Dressing for Italy

It will probably be very hot! July and August are the hottest months so sandals and something cool and comfortable. I only wear eye makeup in the summer so I would suggest as little as you feel comfortable with! I speak from experience as I live in Central Italy.

We went to a summer wedding in Rome. It was lovely but stiffllingly hot. I looked like a lobster in the photos. My advice would to be to find an outfit which is cool and comfortable.

Italian women tend to be very well dressed at weddings, with beautiful dresses and sky-high heels, at any age. As others have said, it will be very hot, so something loose and elegant, in natural fabrics, would be best. If the wedding is going to be in a church, then a light stole to cover your arms would be a good idea (churches tend to be cool anyway.) Keep your makeup in the fridge to stop it going runny.

Good advice , thank you ?

A few years ago we went to a July wedding in Puglia. It was very hot and I wore a cap sleeved silk dress and high heeled strappy sandals. The reception was outdoors, in the grounds of a Masseria, so I took a shrug in case the evening was cooler but it wasn't needed. I wore my usual make up.
A word of warning - having previously experienced lost suitcases with BA, DH and I took all our wedding clothes in our hand luggage. Sure enough my suitcase went missing and for four days of our holiday I had to wear the clothes I travelled in. Another male guest who had flown in the previous day with a different airline and suffered the same fate, had to attend the very formal wedding wearing shorts and a tee shirt.

Suki70, thank you for the tip, we have booked to go with BA as we hope to have more baggage allowance so I can take a hat box and hopefully my dress on a hanger.

Italy is very varied and has very different traditions, depending on region- and depending on rural or town - temps too!

We went to a wedding in a posh place in Northern Italy attended by many in the fashion trade in Milan. One woman wore a totally see-through dress with tiny up the *um shorts and VERY high heels, and with boobs practically naked in see through top- for the formal mass wedding. I thought the Priest and the helpers and choir boys were going to pass out.

What a LOVELY thread.
Happy wedding!
Italy is my favourite place. I'm sure it will be wonderful.

The weddings I have "witnessed"(Lecce, Rome, Perugia, Florence, Caserta, Matera ) - all in passing, were extremely well dressed ones. As someone else said, the women in the main party wore very high heels. The one in Lecce had the groom in a white suit and he had photos of him with almost all the beautiful young women... clearly it was his show!

I think it may be different in the villages and more rural small towns... I caught the end of a wedding in Stigliano once that was more low-key. Still well dressed but definitely more variation.

If it's an English wedding in Italy, most guests will be in your position anyway. If it's a genuine "Italian" wedding, I'd want to make sure I was as cool as possible but still very well dressed. No doubt you will be anyway!

How lovely to live there Nonnasusie.

I can safely say I will not be wearing a see- through dress jura2 ? . I am looking forward to choosing my dress which I think is going to be floaty , gently wafting in the Tuscan breeze........ Apparently the Villa is on the top of a hill. I am pleased this is a lovely thread ?

I dont know what your colouring is katie1 but may I suggest you get your eyebrows tinted and possibly try the lashes , I cant remember what they are called. It will prevent mascara melting in the heat so that you can get away with as little makeup as possible. Enjoy, sounds wonderful, and do let us know how it all goes.

Thank you Anna7, I was thinking pale green to blend in with the background or silver/ pale grey. I am keen to start looking but the bride hasn’t decided on colours for bridesmaids and the mother of the bride hasn’t decided her colours yet either ? I always have my eyebrows tinted but not my eyelashes.... thank you for the tip ?

A hat to provide some shade in that extreme heat would be good. Floaty dresses are a problem if there's much of a breeze!

anna7, I am sorry,I misunderstood when you said about my colouring ? . My hair is light brown with lighter highlights and my skin is medium. I was too focuses on clothes. I will let you all know how it went, thank you ?

Sadly, the wedding in Italy has had to be moved until next year ☹️

Sorry to hear that katiel, but I did wonder!