What to Wear to a Spring or Summer Wedding – Dressed Up

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. We’ll cover three levels of formality (Dressed up, Smart but not Stuffy, and Casual) in the coming days. Today’s scenario is for the most common, and most dressed up of weddings. The Groom and Groomsmen will be in (rented) tuxedoes. One of them might pass out from heat stroke. But 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, sunlight absorbing suit + stuffy starched shirt/shiny tie combo. (Very top photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash)

The Suit: Suitsupply Mid Grey Tropical Wool Suit – $499. Ships and returns for free. An ideal suit for a warm weather wedding. Super 130’s Italian tropical wool specifically woven for a lighter weight and extra breathability. Trousers have side tabs so you can skip the belt and be extra comfortable. And the color & styling are versatile enough that the jacket and trousers can easily be broken up and worn with other items, separately, if you’re traveling to the wedding and need to pack light. Wear the trousers with a polo for lunch. Wear the jacket with contrasting, smart looking performance pants for the rehearsal dinner. Wear the entire thing, sans-tie, for a night out. Lots of options. The Less Expensive Option: Spier Red Label Light Gray Suit – $248 ($298)

The Shirt: Nordstrom Trim Fit Dress Shirt – $59.50. Or whatever your favorite white dress shirt happens to be. This one ships and returns for free from Nordstrom. That’s always a plus. Just make sure it’s got a feel to it that’s crisp, clean, and reasonably breathable. A lot of cheaper non-iron shirts will feel scratchy, stiff, and suffocating. Try to avoid those.

The Tie: Tie Bar Vine Floral Navy Tie – $28. Expect a lot of high contrast, shiny silk ties at a warm weather wedding. Also expect, possibly, a bunch of bold/primary-color infused micro-pattern “Liberty” style florals. This one is more muted, still has a micro-pattern to it (vines), and is appropriate for warmer weather while still looking classy.

The Optional Pocket Square: Tie Bar Classic Dot Navy Pocket Square – $14. A splash of navy linen with a cream border. Not even gonna bother with the dots.

The Watch: Orient Bambino 38mm Cream Dial – $202.98 ($270). Or whatever your favorite slim dress watch happens to be. This is Orient’s new Bambino (the version 7), created in a smaller but not teeny case size. Champagne dial, blue hands, exhibition caseback. And it JUST went on significant sale at Amazon, who is also selling and fulfilling the thing. For now. That could change in a hurry. If it does, consider the (big) risks buying a watch (or anything else) off Amazon from some sketchy 3rd party seller. The Less Expensive Option: Bulova 37mm Quartz Dress Watch – $110

The Socks: USA Made Boardroom Over-the-calf Merino Blend Socks – $17.95. 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. Merino wool blend will help keep your feet cool and wick sweat away from your skin.

The Shoes: Allen Edmonds Mahogany Fifth Avenue Cap-toe Oxford Dress Shoe – $261.75 ($395). Currently part of the just launched Allen Edmonds sale. An investment, but well worth it. Going with Mahogany here. A lighter brown (or even tan) would stand out, but this dark Mahogany brown shade is still incredibly handsome, more subtle/sexy/not shout-y. Tip: No matter what shoes you wear, make sure they’re well broken in before you wear them to a long, drawn out wedding ceremony and dance-floor equipped reception. You don’t want a brand new pair of shoes ripping up your feet, and therefor wrecking your night.

The Sunglasses: Walden “Woods” In Brown/Crystal Fade – $125. Certainly not a dirt-cheap pair of bargain shades, but they’re from Huckberry’s own in house brand of sunglasses which promises premium materials and construction. That and they just look all kinds of perfect.

The Belt: No belt! Again, the trousers have side tabs. Cutting any sort of weighty accessories when it’s hot out is a real plus.

The Tip: Get your suit in early so you can have plenty of time to schedule a trip to the tailor. Don’t leave that sort of stuff to the last minute. Better two weeks too early than two days (or hours) too late.

The Day-of-Tip: Drink water. Lots of water. Whether it’s stashing a Nalgene at your table or in your car or wherever, just drink lots and lots of 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. Locking your knees restricts circulation to your brain. If you’ve ever been at a wedding where one of the wedding party passes out during the ceremony, it’s… something.