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 dressed up of weddings. The Groom and Groomsmen will be in (rented) tuxedoes. One of them might pass out from the heat. But we’re not doing that. No sir, no ma’am. Here’s one way to look handsome and stay cool, eschewing 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 Grey Tropical Wool Suit – $499. Ships and returns for free. Vitale Barberis Canonico Italian tropical wool specifically woven for a lighter weight and extra breathability. Plus 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 chinos for the rehearsal dinner. Lots of options. Do know that Suitsupply makes their suits with functioning sleeve cuff buttons. Which is a neat little detail if the sleeves hit your wrists just right. If not, they can be a real (expensive) pain to tailor. But again, they ship and return for free.
The Shirt: Target Goodfellow Performance Dress Shirt – $33. Or whatever your favorite white dress shirt happens to be. This one from Target is surprisingly decent though. In person look can be found here.
The Pocket Square: Kelly Ventura x Tie Bar Eden Floral Navy Pocket Square – $18. Floral pattern for spring/summer, deep navy base to keep things anchored. Not a micro-pattern & pastel “liberty” style print, which can get silly, quick.
The Sunglasses: Walden Passage Sunglasses in Charcoal Grey Crystal – $99. 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 the gray frames + blue lenses look cool and subtly different from standard tortoise or black frame shades.
The Watch: Tissot Gentleman’s Automatic – $516.75 ($795). A splurge, but under half a grand for a Swiss made automatic watch with an 80-hour power reserve is about as good a price you’ll find these days. Especially once/if the 31% tariff on Switzerland kicks in.
The Socks: Made in the USA Over-the-calf Merino Blend Socks – $17.95. Amazon Prime fulfilled. Made in the USA. Not bulky. True dress socks, and unlike cotton, the merino blend will keep your feet much cooler and wick moisture.
The Shoes: Nordstrom Edison Double Monk Strap Shoe – $64.96 ($99.95). Cheeeeap. Ships and returns for free too. One way to wear a suit without a tie without looking like you just took off your tie… is to wear monk straps instead of dressy/more formal oxfords. Of course you do NOT need to buy a new pair of shoes. If you’ve got brown dress lace-ups? Just wear those. Now, as the monks have darker gunmetal buckles, the “flash” will be knocked down quite a bit. Which is good. Don’t want to blind anyone in any bright sun. The Splurge: Jack Erwin – $269
The Belt: Nordstrom Made in Italy Marco Burnished Leather Belt – $47.70 ($79.50). Rich, chestnut brown leather. Ships and returns for free.
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 Designated Driver’s 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.
And there you have it. All three levels of dress for a spring or summer wedding. Check out all three scenarios here:
- What to Wear to a Spring or Summer Wedding – Dressed Up (you just read it. yay!)
- What to Wear to a Spring or Summer Wedding – Smart but not Stuffy
- What to Wear to a Spring or Summer Wedding – On The Casual Side