Serious Whimsy Problem

We’re going to be attending a friend’s wedding down in D.C. this weekend. This friend is a performer, a sailor, a free spirit, French-Canadian (if memory serves), and spent some part of two summers ago dressed in a superhero costume promoting the Washington Metro.

So when the invitation to her wedding says “Whimsical Attire Encouraged,” she’s utterly serious. Problem is, Kate finds the idea of wearing something whimsical to a wedding vaguely discomfiting, and I’m totally blanking on whimsical outfits which won’t render me/us dead from heatstroke. (The wedding and reception will be outdoors, and it’s mid-July in the swamp that is DC.)

What to do, what to do.