june bride: what to wear to a summer wedding.

Dress: J.Crew Factory. Clutch: GiGi New York. (c/o) Shoes: Steve Madden. Sunglasses: Kate Spade. Necklace: similar here.

I was not, in fact a June Bride (August actually) but every year around this time I get emails asking about what to wear to a summer wedding. Usually I just try to put together some ideas and email them back, but this year I thought it would be fun to do whole post devoted to ideas for summer wedding looks.  So fun right?  Who doesn’t love going to weddings.  They are my favorite thing.  Especially in the summer.

When putting together a summer wedding look there are really three things to focus on.  Dress, shoes, and bag.  You can always add in a jacket or wrap, but since it’s the warmer months, you really don’t need much more than those three.

When it comes to choosing a dress, the first step is determining exactly how formal the event is.  Is it an outside garden party, on the beach, is it more casual or a really dressy affair?  When I’m dressing for a summer event, I try to stick to lighter colors, spring and summer inspired prints like florals, polka dots, and stripes, and choose fabrics and lengths that aren’t going to make me feel like I’m suffocating.  Fit and flare dresses are always a good idea, they are universally flattering.  I also love shift dresses because they can feel more or less formal depending on how you accessorize with your shoes, bag and jewelry.  This dress is great and it’s under $50.  If you are expecting and/or petite finding a wedding guest dress can be such a headache, but ASOS is a great resource.  They have tons of great options in both maternity and petite.

A few great dress ideas:

When choosing wedding shoes you again want to consider the location and style of event.  If it’s a garden wedding on a lawn, wedges are a much better choice than a stiletto.  I’m loving Steve Madden wedges this year.  This pair is so comfortable, they’re beautifully made and were really reasonably priced. If it’s a beach wedding, you’re going to want to find a dressy flat sandal, something you can slip off and on easily.  If there’s dancing involved consider a really comfy pair of heels that strap to your feet (or slip some flats into your bag for later…)  A really formal affair calls for something fabulous in the shoes department.

A few shoe ideas:

When it comes to any kind of event I’m all about the clutch.  It’s just so convenient and it really dresses up any look.  You can  go really basic and neutral, coordinate with a patterned dress, or add a pop of color to a simple one.  Go super tiny, (we’re talking lipgloss only) or opt for a larger clutch that fits a few more reinforcements.  Finding a clutch with a strap is really helpful if you’re going to be dancing or need to have your hands free.

A few clutch ideas:

and just for fun, this hilarious clip about the big wedding faux pas, because this has never not been funny to me…