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aravenel

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First off, don't coordinate with your fiancee's dress. It never looks remotely good. You wear something classic and in good taste that frames her--she is the main event. No one is going to mistake who is the groom.

For black tie, take a look at www.blacktieguide.com. If not a tux, a solid navy or charcoal (I prefer navy) suit with black oxford shoes, a white shirt, and a weddinng (black/white or silver) tie.
 

ajsmith2013

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Dear Style Forum members,

I've been browsing this forum for a little while now, and have been reading your posts about classic menswear and groomsmen with interest. I have some ideas but am a little out of my depth and I hope that you can help me. I understand that this is a community full of knowledge and I respect your opinions.

I'm not educated in style, etiquette or tradition (except for the short time reading this forum) so I would greatly appreciate your input. The wedding is this summer in England. The ceremony is in a castle at 11am, with the afternoon reception and evening party in an informal setting (tipis in a field, low tables, hay bales, no seating plan). The day will begin quite formally but will become less formal in the late afternoon and evening.

One complication is that I am working in Vietnam until one month before the wedding. I have found a tailor who I believe to be trustworthy and competent who will be making my suit (bespoke). She only uses high quality fabrics from Europe and works in both Ho Chi Minh City and Paris. My thoughts on my suit are as follows:
Three piece, peak lapel?, dark charcoal wool, white shirt… not sure about shoes, pocket square or tie. Any suggestions on that would be greatly appreciated.

I have come to realise that matching groomsmen is definitely something that I want to avoid, I don't like the uniform look and much prefer the idea of people wearing what they are comfortable in. The only thing is that I don't think any of my groomsmen will have suitable suits in their wardrobes. I think it may be best to go with the groomsmen to look for suits to buy. Therefore, I feel that I need advice on what styles/colours of suits we should be looking for for the groomsmen. Should I try to keep them in dark two piece suits, or would it be acceptable for them to choose lighter colours and patterns? Should we have matching ties? We're all early 30's, slim built and unfamiliar with formal events.

My fiancee is having dresses tailored for the three bridesmaids. Their dresses will not match in cut or colour. They will be in turquoise, teal and possibly purple.

At the moment, we're thinking that the boutonnieres will be mostly green with a touch of white and purple (possibly herbs and heather rather than flowers), to compliment the bridesmaids. However, if you think that this would be inappropriate I would love to hear your thoughts. I wouldn't be against using warmer colours as it is a summer wedding.

With that said, I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I realise that I've asked a lot of different questions and I hope that I don't offend in any way. If anybody would like the contact details for the tailor in HCMC just let me know, she began by tailoring suits but now also designs and makes dresses.

Kind regards
Adam
 

mensimageconsultant

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This thread is becoming useless.

Three piece, peak lapel?, dark charcoal wool, white shirt… not sure about shoes, pocket square or tie. Any suggestions on that would be greatly appreciated.

Three-piece, peak lapel sounds, etc. sounds good. Ideally with black balmoral shoes - but what's already owned? White silk pocket square. Search "wedding tie" for options on that.

Should I try to keep them in dark two piece suits, or would it be acceptable for them to choose lighter colours and patterns? Should we have matching ties? We're all early 30's, slim built and unfamiliar with formal events.

Don't encourage black suits. (That likely would look funereal.) Suggesting dark gray or navy is advisable. Given the guests' physical similarities, matching ties might make the men look too similar. That said, some similarity in ties would be fine. Definitely don't mandate matching ties if every man is wearing the same boutonniere.
 
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Veremund

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You could wear a regular turn-down collar, French cuff shirt and a proper vest instead. I hate wing collar shirts too. But why the hate for a simple, classic black bow tie topping off a tux?

I went along with the idea because I dislike the tuxedo ensemble. I have a shawl lapel tuxedo jacket with matching plain black pants (no stripe down the sides) that I do like, but I hate those special pleated wing collar shirts, cummerbunds, and I totally hate bowties.
 

archibaldleach

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Dear Style Forum members,

I'm not educated in style, etiquette or tradition (except for the short time reading this forum) so I would greatly appreciate your input. The wedding is this summer in England. The ceremony is in a castle at 11am, with the afternoon reception and evening party in an informal setting (tipis in a field, low tables, hay bales, no seating plan). The day will begin quite formally but will become less formal in the late afternoon and evening.

One complication is that I am working in Vietnam until one month before the wedding. I have found a tailor who I believe to be trustworthy and competent who will be making my suit (bespoke). She only uses high quality fabrics from Europe and works in both Ho Chi Minh City and Paris. My thoughts on my suit are as follows:

Three piece, peak lapel?, dark charcoal wool, white shirt… not sure about shoes, pocket square or tie. Any suggestions on that would be greatly appreciated.

I have come to realise that matching groomsmen is definitely something that I want to avoid, I don't like the uniform look and much prefer the idea of people wearing what they are comfortable in. The only thing is that I don't think any of my groomsmen will have suitable suits in their wardrobes. I think it may be best to go with the groomsmen to look for suits to buy. Therefore, I feel that I need advice on what styles/colours of suits we should be looking for for the groomsmen. Should I try to keep them in dark two piece suits, or would it be acceptable for them to choose lighter colours and patterns? Should we have matching ties? We're all early 30's, slim built and unfamiliar with formal events.

My fiancee is having dresses tailored for the three bridesmaids. Their dresses will not match in cut or colour. They will be in turquoise, teal and possibly purple.

At the moment, we're thinking that the boutonnieres will be mostly green with a touch of white and purple (possibly herbs and heather rather than flowers), to compliment the bridesmaids. However, if you think that this would be inappropriate I would love to hear your thoughts. I wouldn't be against using warmer colours as it is a summer wedding.


Congrats on the wedding. I think a three piece peak lapel suit sounds awesome, but worry it might be a bit hot. Charcoal is a perfectly appropriate color and navy would work as well. Avoid black suits, but mid-to-dark grey is very appropriate as is navy. If you want to avoid the uniform look, there are a couple of ways to do that. One is to have everyone in a different wedding tie but in a substantially similar suit.. I think matching ties is the last thing you want as that is the best way to add a subtle bit of variation. Another is to not have everyone in the same suit. Slightly different shades of color are fine, and if the bridesmaids are not wearing the same color, a mix of elegant navy and dark grey suits is probably fine. It is way more important that everyone looks nice than that everything matches, and it sounds like you realize that. Light blue shirts instead of white would also add a touch of variety while staying appropriately formal. I love light grey but I do tend to think it a more casual color. I'd want everyone to be in a similarly formal suit, so would not go too light.

Seeing as you are not going to be an overly matchy wedding party, I think there is nothing wrong with the boutonniere complementing the bridesmaids. That's actually pretty subtle and much better than the excessive matching that goes on in some wedding parties.
 

mymil

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This thread needs way more wedding outfit pictures! So:
Suit: Solid navy peak lapel
Waistcoat: DB buff linen
Shoes: Black perf cap toe oxfords
Socks: Dark purple
Shirt: Blue/white large stripe contrast collar
Tie: Shepherd's check
Square: White linen
Not shown: Purple barathea braces


And Foo's opinion:
This is really, really awesome. Everyone take note of it--but do not attempt without hands-on help from an advanced player. This is the right way to wear white. It works well because the shirt is not all white--only the collar and stripes. Thus, all white elements here are simply accents on top of an already dynamic tonal spectrum. The buff waistcoat is a gorgeous touch.

Honestly, I wish I had dressed like this for my own wedding. Painfully elegant. Everyone, give the man a hand.
 
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gomestar

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i wore this. photo is b&w, but it's actually dark navy with black grosgrain.

706325


since that photo, a number of alterations were done including work on the sleeves, the back, and (most importantly) the collar. I just didn't have time before the wedding.
 

msulinski

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Inker19

I went along with the idea because I dislike the tuxedo ensemble. I have a shawl lapel tuxedo jacket with matching plain black pants (no stripe down the sides) that I do like, but I hate those special pleated wing collar shirts, cummerbunds, and I totally hate bowties

You could wear a regular turn-down collar, French cuff shirt and a proper vest instead. I hate wing collar shirts too. But why the hate for a simple, classic black bow tie topping off a tux?
A marcella/pique front formal shirt is also a nice alternative to the pleated kind.
 

suited

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i wore this. photo is b&w, but it's actually dark navy with black grosgrain.

706325


since that photo, a number of alterations were done including work on the sleeves, the back, and (most importantly) the collar. I just didn't have time before the wedding.


It looks excellent.
 

zeero3

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Was getting ready to post in this thread and saw my pic (yay!). A few things I think can help get this thread on some sort of track as it seems its turning in to a ask anything sort of thread. Questions can and should come, but probably later after the basics are set. Moderaters moderate? Post link to that useful guide to what to wear as a groom.

If you're dead set on doing something "different," then this thread is probably not for you and the push back would be pointless. I'm guessing this thread is intended for those who want to get married and look tasteful and classic for years to come. As with other things, context is important, especially if it is going to be a day or night wedding.

What I've gathered as tasteful from certain trusted online sources and this forvm for many months before my wedding (day time wedding). Also, take note that I intended for all the items I bought for my wedding to be useful, necessary items for a wardrobe (nothing is a one-off "I'll never wear that again" item). Again the below is DAY TIME WEDDING:

Suit: Solid color navy or mid to dark gray. Stay away from a striped suit because it denotes a business suit. This is a formal event (in this case at least) and not a day at the office. I personally chose a peak lapel because of its formality, but in hindsight wish I went with a notch lapel so it could have slid nicely in to my wardrobe as my first notch lapel navy suit (a definitely staple).

Shirt: White shirt with double cuffs and simple cuff links.

Tie: Wedding tie (see multiple threads on this). The three most common are the shepherd's check, glen check, and houndstooth check ties. From a distance they appear solid silver/gray, but up close patterned.

Shoes: Black cap toe oxford. This is a STAPLE shoe if there ever was one.

Groomsmen attire: **My personal opinion**

I do not want to tell anyone to buy anything. If I must, I take in to account that I would DEFINITELY not ask them to purchase anything that is not a super staple that would benefit them anyway. This is all your discretion and your friends might have more money than my friends. For example, I asked them all to wear black shoes. I assumed they all did, and if they didn't, I assumed they felt "hey I should have black dress shoes anyway." I also used this opportunity to advise them on a decent shoe IF they wanted my opinion on what they should get.

When it comes to matching, I find it to be without style, forced, and tacky. I wasn't going to have them all go to Men's Warehouse and all buy the same cheap suit. I specified for them to wear a gray suit. Again, I figured they all had one already. If they DIDN'T, I politely said something to the effect of, "Hey we're about 30 years old and folks are going to start getting married if they aren't already. If you don't already have a gray suit, just pick up a solid gray suit and I'll help you get it tailored." I'm not their style coach. I'm not a bridezilla. I just want my friends to look good and tasteful. Use your own discretion.
 

mymil

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zeero3

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These are the resources I've found most useful: http://putthison.com/post/334425916/weddingattireformen
[COLOR=1155CC]http://www.styleforum.net/a/the-basics-of-wedding-attire[/COLOR]

[COLOR=1155CC]http://www.styleforum.net/a/what-should-i-ask-my-groomsmen-to-wear[/COLOR]

http://www.blacktieguide.com/Supplemental/Weddings.htm

[COLOR=1155CC]http://www.styleforum.net/t/62219/wedding-ties
[/COLOR]

Only one is linked to in the first post, but I think all of them should be included there.
+1
 

PiCcolocV

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I am assisting with my friend's wedding on the outfits since he acknowledges he does not know much about clothing, but we are doing the Men's Wearhouse route so I am trying to make the best of what we have to work with. Two questions:

  1. MW only offers awful, square toe, fake leather shoes to pair with the tuxedo. Would the uniformity of these across the party be better than telling everyone to wear their best pair of black (non-loafer) dress shoes and ensure they are shined the night before wearing?
  2. We will be wearing charcoal 3-piece tuxedos with white shirts. The groom will have a light-lavendar waist-coat to differentiate himself. We also were thinking of having him do a bow-tie (he has a very, very tall, very, very slim frame, so bow-ties actually look great on him) with ties for the groomsmen. I have successfully convinced the stakeholders that under no circumstances will any part of our outfit match the color of the bridesmaids (small victories here). From reading the guides above, my sense is that it would probably be best if all of the groomsmen wore a different wedding tie within general parameters? I have looked at the wedding ties on places like Sam Hober, but I am just not sure what options to recommend to the groom, father of the groom, and groomsmen. Especially with Charcoal tuxedos and white shirts, it seems like it would just be an overwhelming amount of gray. How should I approach this?

Thanks!
 

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