Bavarian wedding outfits

And there it is: stiff card with a tasteful golden bordering and a handwritten signature. Yes, you’ve been invited to a wedding – a traditional Bavarian wedding. Once you’ve checked the calendar, seen that there’s no reason not to make the journey, and R.S.V.P.ed, you start to wonder what to wear. The invitation states “Tracht erwünscht” and you’ve checked with the happy couple: yes, that definitely includes you. They won’t be upset if you don’t come in lederhosen and dirndl, they assure you, but almost everyone else will be, so…

Suddenly, this has turned from a logistical nightmare (getting to German, getting to Munich, getting to wherever it is this wedding is being held) into a wardrobe problem. If you’ve never been to the Oktoberfest or a Bavarian beer festival before, you need a pair of lederhosen or a dirndl. If you have, you start to wonder whether what you’ve already got will also do as a Bavarian wedding outfit.

That’s where this quick and handy guide to what precisely to wear to a traditional Bavarian wedding comes quite in handy!

Bavarian wedding outfits for him

The first question even many Germans ask themselves first time round is: can I wear the lederhosen I always wear or are they not formal enough? The answer is that you certainly can, with the single caveat that we’re talking about a high-quality pair to start with. If so, then they will be more than acceptable.

Lederhosen, after all, can be ceremonial, but are never “smart” as such. They key is to use other items such as shirts and jackets to make a formal outfit, and this means avoiding check patterns, for example (which are quite informal) and linen materials; also, try and avoid traditional-but-tradesman-like collarless or pull-over shirts. Go for button-up, preferably with a thick collar, and stick to white. Buckhorn buttons and other small details such as ruffled fronts are more than enough to anchor your outfit in the world of traditional Bavarian costume.

Another useful tool to uprate your trusty leather breeches are waistcoats such as gilets in silk or jacquard look with low-key patterning. Socks, too, can be used to go smartly Bavarian: look out for loferl, the two-part foot and knee socks. Otherwise, accessorise, accessorise, accessories: why not go for braces rather than the usual lederhosen straps, or get some jewellery such as a charivari. Top it all off with a loden jacket and Bavarian Bobs’s your newly-wed uncle.

Bavarian wedding outfits for her

For women, there are (and who would have doubted this?) a few more things to think about. Firstly, there’s the length of the dirndl to be worn: if you’ve thus far had shorter party-dirndls for the Oktoberfest, you’ll need to think about investing in a new dress. There’s need to go nuts, of course, and go for grandma-length, but you should definitely have one going down to the knee. Fortunately enough, that’s a newly popular length with plenty of stylish new pieces, from the Stockerpoint Holy Couture collection featuring fabrics with a sleek sheen and designer details or jacquard-pattern looks from MarJo with rhinestone decoration and frilly aprons. Remember to check the colour scheme with the bride, of course.

For women, there are (and who would have doubted this?) a few more things to think about. Firstly, there’s the length of the dirndl to be worn: if you’ve thus far had shorter party-dirndls for the Oktoberfest, you’ll need to think about investing in a new dress. There’s need to go nuts, of course, and go for grandma-length, but you should definitely have one going down to the knee. Fortunately enough, that’s a newly popular length with plenty of stylish new pieces, from the Stockerpoint Holy Couture collection featuring fabrics with a sleek sheen and designer details or jacquard-pattern looks from MarJo with rhinestone decoration and frilly aprons. Remember to check the colour scheme with the bride, of course.

Oh yes: you might note that we haven’t written much about which kinds of lederhosen women can wear to Bavarian weddings. That’s not an accidental omission, as – unless expressly stated otherwise – a traditional wedding means sticking to traditional man-women dress codes. When it comes to things like weddings, Bavarian habits do change and dress adapts – but not as fast as it does at the Octoberfest.