In this detailed guide on men’s summer wedding attire, we cover how men can dress for a summer wedding, covering the types of summer fabrics, to dressing for particular types of venues, to the actual type of summer wedding suit style that you are selecting.
You’re abuzz with excitement. Or at least she is. Your big day of nupitals awaits you. Along with that enervating summer heat. Which begs the question. How do you dress dapper for the big day, without looking like you’ve just run the New York city marathon in the midst of summer. So that you look more like Ryan Gosling and less like a hooper after leading a fast break in overtime.
While tying the knot during Waikiki beach like conditions during the summer months may seem like your ideal situation, selecting the right choice of fabrics, along with pattern and color, can seem downright daunting. With that said, here is our detailed guide to dressing for a summer wedding!
Summer Fabrics
Woolen Suits
Whether you are going with or sans tie during the spring / summer months, a woolen suit with high super count can be a great option! Courtesy of www.hespokestyle.com
A worsted wool suit is comprised of woolen fibers that have been initially straightened out on an individual basis, and then twisted and spun together in a yarn. Heavier suits are typically constructed with a lower ‘super number’.
Super Count refers to the quality of the raw wool before it has been processed into a suit. Conventionally speaking, the super count number was derived from the number of 560 yard long spools a pound of wool can yield (sounds absolutely absurd right!). Therefore, a ‘Super 80’ implies that a pound can yield 80 spools, and a ‘Super 100’ indicates that a pound can yield 100 spools. The super count therefore essentially refers to the fineness of the strands of wool.
It is for this reason that while winter months are typically associated with thicker / lower super wool count suits, summer months are associated with a higher super wool count, and hence finer fabrics. This will allow your fabrics to breathe easily and provide you with a level of comfort during more tropical climates.
The Dark Knot Tip: Be diligent in ensuring that your higher super count suits are constructed from wools that are sourced from more reputable mills. While the super count will determine how fine the yarn is, there is no remedy for woolen material sourced from lower quality mills.
Linen Suits
Linen Suits make for the perfect summer wedding attire, with its light weight, breathable fabric qualities giving it an airy, relaxed feel. Courtesy of www.dhgate.com
Alright, so finally, we are onto real summer fabrics! Linen is a lighter weight fabric that corresponds best with spring & summer months. Linen is a breathable, lighter weight, durable fabric that is perfectly suited for warmer climates. Linen’s major drawback is that it creases easily, indicating that it should be avoided for corporate settings.
Linen suits, next to seersucker, provide for the ultimate, relaxed look. If you are looking for that elusive paradox of relaxed dapper, a linen suit can quickly become your first choice for the big wedding day. Looking to add more panache to your ensemble? Try opting for darker colors in linen, such as charcoal grey or darker brown. However, for the ultimate summer day time look, you are best off selecting lighter colors such as tan, creams and off-whites.
The Dark Knot Tip: When opting for a linen suit for your summer wedding, you can forego the traditional two or three piece suit and instead opt for linen trousers with a vest. Pair this combination with a lighter white cotton shirt and paisley colored tie, and you are bound to have people doing a double take and then some!
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s range of stunning Paisley Silk Ties.
Seersucker Suits
Few items look as effortlessly dapper as a seersucker suit! Courtesy of www.pinterest.com
The term seersucker is derived from India, where it used to be known as ‘Shir-O-Shakar’, which in Persian translates into ‘Milk or Sugar’, referencing the contrasting nature of the fabric – smooth yet crinkled.
Seersucker is a lighter weight, crinkled, striped summer fabric of puckered cotton. The stripes let air into the fabric, to help you keep cool.
Seersucker’s lighter weight cotton properties make it ideal for summer weddings and allow for some striking color schemes! When accessorizing a seersucker suit, opting for tie patterns that are not too busy, will work especially well. If you are pairing your seersucker suit with a solid colored shirt, you will have more flexibility with respect to the range of tie patterns that you can work with.
The Dark Knot Tip: Pair your seersucker summer wedding ensemble with a pastel colored or animal print silk tie for maximum effect!
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s range of Spring & Summer Ties
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s range of stunning Animal Print Silk Ties
Cotton Suits
The versatility of cotton suits make them an ideal choice for summer weddings! Courtesy of www.michaelandrews.com
Cotton suits are one of your most versatile choices, as they allow you to have a refined yet casual look that is incredibly summer friendly. While cotton suits will be stiffer than your woolen suiting, they also happen to be have more cooling properties. While Khaki appears to be the most popular choice with cotton suits, experimentation with colors such as baby blue cotton can yield some splendid results!
For most men, cotton suits appear to be a default option during warmer climates. However, with a wide selection of cotton available on the global market, having a discerning eye when choosing your summer fabrics can be of great help. Ideally, you want to go with an open weave – one that breathes easily.
The Dark Knot Tip: A simple test is to hold your fabric of choice against the sunlight to see if you can see through it. If you can’t, then you know that this fabric isn’t best suited for summer months.
Chambray Suits
Few items drape as effortlessly as a chambray suit! Courtesy of www.michaelandrews.com
Chambray is a light weight cotton fabric that resembles denim. Chambray is a slightly glossy, yet highly comfortable fabric that is considered durable and drapes with ease. In recent years, larger labels have been introducing chambray into their summer offerings!
Summer Suit Construction
An often overlooked element when choosing a summer suit is the suits construction. The making of a suit will help determine its weight, texture and breathability, all of which are incredibly important during warmer months.
The lining of a suit helps determine its structure and rigidity. While some prefer to go with an entirely unlined suit, we suggest going with a half lined suit if possible. This will allow your suit to breathe easily, while still maintain the structure of a more traditional suit.
What To Wear To A Summer Wedding
Formal / Traditional Wedding (Day Time Formal Dress)
A morning suit makes for the ultimate day time formal attire! Make an impression during the day at your summer wedding with a morning suit. Courtesy of www.lequest.co.uk
Morning, or formal day dress, is the day time equivalent of the white tie dress code (considered even more formal than black tie!), which in essence, makes it the most formal day time attire for your summer wedding.
Morning dress consists of a long tail morning coat, its key distinguishing component, along with a waistcoat and formal trousers. While this is not as prevalent in the U.S, morning dress is still largely adhered to in the UK. Morning or formal day dress typically consists of the following:
- Morning Coat in Black Or Grey
- Striped Black or Solid Grey Trousers
- White or light blue French cuff shirts
- Waistcoat
- Silk Necktie
- Well polished black shoes (not classic pump shoes used for evening tuxedo wear)
To learn more about morning dress (which can also be used in winter weddings), please click here.
Black Tie
Black Tie. Enough said. Courtesy of www.debretts.com
Formal summer evening wedding attire typically consists of black tie. Black Tie attire comprises of a dinner suit with contrasting lapels in fabrics such as grosgrain or silk and trousers with braiding down the leg, adding to the formality of your ensemble); a white dress shirt with a turn down collar and cufflinks, in addition to having an intricate front with studs; formal black shoes also known as pumps, and a well-tied self tie black bow tie (go figure!).
It is often suggested that midnight blue is far more compelling than actually wearing black, as midnight blue looks even darker under artificial light.
To learn more about Black Tie Attire, please click here.
The Beach / Destination Wedding
Seersucker suits are an ideal choice for a beach or seaside wedding! Courtesy of www.themainetinker.com
Going to a dream beach / destination wedding? Try option for one of our key summer fabrics listed above, with particular preference leaning towards linen or seersucker. The cool, lightweight, breathable nature of these fabrics will ensure that you look both dapper and remain cool at the same time.
Ideally, your cotton or linen shirts should have a softer collar to match the less structured / half lined summer suit jackets that we have discussed above.
With regards to accessorizing your beach / destination wedding suits, we recommend selecting printed silk ties or silk knit ties – variants that do not exhibit excess sheen when exposed to sunlight. A more subdued (though colorful) tie pattern and fabric can work exceptionally well during the summer months! If you do opt for a silk tie during the summer, we suggest going with a lighter colored silk tie or a silk / linen blend.
A seersucker suit with a knit tie makes for an incredible summer ensemble! Courtesy of www.pinterest.com
To view The Dark Knot’s range of Printed Silk Ties, please click here.
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s range of Silk Knit Ties.
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s range of Spring & Summer Ties.
Looking to accessorize your beach wedding attire further? How about a linen pocket square with hand rolled contrasting edges, such as those offered by The Dark Knot.
Alternatively, silk pocket squares with a paisley or floral pattern can work particularly well during the spring / summer months. Because pocket squares aren’t as exposed as ties, the sheen from these pocket squares will not clash as visibly with your summer ensemble as a silk tie would!
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s extensive range of Silk & Linen Pocket Squares.
The Country Wedding
Country weddings during the summer months provide a perfect opportunity to experiment with separates! Courtesy of www.hespokestyle.com
While it is possible to have a formal country wedding, a country wedding during the summer months generally comes with a more casual dress code. With a country wedding, while there appears to be flexibility to dress with separates as opposed to a full suit, adhering to at least a casual outfit with trousers, a jacket, a shirt and a tie would work best.
A pale grey, pale blue or cream suit would work perfectly in this situation, especially if you envision yourself, as many country weddings would be, standing on someone’s front lawn or the lawn of a privileged country club!
This generally should provide you with more flexibility with regards to your suit colors and choice of fabric. A country summer wedding is an ideal situation to experiment with a linen or cotton suit. Regarding your footwear, semi-formal shoes such as loafers would work particularly well.
City Weddings
A summer wedding in the city is best attended with a traditional suit color such as grey or navy! Courtesy of www.hespokestyle.com
City weddings are best attended with darker colored suits. Try opting for a suit that is functional year round, such as your super 100’s or above. The super count, as mentioned above, essentially refers to the fineness of the strands of wool. A higher super count is therefore best suited towards warmer months, given the finer strands of the suit resulting in a lighter weight, more breathable fabric.
While you are best off being fairly conservative with your suit color for a city summer wedding (think grey or navy), you can add some color to the mix with your shirts and /or accessories. How about adding some color combinations that would add visual interest to your ensemble, such as a burgundy or pink tie against a light blue shirt.
You could also experiment with the pattern of your tie, such as going with a bolder floral or paisley patterned tie, or with something more quirky but equally aesthetic – an animal motif print tie, that appears as a splash of color from afar, but up close demonstrates something far more engaging!
The Dark Knot’s Animal Print ties make for perfect summer wedding accessories!
While the boldest of combinations such as an orange tie against a blue shirt are best reserved for the more sartorially inclined of you, it is best to keep your ensemble somewhat reserved, unless you are the groom.
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s extensive range of Wedding Ties!
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s range of stunning Silk & Linen Pocket Squares, & our range of Lapel Flowers, which make for perfect summer wedding accessories!
5 Key Summer Wedding Suit Styles
Contemporary Two Piece Suit
The most versatile on this list, the conventional two piece suit will ensure that you look the part on that big summer wedding day. Try opting for a color like grey or navy, or a more summer neutral color such as beige or cream.
A tan two piece suit makes for perfect summer wedding attire. Courtesy of www.pinterest.com
Three Piece Suit
The classic three piece suit for the more sartorially inclined of you, the third layer of this suit will inject your attire with some serious punch. The three piece suit is a fantastic way to up your style for the big day!
A three piece suit. The ultimate men’s summer wedding suit. Courtesy of www.pinterest.com
The Dinner Suit
While few summer weddings will require the formality of black tie attire, if said dress code is part of the invite, be sure to opt for a high quality tuxedo! If trying to decide between renting or buying a tuxedo, try to think if the lifetime value of your tuxedo is worth the investment of buying one – you will wear it at least a handful of times!
Black Tie Attire. Enough said. Courtesy of www.insideweddings.com
Double Breasted Suit
A double breasted suit can really make you stand out at a wedding, without having to adorn your attire with brighter colored accessories. Ideal for men with slimmer / athletic builds, a double breasted suit, with upward pointing peaked lapels, will make your chest look wider, helping accentuate that coveted v-shape.
Make an impression at that summer wedding with an incredible double breasted suit with peak lapels!
If you’re on the shorter side, try and opt for a double breasted jacket with four buttons as opposed to six or eight, to increase perceived vertical lines and make you look taller!
Separates
For less formal events, which is often the case with summer weddings, wearing separates (a sports jacket with pants) can help you really stand out in a relaxed dapper way.
At their core, separates are any combination of tailoring i.e blazers and trousers that don’t come from the same suit. This lends to mixing colors in a more relaxed fashion versus wearing a traditional two piece suit. Dressing with separates allows for flexibility. A pair of trousers can be replaced with a pair of chinos – the goal is relaxed dapper, without resorting to a sports jacket and jeans look!
A summer wedding provides for the perfect opportunity to dress in separates!
And that’s a wrap for this one! We hope that you have enjoyed reading this article as much as we have writing it!
