What to Wear
It will be warm. Dress for an outdoor summer wedding.
The wedding day
Saturday 15 May — ceremony around midday.
Formal, with a summer garden party feel. Think an outdoor summer wedding rather than a black-tie ballroom — linen and lightweight suits over anything heavy, and dresses you can comfortably stand in for a few hours in the warmth.
Mid-May in Xi’an is properly warm, often high 20s°C (low 80s°F) and sometimes past 30°C, cooling to the mid-teens after dark. Choose your fabrics accordingly and bring one layer for the evening. Full weather and packing notes →
A note on colours
Jewel tones, pastels, florals — all lovely, and all photograph beautifully against a Xi’an spring. Wear what makes you happy.
At a Chinese wedding red is the bride’s colour. Andrea will be wearing it, and guests in red end up looking like they’re competing with her. White is traditionally associated with mourning in Chinese culture. Both are things that would stand out in the photographs for the rest of our lives. Everything else is open.
The two days with us
Thursday 13 and Friday 14 May.
Comfortable and casual. These are long days outdoors and there is a great deal of walking, much of it on uneven stone.
- Shoes you’ve already broken in. This is the one thing people get wrong.
- Sun protection — hat, sunglasses, sunscreen. There’s very little shade at the Terracotta Warriors.
- Layers for the evening in the Muslim Quarter.
Still unsure?
Send us a photo — we genuinely don’t mind. Write to us and we’ll tell you honestly.
但愿人长久，千里共婵娟
John & Andrea · Xi’an, 15 May 2027