japanese guest attire

I'll come to Osaka for the first weeks of November. I will be attending a wedding formal party in the one of five stars hotel. can you please give me some idea what should I wear in that party? and how about the shoes? what kind of shoes?

Thank You
Mari

I assume you are a woman. A nice dress and heels would be good.

Formal wedding in a 5 stars hotel? definitely a longer dress (not evening dress but at least 10-12 inches below the knees) and with a long light jacket. A hat with a wide brim and gloves would finish the outfit. No bare arms, low cut front as the attention is on the bride, not on the guests.

What is your age bracket and (I assume) your friend's? How close are you to your friend? What kind of mix of guests would you expect at the wedding (i. e., apart from families, of course, is it going to be mostly friends or mostly colleagues/boss from the couple's offices, etc.) ...those would considerably affect the style as well.

When I was in my mid-twenties (well, that's some time ago, I admit), I did go to a friend's wedding in a formal-looking skirt suit (something that can also be used for business occasions) with a somewhat fancy (lacy and shiny I recall) blouse, of course with heels.

I browse around on the internet for Japanese wedding banquet photos, and this seems to be OK for those in their twenties/thirties at least: A dress (not white) below/around knee-length, with a shawl around your shoulders or a jacket, with heels (traditionally no open-toes). No hat and no gloves I'd say - those would be over the top, I feel.

In this page by a dress shop writing about manners/what to wear to wedding banquet, apparently intended for young people, for examle:
http://www.rapty.com/party/manner/fashion/

The photo to the left (with the beige dress, black sash belt and short jacket over the shoulders) is an example of "afternoon dress" for daytime wedding banquet - dressy one-piece dress (with not excessive skin exposed) or suit. If you have no-sleeve dress/top, wear a jacket or a shawl to cover your shoulders. Tone down the accessories.

The photo to the right (with the blue dress) is an example of evening dress for evening wedding banquet - evening dress or cocktail dress would be OK, with fancy accessories. If you have a black dress, use one with lace or shiny material, or combine with gold-color accessories to add some colors.

I agree with AK, hats are not commonly worn by Japanese women at weddings, and a wide-brimmed hat would definitely draw attention. A dress, short-sleeved is fine, with a light shawl is pretty much standard for weddings here. Older women will wear a long sleeved dress (or kimono), but women under 40 or so usually go with short sleeves.