Suits Vs. Tuxedos At A Wedding

Hello,

I am getting married in the evening of May 19th of this year and had a few questions regarding the groom’s and his groomsmen’s attire. We have asked all of the groomsmen if they have a black suit, which they all do. The bridesmaids dresses are a tea length, strapless A-line dress in the color Oasis. I want to tie in the color of the bridesmaid’s dresses with the groom’s and groomsmen’s suits. Would it be appropriate to rent coordinating vests and ties to go with the grooms suits even if each of the grooms suits are not the same? Or is it even appropriate to wear vests with suits or is it tuxedos only? Also, would it be appropriate for the Groom to wear a tuxedo while the groomsmen wear a suit?

If this is confusing to you write me back and I will try to make it more clear!

Thank you so much!
Haley

Irina Feygin,
IMpeccable iMage, Inc. Image and Beauty and For Princess Bride

Dear Haley,

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! It would be a nice touch if you could add an accessory to groomsmen attire in a color that reflects the bridesmaids’ dresses. It could be a tie or a vest, or both. If you want to match a tie, I would suggest a vest with a matching stripe, not to “overdo” the entire thing. However, since all groomsmen are going to wear ther own black suits, the question is: how the suits fit? Will the fit and cut of the suits allow for a vest at all? You have to find that out first, before making any desisions. To go with a shirt and tie looks like a “safer” idea to me. You can have them wear the same shirt in the complementing color and then the tie to match the bridesmaids’ dresses.

Enjoy the wedding!

Rebecca Black, Etiquette By Rebecca

Great ideas.

It is best for all of the men in the bridal party to wear the same thing. A tux and suit are two different formalities. It is rarely a good idea to mix them.

Best wishes,

Reader Response

thanks so much for the quick reply. The reason we originally decided to let the guys wear their own black suits is because we felt guilty about having them rent one. I know this is the normal but we feel that we would be more comfortable paying for the rentals ourselves if that is what we decided to do. But the idea of having them wear their own black suits came to us to basically save us money. My fear is that their suits will not go together well. I don’t know much about suits, tuxedos etc… but my fiance tells me that a suit is a suit…I find this difficult to believe!

Would you recommend us going ahead and having the man of honor and the groomsmen rent their suits…or if we decide tuxedos to stay on the safe side? Is it risky business trusting a bunch of MEN that say they have black suits…I mean what if they are not nice, or faded, or anything that would stand out as inappropriate? Also, just to clarify,..if the groomsmen/ man of honor wear a suit then the groom needs to wear the same thing. Same goes for if they wear a tuxedo?

Thanks again,
Haley

Irina Feygin,
IMpeccable iMage, Inc. Image and Beauty and For Princess Bride

Dear Haley,

You are absolutely right. You don’t know the condition of theis suits, you don’t know the fit and you don’t know the cut. Suits are not “just suits”, they might have a different cut, they could be single-breasted, double-breasted, two or three-buttoned etc. Also, the shades of black, believe it or not, might vary. However, to save money, you may want to take a look at all the guys’ suits and take detailed notes. If the suits do not match at all, I would rather go with rentals. Compare the prices in your area and see where you can get the best deal. Also, it is not unusual for a Groom to wear a tuxedo while the others are wearing suits. You are the bride and groom, therefore you are “the stars of the show”. However, if you want the “look” of your wedding to be more uniform, then you can go either way: all tuxes or all suits. Enjoy the wedding!

Rebecca Black, Etiquette By Rebecca

Be careful and follow the formality of your event. A suit would be fine for semi formal day or evening events, while a tux is a formal evening attire.

Every once in a while there is a small disagreement between etiquette vs. fashion. In the etiquette world, all men would dress the same, with minor differences, such as the color of the groom’s and best man’s tie. But, they would be basically dressed the same.