"Cocktail Attire" for Wedding

So I have a wedding in North Carolina in August and I just received details about the weekends events.

Particularly for the welcome party/dinner the night before the wedding...

It suggests that men wear "Summery cocktail attire" specifically for men, a "nice" shirt and trousers with a jacket or suit as optional. It also encourages to wear bright colors and pastels.

I was thinking of wearing my BB milano advantage chinos in khaki and a pastel dress shirt with a bright colored bow tie and a navy jacket.

Would this be acceptable for what is asked? Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I'm not a huge fan of the plain navy blazer, but I don't know if I want to buy a seperate sport coat.

Also, thoughts on a non-traditional shoe such as a suede buck would be appreciated.

Otherwise, would a light grey suit be acceptable? The dinner starts around 5.

Thanks in advance.

I believe all your suggestions are in the right track.

"Cocktail attire" to me means a suit (and maybe a tie) that you wouldn't typically wear to work or any business setting.

It appears to me the bride and groom do not want the dark formal colours associated with a traditional wedding. A light grey suit is "summery" attire. You can wear that with a pastel tie.

Thanks everyone.

socrates said:

It appears to me the bride and groom do not want the dark formal colours associated with a traditional wedding. A light grey suit is "summery" attire. You can wear that with a pastel tie.

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Actually for the wedding ceremony and reception, it says black tie optional. So at least for the wedding day they still want the traditional wedding colors.

To me black tie optional is a little more specific and well defined.

I plan on wearing a tux.



aaron4mvp said:

Thanks everyone.


Actually for the wedding ceremony and reception, it says black tie optional.  So at least for the wedding day they still want the traditional wedding colors. 

To me black tie optional is a little more specific and well defined. 

I plan on wearing  a tux. 

Click to expand...

"Black tie optional" generally means wear a tuxedo if you have one, so your plan to wear a tuxedo to the wedding is a good one. The night before sounds a bit more casual. The idea of wearing chinos, a pastel shirt (provided it is tasteful), bow tie and navy jacket sounds fine. When in doubt, call the bride or groom and see if what you are wearing makes sense to them, since it is their weekend. I suspect you'll be fine based on what you've told us, but checking with the people who are actually getting married is always a good plan.

I would get over your issues with navy blazers because they are a staple in a well dressed man's wardrobe. If it is the metal buttons that bother you, there are versions with brown horn, etc., etc. I won't clog this thread with it but there are a lot of threads on variations of navy blazers / odd jackets on the forum and you should own some sort of navy odd jacket.

Thanks for the replies.

One more thing,

I have a pair of AE oxfords in their "walnut calf" color. It is sort of a light brown. I'm quite confident those would be a good option, but would a pair of suede bucks would be ok with the blaer and bow tie? Maybe in a dark blue color? Or should the color of the shoes contrast the navy jacket?



aaron4mvp said:

Thanks for the replies.

One more thing,

I have a pair of AE oxfords in their "walnut calf" color.  It is sort of a light brown.  I'm quite confident those would be a good option, but would a pair of suede bucks would be ok with the blaer and bow tie?  Maybe in a dark blue color?  Or should the color of the shoes contrast the navy jacket?

Click to expand...

I'd be much more concerned about how the shoes look next to your trousers than how they contrast or don't contrast with your jacket. I don't love the idea of oxfords worn without a suit, but light brown is a fine color for shoes that you are planning to wear with khakis. If in doubt, feel free to post a picture of the shoes and pants next to each other for further feedback.

Thanks for the advice. Here is a link to a shoe with the same color.

http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/producti_SF5853_1_40000000001_-1_5853

If I wanted to go with something a bit more casual, what could some options be? I mentioned suede bucks earlier, could those be an option?