[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/lighten-up\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/lighten-up\/","headline":"Lighten Up","name":"Lighten Up","description":"Lighten Up Maintaining appearances at summer weddings for every style and budget By Sarah Rammos Traditional wedding attire usually conjures images of stiff jackets and...","datePublished":"2010-06-30","dateModified":"2021-06-21","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/","identifier":787,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/lighten-up-ines-disanto.png","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/lighten-up-ines-disanto.png","height":600,"width":400},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/lighten-up\/","about":["Style Watch"],"wordCount":887,"articleBody":" Lighten Up Maintaining appearances at summer weddings for every style and budgetBy Sarah Rammos Traditional wedding attire usually conjures images of stiff jackets and long puffy gowns, which can spell disaster when temperatures rise. Thankfully, sticking to tradition is not a priority at Equally Wed. Read on for clothes that will make sure brides, grooms, brooms and the wedding party all look their best on the big day.\u00a0        LADIES FIRSTEvery bride wants to glow on her wedding day, but that glow should be from happiness, not sweat. Certain fabrics and styles of bridal gowns are better suited to keeping you cool and comfortable everywhere from a beachside ceremony to a packed dance floor. We went to the experts to find out which dresses work the best.\u201cTaffeta or silk tissue taffeta are light fabrics great for summer,\u201d says Christina DeMarco, general manager of Bridal Reflections in New York City. \u201cStrapless dresses with sweetheart necklines have been very popular, as have fitted dresses, textured fabrics and draping, or using brooches as accents.\u201d For this style, DeMarco suggested gowns by Italian-born, Argentinian-raised designer Ines DiSanto.\u201cThe other extreme,\u201d says DeMarco, \u201cis silk chiffon, Greek-inspired dresses.\u201d These flowing, A-line dresses with their crisscrossed bodices or slits in the skirts are fantastic, airy styles for summer. Romona Keveza\u2019s gowns are a good example of this type of design.Simone Salen, general manager of the Jessica McClintock bridal salon in Las Vegas, recommends \u201canything light that is easy to wear.\u201d Salen also suggests chiffon dresses, but adds, \u201cYou can\u2019t go wrong with empire styles.\u201dOverall, what brides should keep in mind is to stick to dresses that breathe and allow room for movement. If a dress is constricting or too clingy, the heat may become too much. But if you take DeMarco and Salen\u2019s suggestions into account, you\u2019ll be able to stay beautiful and glowing from the vows to the getaway car.\u00a0        SIMPLY THE VEST A suit is always an easy way for men and women to look polished and pulled together, but come summer and a whole lot of sweat, you\u2019re probably figuring out that all those layers probably aren\u2019t the best idea. The fastest way to lighten up is to cut down on the number of individual garments you have on. Instead of wearing a long-sleeved dress shirt, a vest and a jacket, select pieces you can wear without the others.Lightweight cotton shirts work well for the first layer. If the wedding is casual, pick one that can be worn without a jacket. Calvin Klein sells thin cotton shirts in black and white; the black ones have long sleeves designed to be rolled up, while the white ones are thinner and slightly sheer, similar to guayaberas.If the event is semi-formal, try a cotton suit jacket paired with slacks instead of dress pants. The jackets sold at Express tend to be cut a bit narrower, so women may be able to fit into them without tailoring. J Crew also sells lightweight jackets for men and women in grays and whites that are more comfortable than the traditional black.For a formal event where only a suit will do, tans and creams work well in the summer. Men\u2019s Wearhouse offers several styles of suits and lighter tuxedos that can be customized in a variety of ways with accents like vests, ties, pocket squares and socks. But with suits, the most important thing to keep in mind is how it fits. Find a good tailor, and get each piece altered to fit your body perfectly. Even an expensive suit will look cheap if it is ill fitting.\u00a0        AS FOR THE REST OF YOUContrary to popular opinion, bridesmaids\u2019 dresses usually don\u2019t look bad on purpose. But finding one dress that flatters everyone and fits the season can be challenging. Convertible dresses are an easy solution to this common problem. These versatile dresses have straps that can be tied in dozens of ways, from strapless to halter to cap-sleeved. The limitless number of options guarantees that bridesmaids will be able to find a fit for every body type and degree of modesty.Victoria\u2019s Secret sells three styles of convertible dresses, and all are made from the same lightweight cotton jersey. The ‘Daytime’ dress is A-lined with an asymmetric hem, and falls to about the knees. For a sexier look, choose the ruched dress, which is fitted through a slightly longer hemline. The \u2018Flirty\u2019 dress offers an asymmetrical hem that falls to the ankles. And if you don\u2019t want to wear a dress, they also have a convertible jumpsuit. These options are budget-friendly, with most coming in under $100.But what happens if your wedding colors are not, shall we say, commercial? Twobirds Bridesmaid has you covered. It offers 18 shades and the ability to create any custom color you come up with. The \u2018Classic\u2019 version is similar to Victoria\u2019s Secret\u2019s.Twobirds also offers a \u2018Rosette\u2019 style, with hand-sewn rosettes along the hemline, and a \u2018Two-Toned,\u2019 where the straps are a different color than the skirt. The price of each style varies, and longer ones are more expensive, but all of Twobirds\u2019 dresses are less than $400. "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Lighten Up","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/lighten-up\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]