Church clothes for Florida?

[Maria]

So, in just about a week I'm going to visit friends and family all over the east coast. Among the wall-to-wall activities, my best friend wants me to attend mass at the church where she was raised, in the Fort Lauderdale area. I've never been to a Catholic church in my life, and I've never been outside of the culture where I grew up, which really takes "casual" to a very unique low. Thus, I have no idea what I should pack. And my friend was NO help... her idea is to for me to buy even more clothes on arrival (as if my car isn't already going to look like Old Navy exploded in the back seat). So I know congregations can vary and all, but I was just wondering if anybody might have a guess about what kinds of things might be appropriate for a Catholic church in south Florida?

[Kheldarson]

Um...being Catholic, I'm going to say that my preference when I'm at church is to be in nice work casual clothes (a dress is preferable for me, but slacks and a collared shirt are good too). That being said, when my family went down to visit my aunt in Florida over Christmas, when we went to church, we were in our nicest jeans or khakis, and nice t-shirts (although I had packed a nice collared shirt again). And people won't care if you have on jeans and a t-shirt anyway. I've seen teens with holes in their jeans at my church on a normal Sunday.

[Seshat]

Florida-weather-suitable business casual clothing would be fine. Anything which says that you respect that this is a place of worship.

If you have a choice, make the dominant colour of your outfit a neutral shade, the cut no tighter than semi-fitted (a nice princess line is fine, a tight clubbing shirt is not). Sleeved would be better than sleeveless, even if it's just a cap sleeve. Skirt length should be low thigh or lower.

Jewelry should be religious or low key.

And as stated; you are a visitor, you can't be expected to automatically own the right clothing. Dress as if you are trying to be respectful and you'll be fine.

[tropicsgoddess]

Business casual or professional clothes but you want to go light since it can get hot in Florida fast with all the humidity.

[Raveni]

Ask your friend what the dress code is!

I have seen churches where they put posters up by the front doors that shame people coming in wearing jeans or a skirt where the hem is above the floor. The one that I go to is just happy to have you there, even if you wear shorts and a t-shirt. Especially if you donate.

[It's me]

Yup, you should be safe with "biz casual" type clothing.

BTW: Since you aren't Catholic, don't go up for communion.

[Seshat]

I have seen churches where they put posters up by the front doors that shame people coming in wearing jeans or a skirt where the hem is above the floor. The one that I go to is just happy to have you there, even if you wear shorts and a t-shirt. Especially if you donate.

Indeed. To be absolutely 'safe', wear loose-fitted clothing with long sleeves and a long skirt, and cover your head. And everything should be in a neutral tone.

Extremely conservative communities would go so far as to dictate cut and colour!

But frankly, for the average place, what I listed above is absolutely fine. (semi-fitted or looser, some sort of sleeve, skirt low-thigh or lower, or ankle-length pants, base colour a neutral).

[Jester]

Your friend is being unhelpful.

And while people here are trying to help, the problem is that churches vary from state to state, town to town, and even church to church. So what might be okay at Our Lady of Fort Lauderdale might not be acceptable attire at Lauderdale by the Sea Congregation. (I made up both of those names...I have no knowledge of any Lauderdale churches at all.)

My suggestion? Find out from your friend the name of the church (surely she knows THAT!) and call the church directly. They are not your friends, so won't feel any pressure or guilt or anything else about telling you what is generally considered appropriate dress at their congregation. Heck, I'm sure they'd love to help you in this.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Do you know the name of the church? Maybe they have a website that might give you an idea of how casual or buttoned-up they might be. Might have pics of church functions or even people at mass.

I would think a simple dress or skirt would be fine. I'd think if they were especially conservative when it comes to dressing your friend would be able to tell you at least that much. Rather than asking her what you should wear, ask her what she wears to church. And even if they are on the casual side, it's better to look a little nicer than be wearing shorts when everyone is in long skirts and suits.

[Kogarashi]

I think Jester has the best suggestion so far, if only because it gets the general dress code directly from the church.

Beyond that, I would personally recommend the following (but bear in mind this is based off of my church's general dress code, and I am not Catholic):

A nice skirt, about knee-length considering the time of year and that it's Florida. Neutral colors are good, though depending on the congregation, you could even go for bright, cheerful prints. I know our church is fine with bright colors. I've got a nice, lightweight skirt that's one of my go-to summer skirts, in a fun orangey floral print.

A nice coordinating shirt, preferrably with sleeves (though in our church, at least, cap sleeves are perfectly acceptable, and much cooler than longer sleeves), not too low-cut. You want to be respectful, after all. You can also opt for a dress in a similar theme in lieu of a skirt/shirt combo.

Nice shoes, nice jewelry, etc. that goes with what you've picked out.

Beyond this, I'm not terribly familiar with what counts as "standard" attire in a Catholic congregation.

Oh, and if you find you have to purchase new clothes for this, let me tell you that you can find some perfectly lovely items at a thrift store like Goodwill. My aforementioned go-to summer skirt came from a Goodwill store and cost me about $3.

[Maria]

Maybe they have a website that might give you an idea of how casual or buttoned-up they might be.

Oy. Just oy. I hope my supervisor never finds out that I didn't think of this on my own! I work in media production for a religious organization; of course I should have checked for a website first! Thanks, everyone, for the feedback. Now that I used some of the advice, I feel like I've done what I can to make an educated guess and keep expenses in check. Makes me feel like I've got at least a little better handle on things now.