What to Wear to a Summer Wedding
It's that time of year again: summer wedding season. Like most women in their 20's, I love going to weddings. I think they're magical, inspiring, and romantic. I love seeing everyone create new memories together and seeing two families become one.
Besides generally just loving weddings as a whole and the entire meaning and tradition behind them, there's a particular part that I enjoy as a guest; dressing for the occasion. The fashion-loving side of me adores occasions that allow me to dress up, and weddings are definitely a favorite. After all, as Tom Ford once said, "Dressing well is a form of good manners." So, it only makes sense to do so.
Now, if you ask me, summer weddings are the easiest to dress for because there aren't usually any special dress code requests. However, if you're looking for a more in-depth explanation of nearly every dress code you could think of for multiple events, you can read Decoding Dress Code, which is a dress code guide I wrote for Marquette Avenue Events. It has everything from "white tie" to "festive."
Since summer weddings typically allow for more freedom when it comes to dress code, they are probably my favorite to dress for.
By rule of thumb, I recommend not dressing in anything less than cocktail attire for any wedding unless it's a backyard wedding (even still, I would probably wear a lightweight maxi dress to). Personally, I have three main looks that I typically wear to summer weddings; cocktail, maxi, or floral.
Before I dive into the looks, I want to mention a very important "don't" for wedding guests. Do not wear white to a wedding. The only person who should be wearing white at a wedding is the bride. Unless the bride tells you otherwise, do not wear white, cream, or ivory. It's just something that you should follow out of respect and tradition. I'm sure you look amazing in that dress, but please, don't wear it unless it's your own wedding.
COCKTAIL
The wedding look I sometimes opt for is a cocktail dress, strappy heels, and a small purse. If you're looking for any cocktail dresses for weddings or events, I highly recommend shopping at Windsor (that's where this one is from!). I would guess that 90% of the dresses that I wear to dinners, weddings, or signing events are from Windsor. They're very inexpensive and I've found that they fit me well. I only wear dresses like these a handful of times, so for events like weddings, Windsor is perfect. If you pair the dress with some nice heels and a handbag, you can make the whole look seem more expensive than it is.
Tip: If you're going to the actual ceremony part of the wedding in a church, make sure you take a light blazer or jacket to cover your shoulders!
MAXI DRESS
Wearing a simple maxi dress in a muted color is perfect for a wedding. When it comes to wearing a maxi dress to a wedding, I recommend staying away from any lace or beaded details, just to ensure that you don't end up with a similar style dress to the bride. Focus more on the fabric itself of the dress and how it fits your figure. This dress in particular is from Missguided and was this incredible fabric that hugged my body perfectly and was extremely lightweight. I wore this dress to a beach wedding in Mexico and it was absolutely perfect for the occasion.
Tip: Adding elegant jewelry, such as tasteful diamond hoops and a matching bracelet, can really dress up a plain maxi dress. If you want to add more of a statement to your look, try adding a beaded or metallic clutch.
FLORAL
Florals are absolutely stunning to wear at spring and summer weddings. They look so elegant on everyone and can really add a pop of color to a look. The one that I'm wearing in these photos is also from Windsor and I am totally in love with it. I wore it to two weddings so far this summer, which is a big deal because if you know me, you know I typically don't wear the same dress twice in such a short timespan. The dress has such a beautiful cut to it and fits me like a glove. The dress has this really sexy slit in the left leg, but the floral pattern keeps the dress youthful and cute. It's a wonderful balance.
Tip: When wearing long dresses to weddings, keeping your hair more simple and carefree will keep you from looking too "done up." I personally love a casual updo, or my typical loose waves.
I truly hope that you all enjoy your summer weddings these next few months. I know dressing for weddings can be a shot in the dark sometimes, so I hope this helped! I had so much fun writing this and taking photos with my sister (thank you again Paige for taking these for me!). As always, this post is based off of my opinion and experience, so if I offended anyone, that of course is never the intent. If you have any questions, please let me know! Thank you for reading!
