What To Wear To A Summer Wedding

Summer weddings are a prime time to show off your fresh new takes on fashion.

Take risks, go a little crazy, think less can be more, and choose a dress that isn't normally what people would expect from you.

What to wear when it's black tie

Black tie or black tie optional definitely means on the dressier side. Actually, it means really dressy.

Nothing short, tea length dresses are okay, and long gowns are expected. Summer is a fun season and your dress can reflect that.

Contrary to some belief, reds are a great option, and this year's "color of the year" is living coral, as dubbed by the Pantone Color Institute. To see more things in "living coral" check out our article here on how to wear the color.

Tea length for a black tie affair

To give you an idea, here are some tea length dresses that are perfect for a black tie Summer wedding - notice the range in styles, and notice the sophisticated elegance. A tea length dress that isn't super fancy won't fly for a black tie wedding.

Sexy is a 'yes' and a light pink color is also a 'yes'. Never wear white or creamy colors, these hues are reserved for the bride, and rightly so.

Black is always okay, and yes it's a great choice for a Summer wedding. Many women will be in black so don't assume it's too harsh for Summer, because it's not.

Go the embellished route and really play up your assets. Get your hair done, go for a bronzy, smokey look, but keep your lip and your nail color light.

If your dress is solely black, like the middle dress, it's okay to go for a paler makeup vibe, and go heavy on the black mascara/liner and choose a red lip. It's all about balance and styling.

Simple strappy sandals are a no-brainer fashion choice, and for this Summer wedding look you can absolutely choose heavily embellished ones.

Longer gowns for a Summer black tie wedding

Floor length gowns are so much fun to wear! Because it's Summer, keep your gown light and fresh, nothing overwhelming, heavily beaded, or long sleeved.

Here are a few of our favorites that pass the test:

Ruffles, florals, bright hues, all the good stuff! Each of these gowns is exquisite in its own way, and 100% appropriate for a black tie Summer wedding.

Now, about those non black tie weddings aka "festive"

When festive or cocktail attire is requested, a long gown is not necessary, but it's also not out of the question.

Well, how stunning are the above 3 looks? These are the perfect cocktail/festive type of dresses to wear to a non black tie wedding.

Styling Tip: Wear silver shoes and accessories with the blue dress, silver or gold with the middle dusty rose colored dress, and black or silver with the black and white mini.

Also appropriate for festive weddings is the dressy jumpsuit. Check out our article on dressy jumpsuits to see exactly what we mean.

Btw, these fancy pants can also be worn to a black tie wedding, but really up the luxury factor and make sure your jumpsuit is ultra luxe if you're planning to go the pants route.

The casual or beach wedding

Common during the Summertime, you can wear our 3 suggested dresses below for either type of wedding. Shorter is a smart idea, because the bottom of your dress won't get ruined in the sand!

Just because the occasion is casual, doesn't mean it's okay to show up without putting any effort into your look, it's still a wedding! Think younger, loose fitting, and more playful dresses. Do make sure you choose a great quality dress, silks are still okay for casual weddings.

Check out these dresses for some casual inspiration:

Also, get used to the idea that flat dressy sandals are your friends, not enemies. For a casual or beach wedding, flat sandals are best because: they up the casual factor, they handle sand better, and you won't be dying to take them off on the dance floor.

Where to buy dresses for a Summer wedding

So you're probably wondering by now, "Where can I get all the fabulous dresses I'm seeing in this article?" ShopItToMe.com is where. Shop It To Me is a platform where you can search and purchase all of your favorite brands, from your favorite retailers. It's just made way easier because everything is all in one place.

It's a super site for sales, just heart your favorites and get alerted when their price drops. How else did you think we were able to find so many pretty Summer dresses so fast? Everyone is using the free service, the only question is, are you on it yet?

Wedding fever

We totally hope that we're giving you wedding fever right now! No silly, we don't mean your wedding, we mean we want you to get excited about going to someone else's wedding- whether you want to attend or not. Fashion unites everyone, and if you don't know what to talk about, chat up someone about their dress, bag, etc. Please, aren't you nicer when you like your outfit? ;P

Get on ShopItToMe.com and start looking your best!