Dressing for a Summer Wedding

Admit it guys, every time that you receive a wedding invitation the first thing that enters your mind (aside from maybe the stag do) is what to wear. Am I right? It’s certainly one of the style advice questions that I get asked most often from guys over social media so I know that it is a bit of a big deal for lots of men.

It’s not quite as simple as pulling out your old faithful ‘occasion’ suit from the back of the wardrobe.  Before deciding on what to wear you should think about your relationship with those getting married, the venue, the likely temperature and whether or not you are an evening or full day guest.  For example, a summer wedding in a hot climate will call for a very different look to a summer wedding here and you should plan your look accordingly.

M&S have enlisted myself a host of other menswear bloggers to try to make it a little easier for you to choose your look the next time an invite drops. I’ve chosen a pretty versatile style of suit from their new collection that I think works great for summer weddings. Just like with dressing for any occasion, the accessories make a big difference to the finished look so when you are selecting something to wear to a wedding, don’t be afraid to introduce a little bit of colour too. This can be easily done with a silk pocket square, tie or some statement socks.

Before choosing your suit, think about your build. M&S, like most other retailers do a wide range of fits these days. Whereas in the past you may have had a choice of classic or slim fit, there are now the likes of tailored fit, modern slim and skinny to choose from, which means that is now much easier to find something off of the rack that fits you well.

Generally, I’d avoid dark coloured suits for a summer wedding in favour instead of light browns, stones and perhaps a lighter shade of blue.  Instead take a light fabric (linen mix fabrics are great for summer) and treat it as a backdrop, you can then introduce some detail and personality with your accessories.

The first suit I tried on in M&S was their limited edition modern slim fitting 3-piece suit in cream. I really liked the fit and knew instantly that this was a winner of course tried a couple of others as comparisons, but these only further cemented my original view that the first one was perfect! I’m a big fan of a 3-piece suit of a wedding as even when you elect to take your jacket off the addition of the waistcoat still keeps your look sharp.

If you find something that you love but feel that the fit isn’t just right, then don’t be afraid of seeking out the assistance of a local tailor.  It’s normally very expensive to have a few minor tweaks made to a suit but this will elevate your finished look no end.  It’s definitely worth doing.

The next big dilemma comes with what to wear on your feet.  If it was in the height of summer or maybe a wedding abroad, I’d consider going sockless and wearing a slip-on loafer but as it’s still very much Spring here in the UK, I choose a dark tan leather brogue.

As I was crafting  a look for a British summer wedding, I went for a brown brogue to finish off the look, but this suit would look great with a slip-on loafer or such too.

I hope that this has given you some food for thought but if you still need a little more inspiration then you can view and shop the full collection of M&S men’s suits here.

#MandsTailoredAdventure

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Marks & Spencer