A beach wedding has a dress code, it just is not written down anywhere. Below is what to actually wear as a guest, what the dress codes on the invitation mean, and what to avoid, whether the ceremony is barefoot on sand or black tie under a palm tree.

The short answer

For most beach weddings a man wears a lightweight button-up shirt in a breathable fabric, tailored trousers or chinos in a light colour, and leather loafers or clean espadrilles. No jacket unless the invitation says formal. No tie unless the groom is wearing one. The fabric matters more than the formality, because you will be standing in direct sun.

Decoding the dress code on the invitation

Casual beach wedding attire

A printed or plain short sleeve button-up, chinos or linen trousers, and loafers or sandals. This is the most common beach wedding dress code and the most misread. Casual does not mean a t-shirt, and it does not mean board shorts. It means a collar, and trousers you would wear to a nice dinner.

Semi formal beach wedding attire

A long sleeve button-up or a well cut short sleeve shirt, tailored trousers, leather shoes. A linen blazer is optional and usually comes off after the ceremony. Skip the tie.

Beach formal, also called tropical formal

This is the one that trips people up. Beach formal means a suit, but in a light colour and a breathable fabric. A linen or cotton suit in stone, sand, light grey or pale blue. A dress shirt underneath. Tie optional and usually skipped. Do not wear a dark wool suit to a beach formal wedding, you will be miserable and you will look like you came from the office.

Coastal cocktail

A newer dress code that has become common. Somewhere between semi formal and beach formal. A patterned or textured button-up, tailored trousers, optional unstructured blazer. It is the dress code that gives you the most room to wear something with personality.

What to actually wear, by role

If you are a guest

Your job is to look considered without competing with the wedding party. A print is fine and often better than plain, because it reads as effort. Pick something with depth to the pattern rather than a novelty print. Our wedding guest and resort shirts are cut for exactly this, and our floral shirts work particularly well for daytime ceremonies.

If you are the groom

Lighter than your groomsmen, or the same shirt in a different colourway. Many grooms now skip the suit entirely for a beach ceremony and wear a fine linen shirt with tailored trousers. If you want the wedding party coordinated without being identical, pick one print and give each groomsman a different colour of it.

If you are a groomsman

Follow whatever the groom sets. If nothing has been specified, match the other groomsmen on fabric and colour rather than on exact shirt. Buying together is worth doing, because adding any four shirts to one cart makes the lowest priced one free.

Fabric is the decision that matters most

You will be outside, in sun, for two to three hours before you get near shade or air conditioning. The fabric decides whether you enjoy the day.

• Linen and cotton-linen blends. The best choice. Airy, breathable, dries fast if you sweat. Cotton-linen blends wrinkle far less than pure linen, which matters if you are travelling with it. Our cotton-linen shirts are cut for heat.
• Bamboo and hemp. Softer than linen against the skin, breathes as well, and resists wrinkles better than either. Good if you are packing light. See our bamboo hemp shirts.
• Cotton. Fine, breathable, but holds moisture longer than linen once you sweat.
• Polyester. Avoid it. It does not breathe, it traps heat, and it will show sweat. Most cheap Hawaiian shirts are polyester, which is why they are cheap.

Colour guidance

Light and mid tones photograph better on sand and in bright sun than dark colours do, and they stay cooler. Stone, sand, pale blue, sage, white and soft coral all work. Avoid pure black for a daytime ceremony. Avoid anything close to white if the groom is wearing white.

For prints, daytime ceremonies suit florals and botanical patterns. Evening receptions can take something with more contrast.

What not to wear to a beach wedding

• A dark wool suit. Wrong fabric, wrong temperature, wrong photographs.
• Shorts, unless the invitation explicitly says so. Even then, tailored, not board shorts.
• Flip flops, unless the ceremony is barefoot and the couple has said so.
• A novelty print. Save the tacos and the flamingos for the after party.
• Anything white if you are not the groom.
• A tie, unless the groom is wearing one.

Shoes

Leather loafers, suede drivers or clean espadrilles. If the ceremony is on sand, many couples ask guests to go barefoot for the ceremony itself and put shoes back on for the reception, so wear something you can slip off. Avoid dress shoes with hard soles on sand.

Destination weddings and packing

If you are flying, choose fabrics that come out of a bag ready to wear. Cotton-linen and bamboo hemp both pack flat and shed wrinkles when hung. Pure linen looks wonderful and arrives creased.

Pack one shirt for the ceremony, one for the welcome dinner and one for the day after. Three shirts covers most destination weddings, and if you are buying, a fourth is free.

Frequently asked questions

What do men wear to a beach wedding?
A lightweight button-up shirt in linen, cotton-linen or bamboo hemp, tailored trousers or chinos in a light colour, and loafers or espadrilles. No jacket unless the dress code is beach formal, and no tie unless the groom wears one.

Can I wear a Hawaiian shirt to a beach wedding?
Yes, if the print has some subtlety to it and the dress code is casual or coastal cocktail. A layered floral or botanical print reads as considered. A novelty print does not. Save the loud one for the after party.

What does beach formal mean for men?
A suit in a light colour and a breathable fabric, usually linen or cotton, with a dress shirt underneath. Tie optional. It does not mean a dark wool suit.

What is coastal cocktail attire?
Between semi formal and beach formal. A patterned or textured button-up shirt, tailored trousers, and an optional unstructured blazer. It gives you more room for personality than the other beach dress codes.

Can you wear shorts to a beach wedding?
Only if the invitation says so. Even then, tailored shorts rather than board shorts, with a proper button-up shirt and loafers.

What colour shirt for a beach wedding?
Light and mid tones. Stone, sand, pale blue, sage and soft coral all photograph well in bright sun and stay cooler than dark colours. Avoid white if the groom is wearing white.

Should groomsmen match at a beach wedding?
Coordinate rather than match exactly. Same fabric and colour family works better in photographs than identical shirts, and it lets each groomsman wear something that suits him.

Shop the look

Every shirt we make is cut relaxed in breathable cotton-linen or bamboo hemp, in sizes S to 3XL with 4XL on selected styles. Start with wedding guest and resort shirts, or browse floral prints, cotton-linen and beach and vacation shirts.

Add any four shirts to your cart and the lowest priced one comes off at checkout. Free shipping on every order, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.