What To Wear to a Casual Summer Wedding/Celebration

I know what you're thinking, "didn't you just write about dressing for a summer wedding?" I did, pal, but here's the thing: The wedding celebration we went to this weekend was so different from our other friend's wedding in Pittsburgh last month, I had to share. Because I bet you've got some casual weddings on your calendar – or fancier parties – and striking the right balance can be hard! Knowing what to wear to casual wedding vs. what to wear to a formal wedding...

This past weekend we drove inland to our hometown area (in case you didn't know, Chris and I grew up about 20 minutes apart in Western Maine/and the Mount Washington Valley of New Hampshire) to celebrate two of our longtime friends making it official. Instead of a formal wedding, they chose to have a big party (score!) with lots of food (double score), and lots of dancing (yes, score again!) at a local conservation center. For these reasons, I didn't want to wear the long, somewhat delicate Reformation dress I bought off Poshmark for the Pittsburgh wedding and opted instead for something a little more casual. I'd been eyeing this wrap dress for months, waiting for it to go on sale, and this past weekend it finally did. And it's from a very unexpected source... Yeeeeeep. My younger self is rolling in her grave. But a great dress is a great dress and that's the thing about being older – you stop giving a shit. Anyway, it was on sale and fit perfectly and is a style I know I'll wear constantly this summer, so here it is!

I paired it with dance-friendly lace-up wedges, the most perfect straw bag, and a few simple jewelry pieces. Done and done. Best part? It looked fine when I eventually tossed my shoes aside and went barefoot. I was in the woods of New Hampshire, after all.

What To Wear To A Summer Wedding

Get the look:
Free People 'Faye' dress (more options here)
Sole Society heels (similar styles here)
Similar round sunglasses
Self-made necklace (similar)

This summer has been one for the books in terms of sheer business. Between my new work schedule and jam-packed weekends, it's been hard to take a break or even catch a breath, it feels like we're always moving. We've had obligations every weekend since late May, and this past weekend was no different, except our obligation was to witness the marriage of Chris's best friend in Maine. Soooo... "obligation" isn't quite the right word for it... "joy", "excitement", you get the gist. We were more than thrilled to have an excuse to travel home, if only for a short amount of time. Best Man that he was, Chris flew up before me for the bachelor party and I was to follow with the car. Except the car wasn't having any of it.

But even a busted transmission line couldn't keep me away, and after an Uber ride, two excruciatingly long and uncomfortable bus rides, a lift from my father-in-law to New Hampshire, and a borrowed car from my father to drive to Maine, I was there. Tired, but there.

The opportunities to dress up these days are pretty few and far between for Chris and I, so any chance we get, we take. I bought this dress shortly before leaving Free People expressly for this particular wedding, and it's been burning a hole in my proverbial pocket ever since. It's light, airy, and perfect for the blazing hot days we've been having, but easily transitioned to fall layered under a denim or leather jacket (I'm counting down the days until leather jacket weather), but even then, I was tempted to jump in the water at Two Lights, where the ceremony took place.



PS - Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my recent post about my new job. I truly appreciate your words of encouragement -- and luggage recommendations! xo