars to both the men and women .

Chica, I didn't say that Spanish weddings were less formal than American weddings. Let me clarify, I ment as far as the ceremony, it will be similiar to an American wedding. Mostly I wanted to refer to the Bridal procession- it is not our tradition to have bridesmaids or groomsmen. This has nothing to do with how guests are or are not dressed. Its hard to tell someone what to wear without knowing their style or background. If its an evening wedding, the dress for a women should be longer- but it doesn't have to be to the floor- however, depending on the time of year, if the reception is indoor-outdoor etc. and what one is most comfortable in, the legnth of the dress will vary. Best bet is to ask the person who gave the invite and get a better idea. If you have a crowd that is more upper class, certain things may be expected, or if its a more informal crowd they may not have a preference!

Oh! About the food. It tends to always be a sit down. Buffets are not at all common and again, if its done in that style, its copying an American tendancy.

About the hats- no. Nowadays its optional and not all that common unless its something like the ex given before Aznar's daughter. Covering the shoulders is different. You CAN wear a strapless dress that is very formal- I wore one to a black tie- but again, had something to cover the shoulders.

Style of clothing? Fancy, definitely. Classy or elegant, even better. It can be a dress, a suit, skirts, even pants,….as long as they're formal, stylish and you look good on them.
Colours? Both white and black are no-nos indeed, I personally don't see the problem with red.
Prints? They are all right, they can be romantic and feminine; however, in Spain we tend to wear dresses with prints that are soberer than the ones other European women (specially Scandinavian) dare to wear in these sort of occasions. Think royal weddings, it's like a “the flashier dress gets to leave earlier contest”( I hear these are boooring events, he, he!). :p
Huh…”sexiness”? (keep it contained girls, he, he!) Decorum, please, we're talking about a Catholic church ceremony!* :o
Long/medium/short? Depends on the guests' “'pierna' situation”. In any case "medias'(tights) are a must.
Hats? Never for evening weddings if you ask me, it's silly, they “supposedly” have a purpose, don't they?
Shoes? This is the toughest by far. Every lady knows that finding a pair of new high-heeled shoes that actually allow you to bare or even enjoy all the afterwards partying truly IS Mission Impossible!

*(Here's where shawles or "chales', as we call them, come in “super-handy”.)

P.S.: Hey Barry!, I guess The Countess would have been the perfect adviser regarding this question for expert lessons on overall "estilismo' and general etiquette; jewellery, accessories, etc….

I forgot to tell you, all the girls use to take a ridicoulous purse, I've never know what they carry inside, but it's a must.

Miguelito, can't you guess, reaaallyyy?