Its not often that I have this problem as I am usually pretty good in the wardrobe department.

In mid march my boyfriend and I are attending the wedding of one of his best friends since high school (we are both almost 30- - god i cant believe I just said that )

Anyway.
The wedding is about 4 hours away, in the evening, not exactly sure on the venue as I haven't seen the invite. The invite calls for "Elegant Casual" attire.
What in tarnation does that mean??
the boyfriend plans on wearing dress khakis with a button down shirt, tie and sports jacket.
My mother says I should be wearing a cocktail style dress- knee length.

What do you guys think??
I've only met the couple a few times, so I can't really ask the bride to be.

Im just hoping they have really good cake.

Stick with what your mom says. That sounds like elegant attire to me.

I agree .. and moms usually know what they are talking about!

Just pretend the word "casual" isn't there and dress yourself elegantly. Better to err on the side of being too formal, than to be under dressed. The easiest thing to do, IMO, is to pull out the little black dress and some black heels.

thanks for the tips
I have a cute little black dress but is it appropriate to wear black to a wedding when its not black tie??

amia1024-I agree, I always rather err on the side of being over dressed but since its a wedding I wanted to make sure.

The last time I was at a wedding I was 6 and it was the 80s

I wouldn't know what "elegant casual" means, either! Seems contradictory to me. But I would think you couldn't go wrong with a basic, simple "little black dress" (or navy blue, chocolate brown..), not too flashy, or a nice suit. The kind of thing that is very simple, classic lines, that you can dress up or down with jewelry and accessories.

Here ya go! http://fashion.about.com/cs/glossary/a/partydefinition.htm

thanks everyone
Im still not feeling 100% about wearing black to a wedding, but as long as its ok guess I will go with it.

Black to a wedding is totally acceptable-moreso in the evening! Have fun and enjoy bisecting the cake!

If you don't want to wear all black, why not add some colorful accessories?
scarf, shawl, necklace, bracelet, shoes, all things that could add some color

if want to liven up a black dress, i pull out my big chunky colorful costume jewelry, my fun matching shoes and a great clutch. i also will pull my hair up into a loose clip with messy tendrils coming down, making it look more casual. black doesn't have to be BLAH, it can be a great canvas to highlight other things!

Thanks for all the great ideas guys.
I have these super sexy red high heels that I think I will wear w/ the black dress.

Maybe I will do a run through this weekend and show you guys

I was thinking about dying my hair a bright coppery red this weekend (I'm a brunette w/ blue eyes and a warm skin tone)- I've done it before and it looks great.

Black to a wedding is perfectly acceptable. The last couple of weddings I've been to I've worn a black dress (it was all that would fit at the time), and it went well. Just do what you said you were thinking of doing in your last post and you'll be fine.

My nephew was married in September. At the reception, my husband said "look around, almost every woman here is wearing black". I said honey, that's because black is slimming, why do you think we gals love it.

When in doubt the little black dress is the way to go. I love the idea of coloring your hair red. But, as a hairdresser, PLEAASSEEE get it done professionally. Red is so temperamental.

Well
I don't know if anyone is interested.
I have an update.

We got a hold of some people from the bridal party, and boy am I glad we did.
The wedding is going to be on the beach- meaning on the sand and the best men are wearing long khakis and black short sleeve polo shirts.
So basically is going ot be a very nice casual event.

Unfortunately all my dresses that would be perfect for this are all white, so I get to go back to the mall this weekend, and if I don't find anything off to the fabric store to make it.

Yay! A new outfit!