By Cynthia Nellis, Women's Fashion Expert
Summer is by far the most popular season for weddings—especially for
women, and in places with historically warm weather. While sunshine and
high temperatures are nice in theory, they can make figuring out what to wear to a wedding as the guest a little tricky.
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We
love summer weddings, and so have put together our best tips and advice
on summer wedding attire to guarantee that you're the most stylish (and
appropriately dressed) attendee time after time.
First, some basic reminders of proper wedding guest attire, based on the formality and time of day:
- Informal, Daytime: A skirt and top or even pants (but no jeans), and no high heels required.
- Informal, Evening: An informal evening wedding suggests a dress, and allows for a lot of flexibility. You could wear a maxi dress and flat shoes, or a little black dress and heels.
- Semi-Formal, Daytime: A cocktail dress and heels or dressy separates.
- Semi-Formal, Evening: A semi-formal daytime wedding suggests a cocktail dress and heels or dressy separates; an LBD is an excellent option.
- Black Tie Optional: Black tie optional weddings mean you can wear either a cocktail dress and heels or a formal dress. (Trendier dressers may opt for a jumpsuit as well.)
- Black Tie: A black tie wedding requires a formal dress or your dressiest cocktail attire.
Now, some do's and don'ts of summer weddings:
- Don't wear black or sequins to a daytime wedding, as those are colors and details best reserved for evening occasions. (The sparkle will make you look overdressed.)
- Do take your cue regarding the level of formality for a summer wedding from the invitation. If no dress code is given, you can bet that the fancier the invitation, the dressier the occasion.
- Don't, for any reason, wear white to a wedding. (Unless the invite specifically says "white wedding" in which case all guests are asked to wear light colors.)
- Do look for dresses in pretty feminine prints like florals, and in bright cheerful colors that wouldn't feel right during the colder months. (Examples would be pink, lavender, mint green, peach or light blue.)
- Don't wear something too sexy just because it's going to be warm. Weddings are never an occasion for inappropriate levels of cleavage, thigh visibility or gratuitous cutouts.
- Do remember that weddings after 6 p.m. are traditionally more dressy than daytime ceremonies, and adjust your outfit and accessories accordingly.
- Don't go overboard on heavy, chunky jewelry—try the personal jewelry trend instead.
- Do feel comfortable wearing something you already wore to a spring wedding—repeat dresses are easy if you just change up the accessories.
Need more suggestions for what to wear to a summer wedding?
- Summer weddings call for light fabrics that breathe! Look for silk, satin, linen blends and other natural fiber fabrics. Note that anything like polyester or other synthetic fabric will capture body heat and make you sweat!
- We created a helpful (and shoppable!) guide of suggestions of dresses to wear to a wedding, and many of them will work especially well for spring and summer weddings.
- Our comprehensive wedding guest attire guide has plenty of tips for both men and women, no matter the season.
- Looking for wedding guest attire tips just for men? We advise avoiding black and other dark colors, as well as wool and other heavy fabrics typically worn in fall and winter. Choose a lighter colored suit in cotton, linen or seersucker.
The bottom line
with dressing for weddings—no matter the season—is to honor the
occasion for the bride and groom. This may very well be the most special
day of their lives, even if it's just one of a dozen weddings you're
attending this year. Find a dress, jumpsuit or separates that feel
special, make you feel amazing when you wear them, and won't offend
someone's grandmother.
