Here we go again - groom and groomsmen wedding attire

[Veremund]



Hey thanks for all the input thus far guys.
I just wanted to see if anyone could give me some pointers on the suit I plan on getting tailored in the next few months.

Peak lapels will add a classy touch of formality to your suit. Suspenders will as well, and will do a much better job at holding your trousers exactly where you want them.

 

[dman34]

Looking sharp Quaker, I like the color of your tux. Hope you enjoyed your day.

Thanks for the input on the lapels and suspenders Veremund. Hoping some more of you can offer your thoughts. Especially on what fabric to go for in the warm weather. Last thing I want is to be sweating profusely through my ceremony. I already plan on having an extra shirt or two made.

Would've liked to have gone with a 3 piece but I'm thinking another layer would not be wise!

 

[Monkeyface]

Go for a navy fresco wool, it has a more open wave, so it's perfect for warmer weather, while being more wrinkle resistant than linen. Seen as you're athletic, ask for soft shoulders and wider lapels, notch or peak. Ask for side tabs on the trousers and suspender buttons, so you can wear it with suspenders if you like. You can ask the tailor to cuff the trousers (between 1.75" and 2") if you prefer that, it would help them drape better.

Wear a cotton or cotton/linen (if you can find that) white shirt, with a spread or cutaway collar where the collar points will fall underneath your jacket. That Kent Wang tie is perfect, and would look great with the suit/shirt combination. You can add a linen pocket square if you like.

Finally, some nice black oxford captoes would finish the outfit. Go for Meermin: http://meermin.es/ficha_articulo.php?id=1971, if you're on a budget, or Carmina: http://www.shop.carminashoemaker.com/articulo.asp?idarticulo=3640202, or any of the reputable English shoemakers if you'd like to spend more (C&J, AS, EG, G&G, JL, etc.)

Your idea of giving your groomsmen subtly different navy ties is perfect. Personally I'd go for Drakes, but the ties you've bought look great too. Enjoy your wedding!

 

[facet]

Hey dman

I just discovered this thread and was surprised that you and I have quite a few parallels in our wedding preparations.

My fiancé was also pushing for the matching wedding party and it took quite a bit of convincing on my part to get her to come around. The two things that helped me out were directing her to the weddings 101 article on the forum here, then googling "mismatched wedding parties" to show her what it could look like and what I had in mind. The former helped her understand where I was coming from and the latter helped put her fears to rest.

Agreed that the Kent Wang tie is perfectly fine and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a black/white tie with navy suit. At least from what I've read (and better be as I'll be wearing a glen plaid tie as well to go with my blue herringbone suit).

Also agree that the ties you got would be fine, IMO; but if you are looking for other options, for my groomsmens' ties, I decided to go the Sam Hober route and got a charcoal/silver grenadine and shepherds check for them (only two of them). I don't know what your budget is; but he's worth considering as he has quite a variety to choose from, especially for wedding ties.

Best of luck.

 

[Veremund]



Looking sharp Quaker, I like the color of your tux.

He does indeed look sharp, but that's not a tux.

 

[dman34]

He does indeed look sharp, but that's not a tux.

Haha, I'm certainly making it quite obvious that I'm new around here. Oh well, guess one has to start somewhere!

Educate me

 

[Veremund]

Tux has satin or grosgrain lapels.

 

[dman34]

Hey dman

I just discovered this thread and was surprised that you and I have quite a few parallels in our wedding preparations.

My fiancé was also pushing for the matching wedding party and it took quite a bit of convincing on my part to get her to come around. The two things that helped me out were directing her to the weddings 101 article on the forum here, then googling "mismatched wedding parties" to show her what it could look like and what I had in mind. The former helped her understand where I was coming from and the latter helped put her fears to rest.

Agreed that the Kent Wang tie is perfectly fine and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a black/white tie with navy suit. At least from what I've read (and better be as I'll be wearing a glen plaid tie as well to go with my blue herringbone suit).

Also agree that the ties you got would be fine, IMO; but if you are looking for other options, for my groomsmens' ties, I decided to go the Sam Hober route and got a charcoal/silver grenadine and shepherds check for them (only two of them). I don't know what your budget is; but he's worth considering as he has quite a variety to choose from, especially for wedding ties.

Best of luck.

Hey facet, thanks for the input.

Are the bridesmaids in your wedding party wearing matching dresses? This is where I've hit a bit of a wall in my discussions (I've decided to let it rest for a few weeks while I compile more convincing ammunition haha!)

All of her bridesmaids are wearing exactly the same dress. No variations. She seems to think that since all her bridesmaids match, all my groomsmen should match too or else it will look out of sorts. I obviously feel quite the opposite. Unfortunately, with most of the "mismatched wedding parties" I have found online, the bridesmaids are in either slightly different colors or dress styles. If this was the case with my wedding it would certainly help my cause but unfortunately it's not.

I'm really trying to avoid rentals but I certainly don't want to be buying all my groomsen a suit, it would just become too costly. Nor do I want to request that they all open up their own wallets and buy the same suit. That's a bit much to ask.

As of now, all she's agreed upon is me in navy and my groomsmen in grey but she wants the grey to match. She's also perfectly fine with how I want their navy and white ties to be in different styles/patterns. I'm just stuck on the different shades of grey. Wish there was an easy solution.

 

[facet]



Hey facet, thanks for the input.

Are the bridesmaids in your wedding party wearing matching dresses?  This is where I've hit a bit of a wall in my discussions (I've decided to let it rest for a few weeks while I compile more convincing ammunition haha!)

All of her bridesmaids are wearing exactly the same dress.  No variations.   She seems to think that since all her bridesmaids match, all my groomsmen should match too or else it will look out of sorts.  I obviously feel quite the opposite.  Unfortunately, with most of the "mismatched wedding parties" I have found online, the bridesmaids are in either slightly different colors or dress styles.  If this was the case with my wedding it would certainly help my cause but unfortunately it's not.

I'm really trying to avoid rentals but I certainly don't want to be buying all my groomsen a suit, it would just become too costly. Nor do I want to request that they all open up their own wallets and buy the same suit. That's a bit much to ask.

As of now, all she's agreed upon is me in navy and my groomsmen in grey but she wants the grey to match.  She's also perfectly fine with how I want their navy and white ties to be in different styles/patterns.  I'm just stuck on the different shades of grey.  Wish there was an easy solution.

Yeah, sounds like you're in tough. Has she already got their dresses? If not, aside from showing her pictures, I also appealed to her sympathetic side, pointing out that different body shapes are going to require different cuts in order to accentuate or play down what a girl feels are her best or worst assets. So that, if she wanted her bridesmaids to look and feel at their best and most comfortable, it's better to allow them to find their own dress that they feel works the most for them. I guess I'm lucky as, once she got on board, she's fully embraced the idea of a mismatched wedding party. Now that I think about it, I think that another part of the appeal is the uniqueness of mismatching, as the opposite is so ubiquitous to now be the norm.

If she has already got their dresses, then I'm not too sure what else to do; I didn't want my groomsmen shelling out money unnecessarily either. Have you tried putting it in that context as well? That it's unreasonable to ask them all to shell out a couple/few hundred each to buy the same suit that they may not even like, just for one day (and that you just don't have the funds for)? From a budgetary standpoint, early on when we got engaged, we had settled on an amount we could afford for the entire wedding, then I got one of those wedding budget spreadsheets online (funnily enough, the spreadsheets don't even account for attire for the wedding party). That ended up also being helpful in that it showed that, if we were to include a category to buy/rent suits for my groomsmen as well with her bridesmaids' dresses, then we'd have to divert funds from other areas that were a) more important to her and b) really hard to get under budget already, even without including a budgetary item for wedding party wear. That wasn't the deciding factor; but it was another thing that had to be taken into consideration.

So, good luck again. It's difficult; but hopefully you can find a compromise somewhere.

 

[Veremund]

To be blunt, your fiancée is just being silly. But if you must have your groomsmen looking identical, tell them all to wear navy. There may be some variation between greys, but there's practically none between navies.

 

[dman34]

Any thoughts on this idea guys? Just trying to make the best out of this situation....

Since the wedding is going to be outside, ceremony at 4pm when it's still pretty darn hot out, and with it not being an excessively formal affair (golf club). What if I bought my groomsmen some tailored dress pants in either matching grey or navy to match my suit. I would keep my idea of getting them slightly different navy and white ties with a plain white cotton dress shirt and also have them wear suspenders but no jacket.

I bet they would be a whole lot more comfortable in the heat. My fiance would be happy because at least their pants match and I think I would be happy because they won't be in cheap looking suit rentals. I realize that this dresses things down somewhat but it's a fairly casual affair and there's nothing wrong with me the groom being a bit more dressy than my groomsmen. I'm sure most eyes will be on my bride anyways and I feel that it could look quite good if done right.

Just interested to hear some thoughts on this. Cheers!

 

[gambit50]

Shirt, tie, no jacket?
Suspenders?


Never.
Sorry, mate, but that is an awful idea.

There is no perfect solution to your problem with all of these constraints.
Of course, I am on the side of straightening your fiance out but there seemed to be some decent possibilities for awhile even given that you would rather cater to all of her whims.
Now, there is no hope.

 

[Veremund]

Exactly. Why ask us what we think if only your bride's opinion counts? Just ask her what you should think.

 

[boibleu22]

dman34, im in almost the exact same boat as you, though my bride is on board with mixing it up as long as the group as a whole looks well dressed and nothing clashes.

I'm looking for a navy suit as well and the brides maids will also be wearing blush.

I have 3 great fitting J.Crew Ludlow suits and I want a new one for my wedding, but I have not shopped around yet.

 

[dman34]

She seems to have come around

I am getting a custom 2 button midnight navy suit made. I've opted for a mohair blend to keep me cool. All the groomsmen will now be wearing their own suit - color ranging from medium to dark grey, white shirts, black shoes, and navy and white designer ties in different patterns (provided from me as a groomsmen gift).

Feeling much better about things!

Best wishes for your wedding! Hope you enjoy the day.