Lawrence Laundry: Summer wedding style

A model wears a lacquered cropped jacket over a modernist print top and skirt at Cynthia Steffe's spring 2006 collection during Fashion Week in New York, Monday Sept. 12, 2005. Wear a cropped jacket or blazer to a summer wedding if you don't want to bare your arms.

This Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012, photo shows the shoes worn by a guest at Lincoln Center during Fall Fashion Week, in New York. Wear a fun pair of heels to a summer wedding.

Actress Krysten Ritter wears a lace dress, which is a fine choice for a summer wedding.

A model wears a creation from the Dsquared2 men's Fall-Winter 2012/2013 collection, part of the Milan Fashion Week, unveiled in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012. Help out your wedding date by suggesting an outfit. A suit is generally appropriate.

There are certain stages in life during which all your friends have these grand ideas to move to big cities or to get married or to have babies.

At this point in time, it seems that all my friends have hit the “get married” stage. And while I’m still a little shaken up from nearly breaking a 10-year-old’s arm and spilling an entire Diet Coke on the dance floor last summer during a friend’s bouquet toss, I think I’ve recovered enough to pull on some heels and celebrate some beautiful marriages.

Whether it’s your friends, your kids, or maybe even your grandkids, chances are someone’s getting married this summer. And chances are, you have no idea what to wear. Here are five things to keep in mind when picking out the perfect summer wedding outfit:

Wear something you feel good in.

Summer doesn’t have to mean sleeveless. If you’re self-conscious about your arms, try a half sleeve or even a light-weight blazer or jacket. The rule is, if you’re tugging on your skirt or looking in the mirror to quadruple check how the outfit looks on you, don’t wear it. If you’re not comfortable wearing it in your own home, you’re not going to be comfortable at the wedding.

Don’t show up the bride.

If you want to make the bride mad, wear something that could potentially steal the spotlight from her. Don’t wear white, anything overly flashy or skin-baring to a wedding. It’s her day; let her have it.

Wear some killer heels.

I’m not a heel person. After 18 years of my mother warning me that I would have to have foot surgery if I wore high heels for more than one hour per year, I’ve become accustomed to the comfort of flats and boots. But, if your feet can handle it, wear your dream heels to weddings this summer. You will hardly have to walk in them, and it’s 100 percent acceptable to kick them off during the dance reception.

A little romance is good, especially this year.

2012 is bringing back some really feminine and romantic fabrics. The greatest of them being lace. Of all the places you could possibly wear a modest lace dress or skirt, a wedding is absolutely the most appropriate. Try one out in cocktail length. I especially love the lace dresses I’ve been seeing that are pulled cleanly and tightly to the waist with a couple pleats in the skirt.

Help out your date.

Whenever I plan events for work, I always get questions about the dress code. Men say, “I know my wife’s first question will be ‘What should I wear?'” Women, on the other hand, ask, “What should I wear? And what should I tell my husband to wear?” Ladies, if your date isn’t keen on dressing up, help him pick out a comfortable shirt and suit jacket. Light-colored suits are great for summer and work for most weddings. However, if the invitation says formal, a dark suit is appropriate.