Best Options To Wear To A Summer Wedding Over 50: Petite Friendly Options

May and June just seem to be the time of year that everyone loves to get married. Every time I visit my seamstress her workroom is overflowing with beautiful mother-of-the-bride, mother-of-the-groom, bridesmaids dresses, and wedding guest dresses. It’s always fun to see what people have chosen to wear to a summer wedding.
Whether it is for a family member’s wedding or that of a good friend, we always want to look and feel our very best. Sometimes it can be tricky to find just the right dress. We don’t want to buy something that we will wear once and then it hangs in the closet.
As I put this post together I took several things into consideration:
- can the dress easily be worn again for another occasion by changing out the accessories
- sleeves (many women don’t like their upper arms)
- age appropriate and not frumpy
- classic styling so you can have it for many years to come
- petite friendly, just because that is always how I shop
Before we look at summer wedding guest dresses there are some other petite related posts that you might want to check out.
- How to Look Great in A Maxi Dress When Petite: 5 Easy Tips
- Petite Clothing Tips When You Can’t Buy Petite Sizing
- Best Shoes Styles to Wear if You Are Petite
- Best Strapless Bras For Petities: Big or Small Chest
This post was updated May 2023 with new links and more petite friendly options. Also, this post may contain affiliate links; if you click on a shopping link or picture and make a purchase I may receive a commission. Thank you for shopping thru my links. Beth

Petite Friendly Summer Wedding Guest Dresses That Look Great on Midlife Ladies
Are you like me and have a bit of a checklist when you are looking for that special dress? Sometimes it seems as if it is so difficult to find pretty summer dresses that are age and occasion appropriate. I thought I would break this down into two categories, day weddings and evening weddings.
Daytime weddings can be a bit more casual than an evening affair. Hopefully, your invitation will have some clues on it as to the attire if it is an evening wedding. Always nice to know if it is black tie or not.
What to Wear to A Day Wedding
So let’s look at some great dress options, as well as, some shoes and handbags for your daytime soiree. I am going to do a mix of dresses that you could wear to an indoor or outdoor wedding.
Dress Options
For daytime weddings, it is acceptable to wear a summer sundress. Think of summer florals and pastel colors. If the wedding is outdoors, then you will want something a little more flowy. I would suggest looking for cotton or linen fabrics that you love. Those will be even more comfortable.
Shoes and Handbags
As far as shoes are concerned, heeled sandals are on point. You may want to consider a nice neutral color. Also, keep the type of heel in mind. If it is an outdoor wedding you will be better off wearing either a block heel like this sandal or a wedge heel. That way you won’t sink into the grass or ruin your heel.
Here are a few great neutral shoe looks for an indoor or outdoor wedding.
When it comes to handbags, you don’t want to carry something too large or casual to a wedding. Clutches always work well. The other option is to find a small handbag that is on a long chain. Many times you can tuck the chain into the bag so it can also work as a clutch. Personally I like having a chain so that I can balance my purse and something to eat or drink easily. All of these handbags would work for a daytime or evening soiree.
What to Wear to an Evening Summer Wedding
Dresses
Summer evening weddings could be black tie or white tie formal. Most invitations will usually specify these days. As far as dresses go, you can’t go wrong with a gown made of chiffon or crepe. My opinion is that it is always to be overdressed than underdressed when going to an event. So let’s break out some beautiful gowns and have a great time. Remember that you can always jazz these up with great statement earrings or keep it simple with your treasured jewels or pearls.
Petite Sized Dresses That Are Wedding Guest Appropriate
Ladies, these are not the easiest things to find. I think those of us who are 5’4″ and under know that all too well. It is so nice not to have to worry about as many alterations. I will say that Karen Millen has really stepped up the game with petite dresses lately. This dress which comes in five colors is a fabulous dress that can be worn to so many events, day or night. I have also linked a few other dresses below that are wedding appropriate, but there are so many more on theire if you click this link you will see many more options. You will be glad you did so.
Thanks
As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by my little corner of the internet today. I really appreciate you taking the time to read this post. I hope it helped you find some things or inspire you as to what to wear to a summer wedding. If you have more wedding guest questions, you can always refer to this wedding guest guide from Emily Post.
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How funny because you’re going to see another option on my site tomorrow!! Tis the season, right??
XOXO
Jodie
Yes, it is. Lots of soirees and wedding this year.
Hugs,
Beth