Men’s Summer Wedding Attire: 4 Looks To Steal the Show (Without Outshining the Groom)

Summer is the ideal time for a wedding: The weather’s warm, everyone’s in a good mood, the daylight lingers, and the nights feel like they could last forever.

If you’re heading to a summer wedding (or simply a wedding in a warm-weather locale), this is the ideal type of men’s attire to consider. The looks are sharp, modern, and elegant. You’ll look great, and hopefully feel confident too!

Choose the style of men’s attire based on the dress code (formal, beach wedding, casual, or black tie) of the wedding you’re attending. And if you’re not sure, well, better figure that part out first!

 

If The Dress Code Is Formal

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The majority of weddings you’ll be invited to attend are going to call for a formal dress code.

This means you have to bust out your best suit and throw on some leather shoes!

If the weather is warm, you can experiment with different fabrics, or opt for 100% cotton, which we do below: 

Your Suit: J.Crew Ludlow Suit in green

The only sub $500 suit you should be considering. J. Crew’s 100% cotton Ludlow suit is as timeless as they come.

Available in 4 colors on the J. Crew website at the time that I’m writing this, I recommend going green, a nontraditional suit color that is picking up some steam.

It’s dark enough to feel neutral, but colorful enough to make you feel avant-garde during cocktail hour. 

The Dress Shirt: White Brooks Brothers Dress Shirt

There’s not much to say about this white shirt by Brooks Brothers. It’s a classic for a reason.

Buy 5 of them and rotate through them! You’re a popular guy, so if you have multiple weddings to go to, you won’t worry about spilling a glass of red on one of them.

The Necktie: Todd Snyder Silk Tie

Let’s keep the green theme going here. This green Todd Snyder necktie with the white stripe is preppy and collegiate, just the look you want to go for at a more classic wedding.

I own a tie from Todd Snyder and let me tell you the quality is through the roof. It punches way about its $118 price tag.

Your Shoes: Morjas Black Calf Oxfords

Morjas is a brand that’s making a lot of noise lately for their sleek and elegant dress shoes.

These handcrafted black calf oxfords are going to last years, decades even. They’ll be your best friends during the many wedding seasons ahead. Wear them for all your formal occasions.

Summer Formal Wedding Attire Accessories

You’ll want a good belt—I suggest a braided woven leather belt for an added punch of pizzazz without shelling out for a Gucci Belt. Uniqlo has a good option.

Then you’ll need a watch. Keep it simple. Dress watches should be minimal and elegant. I love Seiko, it’s one of my favorite brands and the Cocktail Time “Mojito” has a beautiful kaleidoscopic dial. It’s quite likely the prettiest dial on a watch under $1,000 you can find.

If you’re attending a Beach Wedding, Try This

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Men’s beach wedding attire doesn’t necessarily mean the happy couple is getting hitched on the beach. I went to a beach attire wedding at a winery in Napa during the middle of August and the temp was teetering on 90ºF.

In this case, I like going for linen suit separates. You want to bridge the gap between style and comfort here.

Your Pants: Khaki linen Trousers

Nothing comes across as more chill, yet put together, like Khaki linen pants. These aren’t the same pants that you’d see your retired uncle wearing on a beachfront property somewhere in the Florida Keys.

These are beautifully, well-cut, Italian-inspired pants. Show up in these, and you’re guaranteed to be one of the most stylish men at the shindig.

Up Top: Light Blue Sport coat

Usually we’d tell you never wear a suit jacket separately, but in this case, it makes sense. You’re wearing tailored trousers in a more casual fabric (linen). This light blue linen suit jacket from Percival is equally as tailored / casual.

They both “match” in terms of formality, so it’s OK to pair together.

Sticking with the light colors, you can style your new pants with this baby blue linen jacket from Banana Republic. It comes with its own matching pants if you choose to go that route, but I believe they’ll look terrific with the khaki linen pants.

Your shirt: A Striped Camp Collar Shirt from Bather

A short sleeve shirt is nice for a warm, tropical wedding. It’s hard to go against this striped shirt from Bather.

Camp collars are still going strong!

Your Shoes: Beckett Simonon Tassel Loafers

Loafers have been trending for a really long time now, and while penny loafers are ubiquitous at this point, Tassel loafers are now starting to trend in fashion circles.

These tassels from Beckett Simonon are a bargain compared to some of the other tassel or Belgian loafers on the market. Grab a brown pair for this look, as they’re a bit more toned down than black.

Your Beach Wedding Attire Accessories

Go sockless! It’s a warm-weather wedding, baby. Let loose a bit! If you absolutely cannot go sockless, we have plenty of no-show socks recommendations.

Do wear a belt though. Any brown leather belt will do, including the one we featured above.

Since you’re wearing short sleeves here, you can wear any watch you want. It doesn’t have to be a dress watch since you’re not trying to slip it under the cuffs of your sleeves, so you can go for a sports watch like a diver or a chronograph.

I personally like the simple elegance of the Tissot PRX 35mm.

Men’s Wedding Attire For A Casual Summer Soirée

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Casual dress codes are my favorite because it allows you to get creative with your outfit.

Let’s set some ground rules, though: Casual doesn’t mean sloppy. It doesn’t mean “Roll out of bed and come in your house clothes” either.

So no jeans, no shorts, no T-shirts with graphics/slogans/logos, etc. Weddings are still special occasions and the last thing the couple wants is a photo of you in cargo shorts in their wedding album.

Your Pants: Cos Wide Legged Trousers

I’ve been casually wearing wide-legged trousers around during the week and I love the flowy, drapey silhouette.

For a casual wedding, wearing wider trousers can be a good style move. They evoke a nostalgic call to the past when suits from the 80s/90s were roomier.

And yes, in 2023 (and probably for the next 4-5 years, at least), wider leg pants are very much “in”. But if you’re still slowly but surely easing your way out of slim territory, consider a straight leg trouser as a nice stopgap solution.

The Shirt: Men’s Long Sleeve Cashmere Polo from Banana Republic

Okay, I’m cheating. I went to a wedding last month in San Francisco that had a fairly lax dress code, so I chose to wear baggy trousers and a long sleeve cashmere polo shirt.

I felt svelt and confident. I’m essentially rebuilding that outfit here. A long sleeve cashmere polo is a classic, preppy chic look for a wedding.

If you’re expecting high temps at this wedding, then perhaps opt for a short sleeve ribbed hem polo.

Your Shoes: Aime leon Dore Country Loafer in White

Suede may be too informal to wear to a dressier wedding, and it’s not the right material to wear in the most tropical of settings, but it can be perfect for a more casual vibe.

If you’re wearing two black garments, then you’ll wanna wear white to avoid an all-black look at a wedding. I’ve owned the navy pair for years and they haven’t let me down since!

Men’s Accessories for a Casual Wedding

You can get creative here!

Keep it simple: a belt and a watch. Maybe a chain or a bracelet if you want to spice it up a touch! I love a vintage Seiko or Bulova for a casual wedding.

Men’s Attire For An Evening Black Tie Summer Wedding

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Have a wedding at the Ritz coming up soon? If so, it’s probably a black tie affair.

Black Tie is one of the most formal dress codes—White Tie is more formal, but unless you’re going to a royal wedding, you most likely won’t ever need White Tie attire. Your best bet is to go as classic as possible for a black tie wedding.

The Outfit: A Classic Black tuxedo

For $600, it’s hard to do better than this tuxedo by Indochino. The classic straight cut and peak lapels will make you feel like a million dollars. You’ll feel like you’re Bond playing high-stakes poker in Monaco.

For something a bit nicer, Barron recommends the Black Tie Package from SuitSupply. You have your choice of two- or three-piece tuxedo in any color they offer. Plus, the package comes with the tuxedo itself, your choice of shirt, waistcoat (for the three-piece), bow tie, and shoes.

The Shirt: White Tuxedo Shirt J. Crew Factory

If you don’t already have one, a classic, no-frills tuxedo shirt is a must. This one from J.Crew Factory has you covered if you’re on a budget.

The Bowtie: Black Satin BowTie from The Tie Bar

Don’t go for a clip-on! This is not prom! The Tie Bar sells this $24 black bow tie that is perfect for your black tie wedding.

All you need is a quick YouTube tutorial to learn how to tie it yourself, and you’re golden baby!

Your Shoes: Black Calf Oxfords by Morjas

A repeat of the formal dress code shoes. A lot of people want to wear shiny black shoes with a tux, but it’s not a requirement. Regular black oxfords will do the trick.

Men’s Accessories for Formal Summer Wedding Attire

The general rule is you don’t accessorize when wearing Black Tie. At most, cufflinks for the shirt.

Traditionalists say no to watches, but if you still want to wear one, that’s totally fine. Just make sure it’s a slim dress watch with a leather band. The leather strap color should match your shoes and belt, and the metal needs to match your cufflinks.

Men’s Summer Wedding Attire Should Fit Your Style & The Occasion

Once you know the wedding’s dress code, explore one of our outfit options we’ve outlined here. While you have plenty of options for summer wedding attire, I hope this gives you some inspo and a place to start!