Dressing For A Summer Wedding – Part 1: As A Guest

Introduction

It’s coming up to that season once again. The time when it feels like everyone you’ve ever known has decided to get hitched just to remind you how truly alone you are. And although a winter wedding is an easy event to dress for, once the sun comes out and invitations start flying through your letter box, it’s a completely different story. During the winter there really are only two options a guy has to choose from: a tuxedo or a dark neutral suit. That’s all there is to it. I tend to go with navy during the day and grey during the evening, with a tuxedo if the dress code dictates. As long as the suit is made from high quality medium-weight wool and you keep the details simple and classic, you can’t go wrong. However, what makes dressing for a wedding during the winter months so easy is the exact same reason dressing for one in the summer is so hard: trying not to upstage the groom. Because as much as you want to make sure your suit says “meet me at the bar”, rather than the office, you don’t want it to say “look at me, not the guy at the altar”. Or even worse, “look at me, not the woman at the altar”. Trust me when I say that last one will always get you in trouble. So, essentially, the question is this: how do you stay stylish without crossing the line? Because as much as I’d love to rock up to my mate’s wedding in a Gatsby-inspired pink linen suit or a madras blazer from Gant, I’m pretty sure he won’t appreciate it. As always, the devil is in the details…

Dressing For A Wedding Guidelines

Lookbook Inspiration

Before we start, some lookbook inspiration in order to get the creative juices flowing:

Seasonal Is Not Optional

Let’s face it, as soon as the ceremony is over it’s time to get on it. And as someone who is truly committed to cutting a rug at any wedding he attends, believe me when I say that wearing something seasonal is a must. Stick to linens, cotton or tropical wools to avoid being the sweatiest guy at the reception.