Well, it’s July, which means for the foreseeable future I’ll have at least one friend in Italy for a wedding at all times—all requiring outfit recommendations for what are promising to be both extremely chic and extremely sweaty events. The dress codes range from cocktail to black tie to garden party, with weather forecasts landing anywhere from uncomfortably hot to full-blown heat wave.

Between this sticky humidity and the fact we love things we can wear on repeat, I’m here to remind everyone that you absolutely have permission to black to weddings. So long as you’re staying respectful of dress codes, cultural traditions, and requests from the couple, black is fantastic for weddings—and, if you don’t particularly enjoy laughing at your fashion time capsules, it’s excellent to wear in photos that will no doubt reemerge on whatever social media looks like in the decades to come. Since we’re in the thick of the season, what better time for a round-up of black dresses that are perfectly appropriate for wedding guests? (I also strongly support non-dress looks for weddings, but we’ll save that for a future story.)