What to wear to a Tunisian wedding, as a guest or the couple

A Tunisian wedding is several evenings, and each has its own dress code: you do not dress for the henna the way you dress for the main evening in a wedding hall. Here is what to wear to a Tunisian wedding, event by event — whether you are a guest, a partner marrying into a Tunisian family, or the couple.

Women guests

• Henna or outia — the night of traditional dress. A fouta w blouza (a beaded top and a draped skirt) is the safest and most appreciated choice; a kaftan works too.
• Main evening — an evening dress or a kaftan, depending on the family. Traditional dress is always welcome.
• Contract (sdaq) — elegant but more sober: often a family moment, sometimes at the town hall.

Men guests

In a wedding hall, a suit is the norm. For the contract or the groom’s evening, the jebba, a long traditional robe, is increasingly worn, with the red chéchia cap and balgha leather slippers. You do not need the full outfit: a well-chosen jebba alone is warmly received.

The bride and groom

The bride usually wears several outfits across the evenings: at the outia she changes several times; at the main evening she usually wears a white dress; regions have their own pieces, like the embroidered bridal costume of Mahdia. The groom typically wears a jebba with the embroidered farmla waistcoat, sometimes a barnous hooded cape, the chéchia and balghas for the contract or his evening, then a suit for the main evening.

To understand which evening is which, see Tunisian wedding traditions and the henna night. Hosts can state a dress code on a digital invitation, in each of its languages — see the designs.