::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

It’s no secret that I HATE being hot.  Hate it.  With a passion.  In fact, there is nothing I hate more in the world than being hot.  Trouble is, I love beautiful outdoor weddings

Granted, you could be lucky like Hallie and Matt and schedule an outdoor wedding in the middle of July and have beautiful, not too hot weather, but that’s pretty unusual in the DC area!  So today we’re giving you some ideas to keep cool in the DC heat!

For me, the first thing I do when it gets hot is get my hair off my neck.  Of course, mine rarely looks as good at weddings as these ladies!

Of course, you need to wear a dress that works with the heat, too.  Cotton wedding dresses are becoming quite the trend, because, although I’ve never worn one, I bet those heavy skirts on ballgowns can get CRAZY hot!  The Cotton Bride makes GORGEOUS dresses in cool fabrics like linen, silk and yes, cotton.  Here are a few of my favorites from the collection (the following two pictures are from Martha Stewart Weddings):

And I LOVE this one, which is actually for sale at Preownedweddingdresses.com

You can also go with a non-floor length dress.  Summer is the PERFECT time for these adorable dresses!  And do you know who has tons of adorable short dresses?   David’s Bridal!  (I know, I know, a lot of people hate them.  But you know what?  They’re affordable, and they are VERY plus size bride friendly, something a lot of bridal shops can’t say!)

How chic would this dress be for a summer courthouse wedding or cocktail party wedding?

LOVE this dress from David’s Woman collection:

Or one of my absolute favorite dresses from one of my absolute favorite designers, Stephanie James Couture’s Audry dress:

Of course, you’ll want to keep your maids cool too, like in these adorable seersucker dresses from Lula Kate!

Or these sunny yellow dresses, photographed by Rebecca at Millie Holloman Photography:

Or an adorable cotton dress, like this one from J Crew

Of course, you can’t make the guys sweat it out while the girls are cool and breezy, can you?  How dapper is this groom, featured in The Bride’s Cafe?

Or you could draw inspiration from my friend’s wedding in Hawaii, where I can assure you, it was plenty hot!

Or let the guys rock the flip flops to keep their feet cool:

In the extreme heat, you also need to keep your guests in mind.  Although you can’t control what they wear (as much as you’d like to!) you can offer them a little relief from the heat, whether it’s in the form of parasols:

Style Me Pretty:

Fans, like these adorable DIY ones (with the program on the other side!) from Ms. Potato Chips of Wedding Bee:

Or these great paper ones from Luna Bazaar:

Hats, like these great Panamas featured in Brides magazine:

Or some nice, cool drinks (word to the wise — to cool your guests pre-ceremony, use non-alcoholic drinks only.  It will save you money, your guests won’t be drunk when you say I do, and non-alcoholic drinks are much more cooling than alcohol!)

Style Me Pretty has some great photos of summery drinks:

And, of course, if you’re still hot at the end of the night from all of that dancing, there’s always this option:

Anyone have any great ideas for beating the heat this summer?!