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3PM Wedding Tuxedo Style

sfstylegal

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Hello Gentlemen,
Need some advice for my groom-to-be's wedding style. He's buying his wedding attire. Set the stage: We're getting married late in May at 3pm in a catholic wedding in Napa, CA. Of course I'll be very formal in my custom wedding gown and my bridesmaids will be wearing knee length brown silk dresses.

I would love for the groom and the groomsmen to wear tuxes (I'm traditional) and the dinner will be at 6 with dancing to follow. To make it a little more fitting with the timing, I think a long tie is more appropriate than the bow tie.

Groom has been out trying on every tux possible. He looks fabulous in a one button peak lapel, plain white shirt, suspenders, long tie. But the noch lapel two button looks good too..... Does he have to get the noch lapel tux if he's going to wear a long tie? And what should the groomsmen wear? (renting). Groom wants to stand out and look different from the others.

Please help me help my groom! Any advice is appreciated. Cheers!
 

B1FF

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Originally Posted by sfstylegal
Hello Gentlemen,
Need some advice for my groom-to-be's wedding style. He's buying his wedding attire. Set the stage: We're getting married late in May at 3pm in a catholic wedding in Napa, CA. Of course I'll be very formal in my custom wedding gown and my bridesmaids will be wearing knee length brown silk dresses.

I would love for the groom and the groomsmen to wear tuxes (I'm traditional)


At 3pm?!
 

Zahir

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For a 3PM wedding, something called a morning coat is the most traditional and appropriate:

c20061216208webkh3.jpg


Here's a really good guide to men's wedding attire, and also where I shamelessly stole that picture from

http://thelondonlounge.net/gl/forum/...pic.php?t=6562
 

Sator

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The alternative is semi-formal morning dress (stroller in American English):

Stroller_Ronald_Coleman.jpg


Traditionally only waiters and servants wore evening dress such as dinner jackets (tuxedo in American English) before 6PM. This served to mark them apart from guests, as proper gentleman would know never to wear such a thing in broad daylight.
 

Concordia

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Originally Posted by sfstylegal
He looks fabulous in a one button peak lapel, plain white shirt, suspenders, long tie.[/color] But the noch lapel two button looks good too..... Does he have to get the noch lapel tux if he's going to wear a long tie?

No long tie with "tux." Ever.

And no tux before dark. You want traditional, there you go.
 

Manton

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True, "tradition" says no tux at 3 pm. I also don't like to see evening wear in the day time, and think the tradition is a good one. That said, the practice of holding late afternoon weddings in black tie, with evening reception/dinner, etc. to follow is getting more and more common. Don't not do it just because we say so.

However, I think if you are going to break one rule, don't pile on with a second. If you do black tie, make it the traditional bow tie. If you really want long ties, then make the dress code dark suits rather than black tie. The groom can wear a navy or midnight DB or SB peak with a white shirt and wedding tie. The groomsmen can wear whatever dark solid suits they own (no stripes or patterns), a white shirt and a wedding tie. They don't need to match. It's an elegant way to go and to my eye looks better than black tie at 3 pm.
 

ties@thedepot

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Originally Posted by Manton
True, "tradition" says no tux at 3 pm. I also don't like to see evening wear in the day time, and think the tradition is a good one. That said, the practice of holding late afternoon weddings in black tie, with evening reception/dinner, etc. to follow is getting more and more common. Don't not do it just because we say so.

However, I think if you are going to break one rule, don't pile on with a second. If you do black tie, make it the traditional bow tie. If you really want long ties, then make the dress code dark suits rather than black tie. The groom can wear a navy or midnight DB or SB peak with a white shirt and wedding tie. The groomsmen can wear whatever dark solid suits they own (no stripes or patterns), a white shirt and a wedding tie. They don't need to match. It's an elegant way to go and to my eye looks better than black tie at 3 pm.


I agree with Manton. I would definitely say wear the suit for the ceremony and the groom could also change into formal wear for the reception. At least that would be my excuse to buy a new suit and a new tux.
bigstar[1].gif
 

Sator

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Let's remember that the OP wanted things to be traditional. And I guess I usually tend to be the most staunchly traditional whenever we discuss wedding attire. That is why I felt that the recommendation to wear morning dress was perfectly appropriate.

I must say I partly agree with Manton's compromise to modernity in that I would immeasurably prefer ordinary lounge suits being done properly to having the wedding party dress like waiters. Indeed lounge suits are an option discussed in Manton's now rightly celebrated treatise on wedding attire:

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/T...DINGATTIRE.htm

However, I have always felt that it remains important to match the formality of the groom's attire to that of the bride. Often wedding gowns have a train, which is a very old fashioned and highly formal feature for a dress. The only thing which could possibly match the train in formality is a tail coat of some description - morning coat ('cutaway' for the Americans here) for a daytime event, or a dress coat for an evening event.

If the bride's gown has a train and the groom is to wear a short skirted jacket, I would think it necessary to either have the dressmaker promptly remove the train or else change the groom's attire to something more fitting.
 

YoungAmerican

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I am a groom in a very similar situation to yours right now.

I just want to echo the excellent advice you've received so far, and super-duper echo the no long tie with formal wear advice. Please, please, please don't put them in tuxedos with long ties. That is never, ever appropriate.
 

TheFoo

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Originally Posted by YoungAmerican
Please, please, please don't put them in tuxedos with long ties. That is never, ever appropriate.

I agree with the advice, but not because it's inappropriate. It just doesn't look as nice to me--as if you're wearing a black suit with shiny lapels.
 

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