From traditional black-tie weddings to whimsical garden parties, we asked experts to help us break down what to wear.

Between holiday parties and wedding season, most of the invitations in your inbox will probably ask for “cocktail attire”—which is really just a fancy way of saying formal, but not too formal.

To help you find the perfect semi-formal wedding guest dress, we’ve scoured the internet and narrowed down the best of the best in terms of options—there’s something for everyone’s style ...