Linen — the only serious choice for a beach wedding
Linen is the correct fabric for a beach wedding suit. It is genuinely breathable in heat and direct sun; it has a natural, slightly relaxed texture that reads as appropriate for an outdoor venue; and it looks deliberate rather than accidental — a man in a well-fitted linen suit at a beach wedding looks as though he chose this outfit for this occasion, which he did. No other fabric achieves all three of these things simultaneously.
The colour should be light: natural linen (undyed), ivory, white, pale grey or light sand. These colours read as festive in outdoor natural light and coordinate naturally with the beach setting. A dark navy or charcoal linen suit at a beach wedding reads as overdressed and formal in the wrong way — visually out of place in the setting regardless of how good the suit itself is.
Accessories for the beach wedding — what to include and what to leave out
At a beach wedding, accessories should be minimal. A pocket square in linen or cotton is appropriate; a full tie is not. Open collar — a fine linen or cotton shirt with the top button undone — is the correct shirt choice. Shoes present a particular challenge: Oxford shoes on sand look wrong; bare feet are too casual for a groom. The best solution for grooms on sand is a high-quality leather loafer without socks, or simple leather sandals of a quality comparable to the suit.
For Indian beach wedding guests in ethnic wear, a fine linen or cotton kurta in a light colour is the equivalent beach wedding choice. The kurta-churidar combination in lightweight cloth reads correctly at an Indian beach ceremony while being much more comfortable than heavier festive alternatives.