What to wear to a summer wedding – 20 occasion ready dresses

Dressing for a summer wedding can be tricky.  Do you wear long?  short? strappy? prom? It all depends on what the weather’s going to be doing (tricky issue) and how long the celebrations are likely to last.  The days of an early ceremony and canapes after are for the most part over, any many weddings start early afternoon and go on (with dinner and dancing) until the following morning.

 
So you need to choose something you’re comfortable wearing the whole time, as it’s unlikely you’ll be able to go away and change.  Thankfully, although some may disagree, it’s ok to wear black although preferably broken up with colourful or pale neutral accessories.  I don’t go for hats and please don’t get me on the subject of fascinators which I dislike intensely.
 
Lace is always a dressy option which flows perfectly from day to night, although it’s not so year-round wearable.  And not necessarily so comfortable if you want something with stretch or movement.

You need to start with one perfect dress – something that fits you perfectly, suits your own personal style and colouring, that’ll be comfortable to wear for many hours (so preferably with stretch, or movement) and something that you’ll want to wear again as buying for a specific occasion can lead to your purchase getting stuck in the wardrobe and staying there.


From day to night you can’t go wrong with nude or pale metallic shoes or sandals, with as high a heel as you can properly walk in.  If your shoes are agony after an hour you’ll want to take them off, which is never a good look in a chic dress.  Plenty of inner padding, an insole if you need it, and a tried and tested pair of heels will always work best.  I have got this wrong in the past and being short removing my shoes is not an option, resulting in sore feet for days afterwards.