We recently attended our friends’ destination wedding in beautiful Punta Cana. The funny thing about this occasion is that I used to work in the destination wedding industry for almost four years, consulting the travel plans of hundreds of destination weddings yet this was my first time attending one as a guest. So I was extra excited to finally experience it from the other side.
Another fun fact: this was also my first time attending an Indian wedding, and I was really looking forward to being part of the ceremonies, the traditions and of course, all the vibrant colours, decor and the stunning Indian bridal outfits.
Going to a tropical country in July for an Indian wedding meant packing three wedding outfits, and making sure they are as heat-friendly as they can be. Luckily, with a bit of digging through my old dresses and snatching some good deals on news ones, below I’m sharing four outfit ideas that are dressy enough for a wedding, but light enough for a Dominican summer.
Light Summer Dress
This is the outfit I wore to the choora ceremony (celebrating the Bride the day before the wedding and adorning her with a new set of bangles). The blue and white print on this dress reminded me of the patterns you’d find in a Sultan’s palace, and the fabric is incredibly light and airy. The selling feature for me was the adorable sweetheart neckline, and the biggest highlight: it has pockets.
Figure Flattering Maxi Dress
My boyfriend calls this my “Jessica Rabbit” dress, and he’s damn right about that because that’s who I feel like when I slip into this figure flattering cherry red number. I’ve actually worn this dress to another wedding for an Art Deco-themed wedding at an old theatre. No one believes that I bought this dress for $7 USD at a supermarket in Abu Dhabi.
The best part about this dress (aside from everything else I just said) is that even though it looks like an elegant gown you’d wear to a ball (or a Hollywood premiere?), it’s made of cotton jersey fabric so it’s a light breathable material. I still got damp sitting under a palm shade during the Hindu wedding ceremony, but at least I was comfortable!
Mermaidesque Dress
This outfit is my idea of a quintessential beach wedding outfit. It’s flowy, it’s light, it’s aqua and it looks like it would belong to a mermaid if she had legs. Obviously, that’s the look I was going for. I loved wearing this outfit. I danced so easily in it, it was comfortable and flowy and I got so many compliments on it.
The specialty of this outfit is this stunning, glitzy pearl corset from Zumel & Co. that my boyfriend gifted to me. I had my heart set on wearing that flowy aqua dress but the top part of the dress was too plain. So this corset was the perfect accessory to glam it up, and made me feel like I was wearing the closest thing to a seashell bra.
Speaking of seashells, I completed the outfit with this seashell clutch from my favourite shop in Montréal, Boutique 1861, and my starfish bracelet.
Oh, and for those asking how could I wear white to a wedding – I told the Bride ahead of time about my outfit and asked if the corset was okay to wear, and she was actually ecstatic about my mermaid outfit. And that is why we’re friends.
Casual Beach Wear
This wasn’t actually an outfit for the wedding at all, this was just what I wore to the beach and pool, but you’ll be surprised at how casual some beach weddings can be. If you’re attending an ultra casual boho-type wedding, you could pull off wearing a cute bathing suit underneath a flowy skirt and a tropical flower in your hair.
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