What to Wear to a Spring or Summer Wedding – Dressed Up (2022)

What are you going to wear? Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. Dressing for warmer weather weddings can be tough. Today’s scenario is for the most common, and most dressed up of weddings. The Groom and Groomsmen will be in black (rented) tuxedoes. One of them might pass out from heat stroke. We’re not doing that. No sir, no ma’am. Here’s one way to look your best while avoiding what most other men will wear, namely a dark, heat absorbing suit + stuffy starched shirt and shiny tie combo. 

NOTE: Does this look familiar? It should. And that’s on purpose. It’s basically the “all blues” style scenario from earlier this month, with a few (very) strategic tweaks. Let’s get into it.

The Suit: Spier and Mackay Heather Blue Suit – $398. Tropical weight, super 100s wool. A not-so-normal shade, but nothing electric or loud. The lighter weight of the wool will help keep you cool. So will the lighter but not bright shade of blue. Yet you’ll still blend in with all the fellows sweating to death in their super dark, charcoal or black suits.

The Shirt: W.R.K. Trim Fit Performance Fabric Light Blue Micro-Dot Dress Shirt – $98. Big thanks to DeJuan for the tip on these shirts. Got one for myself, and I was downright chilly wearing it the other day under one of my suits. That’s the kind of shirt you want on a warm spring or sweltering summer day. Lightweight, activewear fabric (86% polyester, 14% spandex) breathes well, moves great, and wicks moisture away from your skin. Yes it’s spendy, but this could save your butt, big time, at a warm weather wedding. Ships and returns for free via Nordstrom. UPDATE: Whoa, these were just fully stocked. Not any longer. That’s where we’re at in 2022. Maybe try the light blue grid option instead? White would work too. If you can’t source a performance fabric shirt (or understandably don’t want to pay for the upcharge,) just wear your favorite light blue or white dress shirt and accept that you’re gonna sweat. And cotton dress shirts, as great as they are, hold onto sweat longer than a performance fabric will.

The Tie: TheTieBar Pointed Tip Knit Navy Tie – $25. Probably the perfect warm weather wedding tie. Knit gives you that texture which looks perfect in the spring and summer months, yet the pointed end keeps it from looking too casual. Sharp, but just laid-back enough.

The Pocket Square: The Tie Bar Line Art Floral Jade Pocket Square – $15. Cheap and effective. A splash of color that’s still muted. Floral print and lighter green border adds some visual texture, while still being 100% silk.

The Watch: Dan Henry 1937 Mecha-Quartz Chronograph – $270. Or whatever your favorite slim dress watch happens to be. This one happens to be a chrono, which’ll help you time your cocktail consumption (water breaks… take MANY water breaks) and/or how long Aunt Helen has been chewing your ear off. Shown above on a “coffee” brown extra strap. They’ve got those quick change pins too, so swapping out straps is easy.

The Belt: Nordstrom Newman Reversible Leather Belt – $49.50. A reversible brown to black. “Two belts” for the price of one. Sleek and dressy. Ships and returns for free.

The Shoes: Nordstrom Dane Cap Toe Oxford – $99.95. Cheap. Ships and returns for free. Simple, warm brown cap toe. Full review can be found here. Want to invest? Hit up the Allen Edmonds Anniversary Sale.

The Socks: Allen Edmonds Over-the-Calf Merino Cool Dress Socks in Navy – $16.87 ($22.50). Over the calf means you won’t have to be constantly bending down and pulling up any slouching socks as the reception rolls into “electric slide” territory.

The Tip: Drink water. Lots of water. Whether it’s stashing a Nalgene at your table or in your car or whatever, just freaking drink water. Being the sweaty drunk at the reception and the hungover guest the morning after just isn’t worth it. Stay hydrated, and ease off or skip the booze. It causes way too much trouble at weddings. And if you do have to stand for any long periods of time during the ceremony, don’t lock your knees. Unless you REALLY don’t want to be there and a concussion/trip to the hospital/causing a huge scene is worth a hasty exit.