What is a wedding tie?

[JonasAberg]

One of my closest friends is getting married in February so I've been reading through threads about wedding attire and found multiple references to "wedding ties". There were even pictures of what people believed to be appropriate wedding ties but being the noob I am I couldn't figure out what they had in common. The best description I could find was this:

"...As for the appropriate tie to wear, if one is going to be strict about it, the English actually have a whole category of ties called wedding ties. They are woven silk in grey, black and silver and are usually in one of three patterns: houndstooth, shepherd's check or glen plaid. Another option is the Macclesfield ties..."

So going by this, is any woven silk tie in grey, black or silver (or a combination of these) with a houndstooth, shepherd's check or glen plaid pattern a wedding tie?

Why these colors and patterns and where did this tradition originate from?

I will be wearing a black suit and white shirt with silver cufflinks. Still undecided about the tie though. I wouldn't otherwise wear black but the bride suggested it and I won't argue appropriateness with her. I was thinking about wearing a light purple tie but after hearing about wedding ties I might wear one of those instead.

 

[Blackhood]

I believe most of these threads are referencing the kind of tie that is worn with a morning suit.

In this case I would suggest than any solid colour tie would be wedding-appropriate, especially those of a pastel colour.

 

[JonasAberg]

That was still a bit unclear to me as well; are wedding ties only to be worn by the groom or groomsmen or do attendees also traditionally wear them?

 

[jrd617]

 

[dasai]

They're usually high-contrast silver and black, with a tight woven geometric pattern such as houndstooth or glen plaid; the key is that they resolve to a solid grey from about 2 meters. There are also striped formal ties, but I consider them slightly less appropriate for weddings and more for sober occasions, at least for the wedding party (from memory, there is an old Esquire illustration from 1936 or so which shows a male guest wearing one in combination with a morning coat and matching white-slipped black waistcoat). Kent Wang has a glen plaid one which is very similar to the one I wore at my wedding. I also bought another one in houndstooth for my best man; the two of them were ¥8000 together, because I got them on sale. That, and most Japanese men go for the striped style for morning dress, or else wear a jacquard-weave white necktie with a black suit. Their loss, I suppose.

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by Blackhood

I believe most of these threads are referencing the kind of tie that is worn with a morning suit.

I don't think they are, though I expect that may be what the concept evolved from.

 

[Kent Wang]

Have you looked at the Wedding ties thread?

Originally Posted by JonasAberg

I will be wearing a black suit and white shirt with silver cufflinks. Still undecided about the tie though. I wouldn't otherwise wear black but the bride suggested it and I won't argue appropriateness with her. I was thinking about wearing a light purple tie but after hearing about wedding ties I might wear one of those instead.
Don't let her boss you around about the black suit. It seems particularly inappropriate as it is a wedding, not a funeral. The only excuse is if you don't have any other suits (charcoal, navy).

Originally Posted by JonasAberg

That was still a bit unclear to me as well; are wedding ties only to be worn by the groom or groomsmen or do attendees also traditionally wear them?
I don't know what the tradition used to be, but since almost no one wears wedding ties anymore, you can be the only one at the wedding wearing one, even if you're a guest. It looks nice and you're paying respect to an ancient tradition at the same time.

Originally Posted by dasai

They're usually high-contrast silver and black, with a tight woven geometric pattern such as houndstooth or glen plaid; the key is that they resolve to a solid grey from about 2 meters. There are also striped formal ties, but I consider them slightly less appropriate for weddings and more for sober occasions, at least for the wedding party (from memory, there is an old Esquire illustration from 1936 or so which shows a male guest wearing one in combination with a morning coat and matching white-slipped black waistcoat). Kent Wang has a glen plaid one which is very similar to the one I wore at my wedding. I also bought another one in houndstooth for my best man; the two of them were ¥8000 together, because I got them on sale. That, and most Japanese men go for the striped style for morning dress, or else wear a jacquard-weave white necktie with a black suit. Their loss, I suppose.
Your description is spot on. Thanks for the mention. Do people in Japan still wear morning coat to weddings?

 

[dasai]

Originally Posted by Kent Wang

Your description is spot on.

Thanks for the mention. Do people in Japan still wear morning coat to weddings?
No problem.

At weddings in Japan, the person most likely to be wearing a morning coat is the father of the bride, but it's also worn by grooms with a more traditional sense of style. The most typical form is a rather un-fitted morning coat with a "kissing" closure, a slipped black waistcoat, a wing-collar shirt and a striped formal tie, with optional white cotton gloves. Like so:

It's not the nicest-looking rendition, but at least they're still wearing them.

Incidentally, this is how my tie looked, both up-close and from farther away:

 

[FashionFadz]

I don't think many people where the traditional wedding ties these days, especially those not in the actual wedding party

Today the description "wedding tie" seems to be very loose and can refer to anything from a long tie coordinated with the bridesmaid dresses (I can almost see the eyes rolling here) or a fat boy tie to match a vest, or even a cravat.

 

[JonasAberg]

Originally Posted by FashionFadz

I don't think many people where the traditional wedding ties these days, especially those not in the actual wedding party

Today the description "wedding tie" seems to be very loose and can refer to anything from a long tie coordinated with the bridesmaid dresses (I can almost see the eyes rolling here) or a fat boy tie to match a vest, or even a cravat.

Yeah I've noticed that when doing a google search. However, when it comes to occasions like this I quite enjoy these old traditions even though no one is aware of them anymore. Heck, not a lot of people even wear suits these days but I still enjoy it.