You’ve been invited to a spring wedding, and we love to hear it. Spring, while beautiful, is sometimes a tough season to dress for — especially if you’re headed to a wedding. However, the relatively moderate temperatures mean you also have a lot of stylistic room to work with, so get excited!
Before Anything, Consult the Invite
This one seems simple enough. If there’s a dress code, just follow that. Let’s get ahead of something real quick. Just follow the dress code, not the spirit of the dress code, which just means wear whatever you want and try to show everyone up. No one likes that.
The small caveat is that if you know the couple really well, you can probably interpret the spirit of the dress code properly. Just be a respectful wedding guest, and you’re set. The point is, the happy couple is up there exchanging their matching his and hers wedding bands, and you don’t want to deliberately outshine them. If you accidentally do, then, well, you’re attractive — and congratulations.
Consider the Weather
Spring in the South and spring in the Midwest call for two very different spring wedding dress codes. This one should be obvious, but just know that with any of our tips, your mileage may vary. Adjust what you need to adjust, and you’ll be fine. For most people, taking our suggestions and just adding a layer or bringing an umbrella is going to be enough.
Embrace Colors
You can have so much fun with this one. Lots of great yellows, pinks, greens and all sorts of bright colors are on the table for you to choose from. Now, make sure you do this in moderation. You’re still a wedding guest, and you don’t want to be the one who shows up way overdressed. So temper your plans with that in mind, but still get creative.
Embrace Designs, Too
Spring is always defined by its colors and its patterns. Those fun floral prints and stripes are great in the summer, too, but they come around in spring, so embrace them! We promise we won’t go all Devil Wears Prada on you. This is a great choice for a wedding guest dress. Alternatively, the floral tie has been popular for a while now and is especially at home in the spring.
Accessorize
Especially if this wedding is in the later spring months, the sun is going to be shining and the weather is going to be comfortable, so embrace it. Have fun with necklaces and watches or bracelets. Really dig deep into you everyday jewelry collection and find some fun pieces that go with the rest of your outfit. Classic gold is never a bad choice in these scenarios.
Look Good in Layers
Spring is a temperamental season. More so in some sections of the country than others, but still, all wedding guests should keep that in mind. Now, we aren’t recommending a floor-length trench coat, no matter the chance of rain. There may be a 100 percent chance of rain, but there’s a zero percent chance of you making friends in a trench coat. There is, however, a 55 percent chance of looking like a detective from a noir film, which is a pro or con, depending on your lifestyle.
What we are suggesting is lighter coats, shawls or really any version of a light layer as necessary. Umbrellas, while not a layer, are helpful here as well. You really don’t need a raincoat at a wedding because they just aren’t stylish enough to match up to the rest of your outfit (in almost all cases). That and the fact that if you need a raincoat because it’s pouring down that badly, the wedding is likely headed inside anyway.
Sleeves Are Your Friend
Piggybacking on the layers idea, sleeves are also great. Gents, you’re probably already familiar with sleeves and planning on wearing them. Unless this wedding is in South Beach and hosted by Macho Man Randy Savage (gone but never forgotten), you should have sleeves of some sort. Ladies, dresses with sleeves are your friend in the summer. They look great, they’re simple and they’re just a touch warmer, which can make all the difference.
Err on the Side of Business Casual*
*Unless it says otherwise on the wedding invite. We want that to be very clear. Business casual and all things adjacent to it are pretty solid choices for a spring wedding. Consider this especially true if the wedding is in a warmer climate and/or in the later spring. Gents, still wear a tie. That’s just a good thing to do at a wedding unless otherwise stated.
Business casual is often just going to mean more casual leathers on belts and watches, casual to semi-formal button-downs and ties that are a little more fun and less corporate and bland. Interpret that how you need to in the context of the wedding you’re headed to, but this is a pretty good reference point.
As with all things, use your best discretion. If you know the couple well enough to interpret the dress code efficiently, awesome. If this is more of a friend of a friend’s wedding, stick to the basics and you’ll be just fine.
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