Summer Wedding Season: Looks for Every Invitation
Fashion is both art and personal expression—and few occasions invite elevated style like a wedding. There are countless ways to approach a wedding guest look: a simple dress elevated with statement accessories, a gown that turns heads, or experimentation with color, silhouette, and texture. But decoding the dress code can be surprisingly tricky.
Formalwear began to emerge for evening occasions in the early 19th century. Like many dress codes, it has evolved over time—silhouettes have become more timeless and versatile, while materials like silk and velvet, and embellishments such as beading and embroidery have remained hallmarks of evening style.
Here are my picks for summer weddings—from garden parties to classic formal and black-tie affairs—to help make choosing and styling your wedding guest look feel effortless.
Garden Party:
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A cowl neck floral dress like this Zara one is perfect garden party attire. Paired here with some fun Larroude 3D flower heels, simple jewelry and a Mango clutch.
Mejuri earrings & Baby Gold necklace.
This Reformation magenta floral dress features a structured top and subtle tiered hem which would have beautiful movement on a dance floor. I like pairing this color with black and silver accessories, including these Heaven Mayhem heart earrings – you’re celebrating love at a wedding after all.
Rebecca Minkoff bag, Tony Bianco shoes, Brilliant Earth pearl bracelet and ring.
Light blue and silver compliment each other in this BHLDN floral look. A chunkier chain necklace, like this Mejuri one, is an unexpected accessory. I love this almost ocean-like Cult Gaia clutch.
Brilliant Earth ring & bracelet and Schutz shoes.
Cocktail Attire:
Inspired by Claude Monet’s Irises, this Yellow the Label dress is one of my favorite recent finds. As the dress itself is a work of art, featuring a dramatic scarf cascading down the back, I would keep the accessories fairly understated and minimal. With Brilliant Earth floral earrings, a simple silver clutch, like this Il Bisonte one, and Schutz dark blue heels, the dress can be the main event in this look.
This Camila Coelho sparkle strapless dress with an abstract green & pink pattern a la Cosmo & Wanda is accented with gold jewelry, a pink clutch (Jacquemus) and green Mango heels.
Ring Concierge bar bracelet, Alexis Bittar bangle & SHASHI earrings.
This Amanda Uprichard dress also has a hem that would give some fun movement when dancing. Gold accessories tie into this Verano Hill statement clutch. Black Suede Studio lace up gold heels, Oradina gold drop earrings, By Adina necklace & SHASHI ring set.
Formal:
I love the pattern, colors and cowl neckline of this Rumored orange floral dress. It also has an elegant low back. For this dress, I would opt for a drop necklace like this PDPAOLA green & gold one, SHASHI small gold earrings & a Mango simple clutch. Nude or gold shoes, or even some green ones, would look great.
This Michael Costello black strapless dress has a structured neckline with lace detailing, making it slightly more interesting. With an open neckline, I love a pendant earring (styled here with Anton Heunis earrings). A simple bracelet (Ring Concierge) and stackable rings (SHASHI) compliment this look, along with sheer black heels (Tony Bianco). A simple black clutch (Olga Berg) is also more interesting with this gold orchid clasp.
This Lovers and Friends black dress with knotted detailing on the neckline is simple yet interesting. The metallic shine would be eye-catching in candlelight. Paired with some simple silver jewelry, SHASHI statement cluster earrings, a Rebecca Minkoff silver clutch and Mango simple black heels.
Thin silver bracelet (Brilliant Earth), SOKO silver cuff, David Yurman ring.
The purple shade of this Line & Dot dress is gorgeous and these Cult Gaia shoes are so delicate & beautiful. With this neckline, I’d opt for a pendant drop earring (styled with Oradina earrings here) and pair with gold jewelry & a Badgley Mischka gold clutch.
Catbird ring & heart ring, and Ring Concierge bracelet.
Black Tie:
This Lovers and Friends gown features an asymmetrical drop waist as well as two different fabrics, experimenting with both shape and texture. Pair with some drop earrings, like these Tiffany hearts, and other silver jewelry (styled with classic open and chain link David Yurman bracelets and ring here), a black (Judith Leiber Couture) or silver bag (Ganni) and black heels (Tony Bianco).
This Edie Parker pastel acrylic clutch is beautiful accessory with this Leau draped black gown. Silver accessories keep it simple and elegant.
Earrings (Tiffany), chain bracelet (David Yurman), ring (David Yurman) and shoes (Schutz).
Statement floral earrings (Anabel Aram) pair well with the crossed neckline on this green Norma Kamali gown. I would style this with lace up gold heels (Black Suede Studio), a gold ring (SHASHI) and a cream & gold clutch (Zara).
I’ve worn the midi version of this Norma Kamali dress to a wedding and it’s so comfortable. With this halter neckline, interesting drop earrings like this multicolored set from Chan Luu would look beautiful. I’d keep the other accessories simple and understated.
Clutch (Chiara Boni), open bracelet (Brilliant Earth), David Yurman bracelet, black heels (Mango).
This light sage For Love and Lemons gown with asymmetrical draping, button-detailing and silver heels is a stunning option for a summer wedding. Mixed metals jewelry is unique yet simple.
This textured, beaded clutch from Cult Gaia in earthy tones is a beautiful addition to the look.
