Groom's attire - Tux or Suit?

[Sator]

Originally Posted by odoreater

Count me in as one of the members that thinks you are trying to resurrect extinct dinosaurs. My general feeling is that a person should wear whatever they want because the rules simply do not apply anymore. But, as a matter of personal choice, I would tend to agree with you here that a black lounge suit would be a bad idea and that a stroller would be a good idea. Morning dress, on the other hand, would just make it look like you made everyone dress up in a costume - at least in the US.

I emphasise again that I recommended the stroller as the most middle of the road option for a daytime formal wedding in the US to avoid controversy.

There are elegant traditionalist in the US who would go for morning dress. That is why I am mentioning it as an option - old fashioned perhaps but still proper and correct like white tie for evening dress. To break the rules you must first know the rules. If you know the rules and you still want to go right ahead - wear the t-shirt and flip flops.

 

[California Dreamer]

Originally Posted by jinx05

Sator -

Very helpful advice. Not only do I need to know what is appropriate, I also need to understand why. Thanks for explaining the rules.

Mr. Daniels - Jack is it? ;-)

The bride will be in formal attire. No vail though. Her dress is ivory. The ceremony will be outdoors in San Diego, Ca.

Thanks again!
Not at the clifftop chapel at Torrey Pines State Park, by any chance?

SD can be a fairly casual place; I recall being asked not to wear suits to work there. I think morning dress would definitely be overkill there, despite the traditional rules.

 

[Sator]

A few more pictures of the recent Royal marriage ceremony in traditional morning dress:

I would love to know who made Charles' morning coat. It is quite smashing really.

 

[Concordia]

Originally Posted by Sator

I would love to know who made Charles' morning coat. It is quite smashing really.

That's an A&S shoulder. John Hitchcock was quite visibly proud when saying how nice he thought the groom looked.

 

[Manton]

I prefer the look of a suit to a DJ for weddings. Even when a DJ is "proper" according to the clock, it just doesn't strike me as wedding attire. Maybe that's because I'm used to seeing it at charity dinners and the like. Dark blue suit, white shirt, silver or black and white tie: that says "wedding."

 

[Charley]

One of the finest posts anywhere describing forms of formal wear is this one by Tutee. The illustrations and descriptions are excellent. And there is one showing the various levels suitable for weddings.

 

[MrDaniels]

Originally Posted by odoreater

Count me in as one of the members that thinks you are trying to resurrect extinct dinosaurs. My general feeling is that a person should wear whatever they want because the rules simply do not apply anymore. But, as a matter of personal choice, I would tend to agree with you here that a black lounge suit would be a bad idea and that a stroller would be a good idea. Morning dress, on the other hand, would just make it look like you made everyone dress up in a costume - at least in the US.

I think there are still quite a few daytime weddings in the US where the men wear strollers or cutaways, or else it would not be feasible or profitable for the rental companies to carry them. If the bride is in a gown, I think it is the most appropriate choice for a daytime wedding. If she were to wear, say a cream or ivory suit I could see a nice blue or gray suit with a solid tie being appropriate. The reasons people wear formalwear to weddings is to mark is as a day of particular signifigance; tell the truth-how many more times in the average guy's life will he have the opportunity to wear daytime formalwear? It looks smart and aristocratic-and you are going to have all eyes on you all day. I say go for it.

 

[Quirk]

Originally Posted by Sator

Two different days or just separate events? Camilla has a different outfit, and Charles has a different boutonniere and (I think) waistcoat. Charles looks fantastic.

 

[Jared]

Originally Posted by Manton

I prefer the look of a suit to a DJ for weddings. Even when a DJ is "proper" according to the clock, it just doesn't strike me as wedding attire. Maybe that's because I'm used to seeing it at charity dinners and the like. Dark blue suit, white shirt, silver or black and white tie: that says "wedding."
The problem with DJs is that they're a uniform, but since the groom is a major player in the ceremony, the last thing you'd want is for them to blend in. A DJ would only work if nobody else was wearing one or if it were distinguished in some way - but it's hard to do either of those things with any style! So to be safe, we should stick with the traditions of not holding weddings after 15:00, thereby permitting the groom to wear a stroller or MC.