Roundup: What to Wear to a Summer Wedding

Well, the summer wedding season is officially upon us. And as anyone who's ever gotten an invitation to a wedding knows, one of the first questions that crosses your mind (besides "chicken or beef?") is "What am I going to wear?" Some invitations actually give seemingly helpful guidelines like Daytime Elegant, Garden Party Formal, Summer Festive, or Please Not Shorts, but these can often end up leaving guests even more confused. And while I certainly can't solve every wedding guest attire-related conundrum, I decided to round up some of my favorite frocks, which I separated into dresses meant for day and night.

The above dresses would work well for most daytime weddings, which tend to be less formal. I looked for colorful, non-shiny dresses (no satin, sparkles, or sequins) in not-too-revealing silhouettes. Something about letting it all hang out at a daytime wedding just strikes me as wrong (feel free to disagree, though). Patterns, which often make a dress seem more playful, work great during the day.

I chose the set of dresses above with a nighttime wedding in mind. I looked for saturated colors and fun details, and included slightly less modest cuts than the daytime dresses. One-shoulder, strapless, body-conscious, and halter styles tend to work better for evening events (though you still won't want anything so flashy or revealing that it ends up drawing negative attention!). If an invitation calls for black- or white-tie, you'll probably want a full-length gown, but otherwise I tend to prefer shorter dresses because they make dancing so much easier.

What do you think of my picks? Are you attending any weddings this summer, and if so, what are you wearing? I'd love to hear your thoughts on what works (and doesn't work) at a wedding!