• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Shop by Color
    • Red Dresses
    • Pink Dresses
    • Coral Dresses
    • Yellow Dresses
    • Green Dresses
    • Light Blue Dresses
    • Dark Blue Dresses
    • Purple Dresses
    • Silver + Gray Dresses
    • White Dresses
    • Black Dresses
    • Floral Dresses
  • Guests
    • Wedding Guest Dresses
    • Winter Wedding Guest Dresses
    • Spring Wedding Guest Dresses
    • Summer Wedding Guest Dresses
    • Fall Wedding Guest Dresses
    • Wedding Guest Dresses Under $50
    • Wedding Guest Dresses Under $100
    • Wedding Guest Dresses Under $150
    • Beach Wedding Guest Dresses
    • Dressy Casual Dresses for Weddings
    • Semi-Formal Dresses for Weddings
    • Formal Gowns for Weddings
    • Maxi Dresses for Weddings
    • Plus Size Wedding Guest Dresses
    • Wedding Guest Attire Guidelines
    • Wedding Guest Outfit Ideas
  • Brides
    • Shop Wedding Dresses
      • Beach Wedding Dresses
      • Ballgown Wedding Dresses
      • Long Sleeve Wedding Dresses
      • Plus Size Wedding Dresses
      • Strapless Wedding Dresses
      • Wedding Dresses Under $1000
      • Wedding Dresses Under $1500
    • Wedding Dress Collections
    • Wedding Dresses by Designer
    • Bridal Accessories
    • Wedding Clutches
    • Wedding Shoes
    • Wedding Jewelry
    • White Dresses
    • White Jumpsuits
    • Wedding Dress Style Ideas
    • Bridesmaid Dresses by Color
  • Bridesmaids
    • Red Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Pink Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Coral Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Yellow Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Neutral Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Beaded and Sequined Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Green Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Light Blue Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Dark Blue Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Purple Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Silver or Gray Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Black Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Plus Size Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Jenny Yoo Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Outfits + Attire Ideas
    • Show Me Your Mumu Bridesmaid Dresses
    • BHLDN Bridesmaid Dresses
    • Bridesmaid Dresses by Color
    • Gifts for Bridesmaids
  • Mothers
    • Red Dresses
    • Pink Dresses
    • Rose Gold Dresses
    • Coral Dresses
    • Yellow Dresses
    • Green Dresses
    • Light Blue Dresses
    • Dark Blue Dresses
    • Purple Dresses
    • Silver or Gray Dresses
    • Gold, Taupe, and Neutral Dresses
    • Sequined and Beaded Dresses
    • Black Dresses
    • Floral Mother of the Bride Dresses
    • Plus Size Mother-of-the-Bride Dresses
    • Mother of the Bride Dresses with Jackets
    • Spring Mother of the Bride Dresses
    • Summer Mother of the Bride Dresses
    • Fall Mother of the Bride Dresses
    • Winter Mother of the Bride Dresses
    • Mother of the Bride Outfits
  • Men
    • Tuxedos + Black Suits
    • Navy Blue Suits
    • Tan Suits
    • Groomsmen Gifts
  • The Wedding Shop
  • Search
  • LTK

Dress for the Wedding logo

Home » Casual Wedding » What to Wear to a Dressy Casual Backyard Party

August 23, 2013

What to Wear to a Dressy Casual Backyard Party

What to Wear to a Dressy Casual Backyard Party

Happy Friday, Everyone!  Is it me or has this summer flown by faster than any other on record? It has also flown by without a wedding to go to for me; except for one! Friends of ours married this summer in Italy, and now they are home and holding a casual backyard party this weekend at the bride's parents' home to celebrate with everyone who couldn't make the trip to Italy. It will be such fun!

Since it's my only chance this month to dress for a bit of a wedding reception (albeit in a very casual setting) and I look at dresses all day I had been thinking about what I wanted to wear, and *thought* I had just the thing in my closet already. Now with a day to go, it turns out I'm kind of sick of the dresses I have, and I find myself looking longingly at a few I wish I had purchased weeks ago to wear to this event.

I thought I'd share them with you here in case you're planning on going to a similar party or very, very casual wedding reception. Without further ado, here are the dresses! And, if you'd like more background on why I think these are what I want, I've included lots of details behind this little shindig and below the dresses are all the innermost workings of my mind!

---

Blue Asos Wrap Dress

Another number from ASOS. I can't seem to stop buying cobalt blue dresses ( I have 3 already!) but I love the casual floaty style of this one - the others I own are tailored sheath dresses and seem too formal and stuffy for this event. 

---

For starters, I happen to know the bride is wearing a non-wedding dress that was  featured on this blog. ( It's one of my  favorite posts, but I'll reveal it later so as no to spoil the surprise!) So, I have that as one reference for what people are wearing, as well as the invite which states "casual" as the dress code, and the fact that we'll be playing cornhole and camping in their backyard that night -- thus, I'll be setting up a tent in whatever I choose to wear. Last week, though, it came to pass that I was climbing into a dinghy, in a 1950s style prom-like dress and heels, so I'm kind of used to the dresses I own finding themselves thrown into rough-and-tumble settings.

---

Striped Dress

Swathe The Decks dress from ModCloth Oh, hi there nautical stripes, you = my favorite thing to wear! This dress is just perfect for summertime events! I love everything about this style and that the asymmetry and cowl neck soften the stripes a bit. I usually get a little worried about wearing even a trace of white to a wedding (even the white isolated to stripes sometimes I get freaked) but since this isn't a ceremony and the bride isn't even wearing white, this normally should be fine. EXCEPT - ha - wait! This dress happens to be a little similar the dress the bride IS wearing, so I guess on second thought I definitely don't want to wear it! It just that I saw the stripes and got a little nuts. Ok. It's decided then, just want this dress a lot... but for other times.

---

zig zag dress

What a surprise! More stripes for me (or really chevron, my other favorite!) This  "Zagging Rights"  dress is similar to 2 of the dresses I'm thinking of. It's black and off white like one I picked up this week, and chevrony like my front-runner dress, but this is so pretty and I just love the cutouts. I also really love this zig-zag chevron dress that I've pinned before!

---

My other reference point is that my husband who is solidly a t-shirt or polo shirt and khaki cargo shorts kind of fellow in the summer, gestured to the polo and cargo outfit he was wearing last weekend when we were hanging out with this couple, and asked the bride "Is this ok to wear next week?"  To which she gave an enthusiastic, "Yes"!  So I guess he has his outfit all planned out! Note: This already flies in the face of two of my own dressing for a wedding rules: 1. Try not to bug the bride with your "what to wear questions"  ( although I guess since she's already married, and we were hanging out and chatting about the party last week this is not a big deal.) 2. NEVER wear cargo shorts to a wedding reception. But a cookout wedding reception? Maybe, just this once it's ok. Ideally in my mind we'd have some neatly pressed Bermuda shorts for my husband to wear, but he's just not a Bermuda shorts fellow; so this brings up my biggest rule:  it's important to also feel comfortable and like yourself!

Mint and Blue

This fresh mint and blue "Sash Decision"  from ModCloth dress just says "summer cookout" to me. I love the breezy colors, and it of course has some stripes! When I started writing this post an hour ago, this one was just a runner-up, now it might be one of my favorites. See how quickly things change?

---

Now on the other end of things, in my head this is still a wedding reception of sorts, and I want to look nice, but not overdone to the point of being incapable of playing some lawn sports, looking too dressy next to my handsomely casual husband, and, since our dog will also be coming with us, so it has to be something that allows me to keep up with him! ( The dog will the fanciest of all and will probably be wearing a bow tie, since this is the only chance he ever gets to wear it.)

Clubhouse soda

Clubhouse Soda dress by ModCloth, again, this was a front runner an hour ago, but it looks a little dark next to all the others now. I thought it was green and navy stripes, but it's green and black - making it a great choice to wear now into fall, but maybe not perfect yet for my end-of-summer fun! See more picks of dresses I considered below!

Of the dresses I have, I actually have 5 in the running that I think strike that balance of casual yet festive. But you know that feeling where you're just sick of your clothes, and you feel like everyone has already seen the dress you're thinking of wearing because you wear things to death and maybe you went through a phase last summer where you wore a certain dress nearly every other week? That's where I am. I ran out and bought one more backup dress his week, but I'm not sure if I love it.  So, as is usual for me, I will likely wear whatever strikes me on that day. But if you're smart and plan ahead, maybe YOU can wear one of these to a backyard party in these waning days of summer!

 

 

More style ideas you might enjoy :

Dusty Blue Bridesmaid Dresses
What to Wear to a Fall Wedding
Beige Bridesmaid Dress
Pink Floral Print Halter Maxi Dress
« Mira Zwillinger 2013-2014 Wedding Dresses
Wedding Dress Transformation : One Dress, Eleven Looks »

Filed Under: Casual Wedding, Summer Wedding, Wedding Guest Dresses Tagged With: casual dresses, casual wedding

Favorite Finds


 

Looking for more wedding style ideas? You can also browse our favorite wedding picks on Etsy.

Search this site

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Krisstin | On the Go Bride says

    August 23, 2013 at 4:46 pm

    Absolutely love that first dress! Great options!

    • Dressforthewedding says

      August 23, 2013 at 5:21 pm

      Thanks, Krisstin! I think I need to get that one even if I can't wear it for tomorrow!

Primary Sidebar

Categories

Search

Follow Us!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Footer

Wedding Style

  • Beach Wedding
  • Black Tie Wedding
  • Boho Wedding
  • Bridal Shower
  • Casual Wedding
  • Daytime Wedding
  • Destination Wedding
  • Elopement
  • Engagement
  • Formal Wedding
  • Semi-Formal Wedding
  • Rustic Wedding
  • Vow Renewal

Wedding Role

  • Brides
  • Bridesmaids
  • Grooms
  • Groomsmen
  • Mothers
  • Guests

Wedding Season

  • Fall Wedding
  • Summer Wedding
  • Winter Wedding
  • Spring Wedding

Pages

  • Policies, Terms, and Disclosures
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Submissions
  • Advertise

Color

  • Pink Wedding Attire
  • Red Wedding Attire
  • Blue Wedding Attire
  • Black Wedding Attire
  • Burgundy Wedding Attire
  • Green Wedding Attire
  • Coral Wedding Attire
  • Purple Wedding Attire
  • Beige Wedding Attire
  • Yellow Wedding Attire
  • Floral Wedding Attire
  • Orange Wedding Attire
  • Silver Wedding Attire
  • Gray Wedding Attire
  • Gold Wedding Attire
  • White Wedding Attire

Dress for the Wedding is a shoppable guide to help you find the perfect wedding attire. We create outfit inspiration collages, give attire tips, and offer shopping guides to some of our favorite wedding products. We do not directly stock, sell, or ship any of these items; we simply refer you to the designers, creators, and retail stores who do!

Find a Dress for a Wedding

Young flower girl in a white dress

Flower Girl Dresses

Long black dress, invitations, and wedding decor for a modern wedding

Modern Wedding Ideas

Three photos of red dresses showing guest of wedding dresses in the shade of red.

Red Dresses for Weddings

3 women in satin bridesmaid dresses in several colors and a bride

Satin Bridesmaid Dresses

4 images of purple dresses on models arranged in a collage showing purple dresses for bridesmaids to wear.

Purple Bridesmaid Dresses

Embellished lace wedding dress with overskirt

Bliss Monique Lhuillier Wedding Dresses Fall 2020

Copyright© 2023 · Brunch Pro by Feast Design Co.