What to Wear to a Beach Wedding 2026: Suits, Shirts, and Pants and More

Ah, the beach wedding. Watching two people you love promise themselves to each other against an impossibly beautiful backdrop. Of course, paradise also comes with delayed flights, expenses, and the small matter of figuring out your beach wedding attire.

Still, dwelling on the logistical annoyances is no way to live, friend-o. A destination wedding is one of life’s better excuses to lean into a little romance, a little joie de vivre, and perhaps a version of yourself that dresses with slightly more flair than usual. It may as well start with the clothes.

Assuming you haven’t been given explicit directions on a dress code, you’ll want to start the same as with every other wedding: with a suit. (Doubly so if you’re the one getting married.) But when sand is present, your three-season wool standby isn’t invited. You want a beach-wedding-worthy suit that combines coastal swagger with a lightweight fabric and a cut that will flatter.

You’ll also need shoes (sorry, flip flop aficionados) that won’t sink into the sand or make you look like a finance bro lost in Cabo. You’ll want a shirt, too—though when it comes to a beach wedding, this is where you can get a little more creative and comfortable, as you’ll see. From there, you can add on some extras—jewelry, a watch, shades—for bonus points. Just don’t forget your sunscreen: The only thing worse than being badly dressed for a beach wedding is being a badly dressed lobster in all the photos.

Best Beach Wedding Suits

Unless the invite explicitly says “casual,” wear a suit. Hell, even if it does, we’d suggest wearing one, because a laid-back suit looks better when it’s not mandatory. Linen, seersucker, and tropical wool are your best, breeziest bets. Cotton’s not bad, either, but it’ll feel a little heavier in the sun. Whatever you go with, ideally, the jacket is unlined or half-lined.

Color-wise, we like soft grays and browns, light blues, or a subtle seersucker stripe. Navy is okay in the right fabric, but anything darker might feel too formal and, in the sun, too damn hot.