Everything you need to know to help you find that perfect wedding day formal wear

Once you’ve found your perfect wedding gown, secured your venue and decided upon theme for your big day, it’s time to start thinking about what sort of formal wear the guys will be wearing.

The groom and his guys will need to look great and more than likely they will be wearing some sort of formal wear a tux or a really nice suit. Armed with a little knowledge about formal wear and a game plan your groom and his groomsmen will look perfectly dapper on your wedding day. Here are a few tips and suggestions that will make the process a lot easier.

Start Early

The biggest mistake most grooms make is waiting until the last minute. In reality, you’ll need some lead time in order to make a good decision. Generally, whether you are renting or purchasing your tuxedo, you should be fitted and place your initial order about three months prior to the wedding date in order to ensure availability and time for proper fitting. You’ll need to do some reconnaissance work even earlier.

Wedding magazines tend to feature brides—so if you’re looking for images of groom’s wear, look at the advertising. You can also go online to browse styles. Many companies have style photo galleries so you can just click and browse. From the pictures, you can narrow down some of your personal choices. Do you want a cummerbund or a vest? Do you prefer a bow tie, ascot or mandarin collar? Will your jacket be double-breasted or single?

Coordinate with The Bride

If you’re already overwhelmed, relax. It’s amazing how many decisions have already been made for you! The formality of your ceremony, time of day and location all play a huge part in what kind of attire you will wear.

If your wedding is in the evening, a tux is your best choice. You’ll want a black tux for formal evening events—so don’t even bother looking at any other color. You can choose from full-dress tails, a cutaway jacket or traditional tuxedo jacket for this time of day.
For afternoon weddings, generally considered to take place before 6 p.m., you will want to select either a tuxedo or formal suit. The cutaway jacket or tuxedo jacket are acceptable for afternoon weddings. The traditional color for this time of day is gray, but you don’t have to wear gray from top to bottom. Select a black cutaway jacket and gray striped pants, for example.

If you’re planning a ceremony before the noon hour, you’ll probably want to select a stroller coat or morning coat if you’ll be wearing a tux—but don’t rule out the traditional blue blazer and khaki pants. For more casual weddings, such as those on the beach or outdoors in the park, you can go even more casual, such as with a linen suit. And, don’t rule out some more personal choices. Military personnel can wear their dress uniform (get it refitted, cleaned and pressed); or, consider something from your heritage, like the Irish kilt.

Another consideration will be your body shape. Double-breasted coats look best on tall men, but shorter men should opt for a two- or three-button jacket. Cummerbunds can add weight to a pudgy middle, or help show off those six pack abs. Vests are the most popular accessory choice right now. They come in more styles and fabrics than ever before, and they cover up a multitude of imperfections. Plus, a full-backed vest means you can still look great when you take off your jacket at the reception.

Coordinate with Your Groomsmen

Usually, the groom stands out from the groomsmen in terms of attire. Some traditional variations include the groom in tails with groomsmen in dinner jackets. Often the groom simply wears a distinctly different vest or an ascot instead of a bow tie. If the groom is in military uniform, the groomsmen should be more casual, perhaps in color-coordinated suits. If you really want the entire wedding party to have the same attire, consider a different colored or more lavish boutonniere for the groom. Remember to consider your groomsmen’s size, shape and personal taste.

And, don’t forget dear ol’ Dad! He’ll want a tux or suit that blends with, but doesn’t perfectly match the groom. Traditionally, the fathers of the bride and groom wear an ensemble as formal as the groom’s, but a step down. If you’re in tails, Dad might want a dinner jacket or full-dress tail coat. You may run into problems when outfitting little guys like the ring bearer, but that’s ok. Some suits and tuxes don’t come in those itty-bitty sizes, so he can wear color-coordinated dress pants and a shirt and tie.

Start Shopping

You’ve done a lot of preliminary shopping, considered the time of day and the formality of the wedding, and now you know what kind of tuxedo you want. But, eventually you’ll need to try some things on!

We suggest you give XEDO a try. With a free groom’s try on, easy measuring tips, bridal party organization for regardless of where they live and easy delivery & return it doesn’t get much easier. Find out just how easy the process is.

If online shopping isn’t your thing… make sure you select a shop that has a good reputation. Don’t be afraid to check with the Better Business Bureau or call some of the names on the company’s reference list. If you have groomsmen coming in from out of town, you might want to choose a reliable chain store to make things more convenient for them. Your best man is responsible for picking up and returning all the rented items, so you’ll probably want to include him in this portion of the shopping as well.