“A beautiful beach
A clear blue sky
A love united
With waves crashing nearby.
We invite you to share
our beach wedding
on…. ”
So…. You have been invited to a beach wedding. Exciting!
Soon after that however, come lots of questions, and probably the first one would be What should I wear?
Being invited to a wedding is always an excellent occasion (and a justified excuse!) to search for the perfect outfit that will make you look and feel gorgeous. But let’s face it – a wedding is not about you or how gorgeous you look! It’s about the bride, and you wouldn’t wish to be on her (and most probably her mother’s) ‘black list’, would you?!
So, first rule – never try to upstage the bride (or her mother, for that matter)! What you need to do when choosing your wedding outfit is to find the right balance between looking fabulous and yet, not stealing everybody’s attention to your glamorous persona.
Now… being invited to a beach wedding brings yet even more questions about all the do-s and don’t-s. Normally a beach wedding would take place in summer and this season presupposes a somewhat more casual look. Yet, it’s a wedding nevertheless! So… Formal or casual? ‘Black tie’ … ‘White tie’? A long ball gown or a cocktail dress?
Best scenario would be of course if the wedding invitation has made it clear, in terms of dress code, color theme, etc. All you’ll need to do then is simply abide by these ‘rules’.
Surely, the ‘Oscars’ style (‘White tie’) or the strictly formal ‘Black tie’ (tuxedo/long evening gown)-style are most unlikely to be expected in the case of a beach wedding. So, relax! Your credit card (or that of your partner) is safe!
Instead, what you can expect is a ‘Beach formal’ or a ‘Semiformal/Dressy Casual’ dress code invitation. This suggests that it will be a posh beach wedding, so … Dress to impress!
A summer suit, a linen shirt, no tie, even khakis and sandals would be OK for him. She shall have the freedom to choose for any summer elegant outfit that she’d wear when, for example, going to an outdoor summer restaurant or to a summer hall concert.
via Gorgeautiful
Another likely possibility would be the free ‘Casual’-style. Generally, this translates as “Anything goes” Yet, do not take it literally! Denims, shorts, ‘Hawaii’-shirts, T-shirts, tank tops, skimpy clothing, club wear, hoodies, etc. ‘let’s-go-to-the-beach’ casual style of attire would be highly inappropriate for a wedding event. Instead, dress pants with a button-down shirt or polo (for him) and a nice summer sundress or a skirt, or pants, with a nice blouse (for her) would fit the offered dress code much more successfully. If you think it will get chilly later in the evening, add a light throw, shawl or a bolero/jacket.
What about shoes? Well, if you are a ‘dancer’, than think of comfortable shoes that will allow you to have fun on the dance floor. In any case, dancing or not, be sure that there will come that moment when you shall wish for feeling the soft sand and the cool water of the sea on your bare feet, so… it’s up to you, but choose your footwear wisely!
Makeup and hair-style can be of course elegant but can also well be natural and/or sort of casual.
As for colors, even if you have to respect a proposed color theme, your choice should depend on the time of the event. For an evening beach wedding, better wear darker and more ‘formal’ tones; for a daytime event – choose lighter colors.
This all said, let’s not forget a few ‘carved-in-stone’ rules when it comes to what a wedding guest should wear:
- – Don’t wear white! That is and will always be the prerogative of the bride /and often of the groom/ (unless of course they’ve decided to have a posh à la fashionista white wedding, where everybody and everything is required to be white).
- – Respect the wishes and the sentiments of the marrying couple! Do not ever forget – it’s their special day, so do whatever pleases them and abide by their rules on dress code, color palette, etc.
- – And as said above – Never try to upstage the bride! On this day, try not to show off, no matter how fancy, trendy and glamorous your style may be! (The same goes for the groom, of course!)
Wish you a most pleasant time as a beach wedding guest and … Hey! Throw in some pictures from the event on the Submissions page!
This post was brought to you by my dearest friend Rossitsa Yankova. Thank you!
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