momto2Cs Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 :confused: Quick background - neither dh or I have been to church in many years (since we were teens). We want to start checking out some churches in our area, and have found an Episcopalian church that looks intriguing, but I have no clue what women wear to church these days. Can I wear nice slacks and a blouse? Or do I have to wear a dress? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 :confused: Quick background - neither dh or I have been to church in many years (since we were teens). We want to start checking out some churches in our area, and have found an Episcopalian church that looks intriguing, but I have no clue what women wear to church these days. Can I wear nice slacks and a blouse? Or do I have to wear a dress? At our church you could come in Jeans and T-Shirt. Nobody would think anything of it since many people do just that. Really depends on the church but I do believe that most non-denominational churches - and perhaps many denominational ones as well - don't have a strict dress code anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatMomof3 Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 I usually wear slacks and a blouse or sweater to Mass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 It really depends upon the church. Our current church is *extremely* casual but we attended one church where the pastor would actually complain during sermons about people dressing too casually. At that church I usually wore slacks or a skirt and a nice top. At our current church? You're fine in nice shorts and a t-shirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted January 14, 2010 Author Share Posted January 14, 2010 Thank you, ladies! I do have some nice slacks and blouses, so I'll go with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 My mom's family is Episcopalian. You'd be fine wearing business casual to the churches they attend. Dress slacks & a nice blouse would fit right in. Now if you're going to one of the breakaway ultra-traditional Anglican churches, I would recommend wearing a long skirt/dress. My mom accidentally went to one of those when I was a kid after we'd moved to a new town. She didn't realize it wasn't affiliated with the mainstream Epsicopalian church until the usher turned her away at the door for wearing pants & no head covering. Actually, he was very nice about the whole thing, pointing out that she probably wanted St. ____ in the neighboring town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 My mom's family is Episcopalian. You'd be fine wearing business casual to the churches they attend. Dress slacks & a nice blouse would fit right in. Now if you're going to one of the breakaway ultra-traditional Anglican churches, I would recommend wearing a long skirt/dress. My mom accidentally went to one of those when I was a kid after we'd moved to a new town. She didn't realize it wasn't affiliated with the mainstream Epsicopalian church until the usher turned her away at the door for wearing pants & no head covering. Actually, he was very nice about the whole thing, pointing out that she probably wanted St. ____ in the neighboring town. Wow! I've never heard of anyone being turned away from church. All I can say is I"m glad it wasn't someone who was coming to church for the first time and after being turned away never went back again.. Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Queen Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 The Episcopalian/Anglican churches near me have both those titles on their signs and women wear shirts or dresses. They don't wear pants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 We wear skirts or dresses at mine for services (casual for during-the-week meetings), but they'd never turn anyone away for not wearing a skirt. LDS here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 You can probably call ahead and ask. I'm sure they would be kind and clue you in. And if they're unpleasant about you asking a question like that, then that would tell you that you probably don't want that church anyway. I would guess you'd be looking for a kind, tolerant sort of place to worship. My in-laws are Episcopalian, and when we've visited it seems like many of the women were in dresses, some were in slacks, and a few were in jeans. But that's one of those things that can vary depending on the parish, I think. I gather you wear whatever you want, though, and the 'norm' comes more from community preferences than from any sort of dress code. But again, I'm an outsider there and could be misunderstanding how that goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 At our Episcopalian church here at the coast, you could wear a bathing suit and cover up if you wished. But, we might be a bit :confused: if you did so in the winter. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 Ours is pretty conservative in dress on Sunday mornings. We do have a few women who wear slacks especially when it is cold, but most wear dresses. Young girls usually wear black patten shoes and white tights with their winter dresses. Wednesday night most wear slacks or nice jeans. We would never turn anyone away, though. Sometimes I :001_huh:at what a couple of the girls wear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 We went to a Southern Baptist church here in the northeast and they turned up their noses that dh was in a nice dressy sweater and pleated dress pants. They even mentioned something to him in a subtle way. All the men had on suits and looked like they just got back from the barber that morning. We still chuckle about it :) In general though, most churches are much less formal than in the past. When we were visiting churches, we tried to err on the side of being dressed overly nicely than our old church would warrant, and also overly modestly dressed for us girls (so as not to offend.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 I believe it is also influenced by the region that you are in. I live on the west coast and things are very casual out here whether you're in church or anywhere else. I've noticed a huge change in the way people dress when I've visited other parts of the country or the world. We went to church in Pensacola, FL a few years ago and were very aware of how much more dressed up people were than back at home. Of course, here in the PNW, people going out to dinner in a fancy restaurant hardly ever even wear a jacket and/or tie anymore, let alone going to worship in church. Over all, my impression is that church attire is much more casual than it was when we were kids. Kinda sad I think. I miss having higher standards in dress myself, especially when it comes to going to God's house. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaHadley Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 I'm a southern baptist in the Bible belt and I wear jeans and nice shirt/shoes every sunday. My mom goes to the methodist church across the street and is appauled that I would dress that way for church! I agree with the pp about calling ahead if it would make you feel better - could give you a good feel for the church too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Wow! I've never heard of anyone being turned away from church. All I can say is I"m glad it wasn't someone who was coming to church for the first time and after being turned away never went back again.. Wow. The guy was actually really nice to my mom. He took her aside to the vestibule and explained the dress code. I think they may have had a spare dress & headcovering for guests but it was so long ago I can't remember. The part I recall most is him saying that she was probably looking for the other church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Jenny Flint Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 My son says "a chicken suit." It would certainly get you some attention... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 All three of the Episcopalian parishes we've belonged to have been pretty normal. I always feel most comfortable in 'a step above jeans/t-shirts', but I've seen sweats and PJs and I've seen dresses and hats in the same congregation and nobody bats an eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 We attend a decent sized southern baptist church. I don't do dresses. I've always been a tomboy. When I was a kid my mom made me wear dresses to church all. the. time. So now I'm a rebel LOL. I never wear dresses. I go in jeans and a nice blouse or sweater. People wear everything from jeans to dress pants to dresses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 My mom's family is Episcopalian. You'd be fine wearing business casual to the churches they attend. Dress slacks & a nice blouse would fit right in. Now if you're going to one of the breakaway ultra-traditional Anglican churches, I would recommend wearing a long skirt/dress. My mom accidentally went to one of those when I was a kid after we'd moved to a new town. She didn't realize it wasn't affiliated with the mainstream Epsicopalian church until the usher turned her away at the door for wearing pants & no head covering. Actually, he was very nice about the whole thing, pointing out that she probably wanted St. ____ in the neighboring town. WHAT!!??? I go to a "breakaway" Anglican church, and there are no long skirts, no head coverings...I don't know what that was about! I have never heard of such a thing in an Anglican church. Baptist and Mennonite, perhaps, but not Anglican. At our church you could come in whatever you want and you would not be criticized...we have everything from jeans and tees to dressed-to-the-nines, to African head-dress. It is a very diverse congregation. You could dress however you are most comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 WHAT!!??? I go to a "breakaway" Anglican church, and there are no long skirts, no head coverings...I don't know what that was about! I have never heard of such a thing in an Anglican church. Baptist and Mennonite, perhaps, but not Anglican. At our church you could come in whatever you want and you would not be criticized...we have everything from jeans and tees to dressed-to-the-nines, to African head-dress. It is a very diverse congregation. You could dress however you are most comfortable. This particular church apparently broke away from the mainstream Episcopalians back in the early 20th century because of a dispute over the prayer book. I'm not familiar enough with Anglican history to know what exactly their beef was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Ours is pretty conservative in dress on Sunday mornings. We do have a few women who wear slacks especially when it is cold, but most wear dresses. Young girls usually wear black patten shoes and white tights with their winter dresses. Wednesday night most wear slacks or nice jeans. We would never turn anyone away, though. Sometimes I :001_huh:at what a couple of the girls wear. Wow. White stockings and black shoes. I wouldn't have the necessary garments to fit in. I just want to say I don't mean this in a rude way but I am genuinely surprised that there are still churches where dresscode is observed. Perhaps I lived in CA too long. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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