Your officer’s WOCS graduation is coming up! No doubt you’ve been counting down the days to the celebration! It’s been several weeks without them and you’re now combing through your closet thinking about what to wear. Whether you’re a parent who is about to make your way down to Alabama or a spouse who is juggling kids on their own right now, there’s probably a little bit of stress involved with all the moving pieces!

The last thing you want to be worried about is whether you’re overdressed, underdressed, etc, so here’s a breakdown of my top recommendations (with examples) of what to wear to a WOCS graduation.

Graduation is business casual or Sunday church attire. I do not recommend jeans if you can help it. If you are pinning your warrant officer, you will be walking in front of the crowd to the stage. It can be a little nerve wracking, and wearing something you might be self conscious or feel like you’re underdressed in isn’t a way to help those nerves.

Ladies

Choose a nice dress (whether mini, midi, or maxi), a jumpsuit, or a nice pair of slacks! Some women choose to be a little fancier with silky fabrics while others choose simple dresses they would wear to church on Sunday. Some of my favorite stores / brands to find dresses for military celebrations are Piper & Scoot, Roolee, Bohme, Rylee + Cru, Adrianna Papell (sold at Belk, Dillards, Nordstrom, etc), and Aidan Mattox (sold at Dillards, Nordstrom, etc).

Men

A nice pair of khakis and a button down or polo will work great! Some men choose to wear suits, but it’s not necessary. My go to men’s stores: Target, Old Navy, H&M, and Amazon.

Kiddos

I recommend a cute dress for girls and pants/shorts with a nicer top for boys! I recommend checking out Rylee + Cru, Roolee, Amazon, Old Navy, and Jamie Kay! If you’re hiring a photographer, choose mom’s outfit first then build the kid’s outfits off that.

Colors

If you are having professional photos done, creams and earth tones will always be my top recommendation! However, I also love pops of yellow, Americana blue, or a pretty pink on graduation day! Bright colors, if done well, look beautiful with dress blues and the pinks/greens uniform! Avoid anything that leans too neon or tomato red.

I hope this guide was helpful as you prepare outfits for WOCS graduation! If you have any further questions or are just looking for someone to bounce ideas off of, feel free to email me at grace@ellenbergco.com or shoot me a dm on Instagram!

If you are interested in booking me as your WOCS graduation photographer, you can learn more about investment options here or reach out to me here!