What To Wear to Beach Weddings

If you're a bride-to-be planning a beach wedding, it's important that your guests know what to wear to the big event. While many of us envision beaches as warm, eternally sunny locations with calm ocean breezes, this isn't always the case. Once you've been presented with an amazing engagement ring and said "yes" to the proposal, it's time to start thinking about the details including how you can help those on your guest list make an easy decision in regards to beach wedding attire.

While it was once not considered proper etiquette to include a dress code in the wedding invitations, it's becoming more of a necessity today considering the number of couples choosing to go in a different direction from the traditional (and usually formal) church wedding. It's a huge challenge for guests to guess at what they should wear, as beach weddings may be extremely casual or black tie formal. Some of the lingo you can use to give guests a clue while keeping it brief in the invitation include:

• Semi Formal or Dressy Casual: Ladies in cocktail dresses and gentlemen wearing button-down shirts with slacks
• Vacation Attire: Resort wear in the form of sundresses for women and aloha shirts with khaki pants for men
• Black Tie Optional: Formal attire, with ladies in long dresses in dark colors such as burgundy, purple, charcoal gray, navy blue and deep shades of green; men will wear a dark suit and tie
• Black Tie: Typically for evening events, with ladies in formal floor-length gowns and men in a tuxedo

Naturally, the attire you want guests to wear for your beach wedding should be based on the weather. Spring and summer are the perfect seasons for linen and other breathable fabrics, with short-sleeve choices ideal for both men and women. If strong tradewinds are forecast, consider closer-fitting dresses for the women (so as to avoid potential embarrassment) and tie clips for the men. It'll be really easy to decide on what your guests should wear depending on the season/weather forecast!

Whether you prefer super casual, formal or something in between, let your guests know what to wear for your beach wedding either via your invitation or on your wedding website where you include all of the details/information regarding your upcoming nuptials. Your guests will appreciate the help!