What are the Different Types of Wedding Suits for men?
Wedding suits for men mean different things to different people. We all come from various cultures across the globe. We will choose to stay in the European/American culture when discussing the types of wedding suits for men available. There are different types of wedding suits as much as there are different types of weddings. We know that there are both day weddings and night-time weddings. These require completely different types of suits to be worn. Some people prefer to wear standard 3 piece suits. It also depends on the time of the year too. The majority of weddings are usually held in late Spring and Summer. Read How to choose the Perfect Wedding Suit here.
Are Tuxedos considered Wedding Suits?
One of the best-known wedding suits is the Tuxedo. We all know that tuxedos are used for weddings and have probably been to a wedding where they were used. The black satin lapels, satin covered buttons and striped pants all signify what a tuxedo is and what it is not. They are primarily worn for evening weddings and not for day weddings with their more formal nature. There are few basic types of tuxedos. The basic black tuxedo which comes with a regular length jacket, the white or ivory color tuxedo which is used for daytime weddings and the tuxedo with tails.
Morning Dress Suit
The English with their long-lived experience with formality will use a tuxedo with tails for an evening wedding with a special vest or waist coat as they call them. If it is a daytime wedding, you will see the groom and groomsmen perhaps wearing a gray color tuxedo with tails called a Morning dress suit. The morning dress suit is a specific style of wedding suit. Some coats will have a long round tail in the back that comes around seamlessly to the front of coat. These wedding suits are strictly to be worn for early day weddings and should not be worn after the sun is down. They are not used very much in America unless it’s by a family with old money.
Can you wear a Solid Color 3-Piece Suit for Daytime Weddings?
The quick answer is that a solid color 3 piece suit in lighter colors makes a perfect daytime wedding suit. The 3-piece suit has long been a popular wedding suit for men for its easy to wear nature in America. You will often see the groomsmen all wearing the identical 3-piece suit which is a jacket, vest and pants all made of the same solid color fabric. The benefit of wearing a 3-piece suit is that suit can be used again for either another wedding that you’ve been invited to or if you work in an office job. The key point is that a 3-piece suit that is worn for a wedding should be a solid color only. No stripes or plaid, please. Unless the wedding has a costume theme, patterned suits should not be involved.
The Slim Fit 3 Piece Suit can be a wedding suit
Now this type of wedding suit comes with a bit of controversy. Slim fit suits in general are tighter fitting fashion suits for men. They are primarily used by men who are under the age of thirty. The issue with slim fit suits is that they don’t fit on everyone. If you’re a stocky man in the wedding party, it is not going to fit you well.
For instance, they only look good on slim men who are in decent shape. Unless all the groomsmen are in good shape and look good in a suit, I would not advise to wear them. There are however a few different types of slim fit suits that make good wedding suits. The first is that it should be a 3-piece style in a solid fabric that is cleanly styled. All rules concerning the color of the suit apply. Time of day. Time of year.
The second type of slim fit suit that you can use for a wedding is the trimmed variety. This is a suit that will have satin trim on the lapels and pockets. This gives the suit a tuxedo like appearance without the suit being a tuxedo. If you’re going to take this route, you really should be in the under 25 category. Since more and more people are holding off getting married, you won’t be seeing too many of these style suits.
Day Weddings require light color wedding suits
If, the wedding is going to be your perfect sunny day catered affair with the big tent outside. You will need to consider a lighter color wedding suit. This is the time of day when you can wear your lighter colors. Medium gray, ivory, beige. These are usually the best colors to wear for a nice outdoor day time wedding. You can stick to the basic solid color 3-piece suit for this situation. A dark color suit or tuxedo should not be seen during a daytime outdoor wedding.
Nighttime Weddings
The night-time wedding is always a more formal affair and wearing a black or navy tuxedo as your wedding suit is recommended. Most importantly, It’s best to usually stick to the classic black tuxedo style jacket with either your notch lapels, peaked lapels or shawl collar lapels. Imagine how out of place you would look for a night-time wedding when you wear a tan color suit when everyone is wearing a black tux. You would feel almost naked. Wedding suits for men have always been wearing the right suit at the right time.
Which Role are You Filling?
Every person who attends a wedding has role to fill. From the actual groom to the groomsmen. The father of the bride, the father of groom. Lastly, the guests. Most importantly, the guests should dress properly as well. Since we are talking about wedding suits for men, we will be focusing strictly on the men. If you are an invited guest, you could consider wearing a double breasted suit.
Can the Groom can wear what the Groomsmen Wear?
Weddings are always personal. It’s more than likely that the Bride already has ideas on what she wants everyone to wear. There are some weddings where the groom wears the exact same ensemble as the groomsmen wear. I prefer the groom however to wear something different. It is important that the groom should stand out in a way that lets people know immediately that this is the groom in a way like a wedding dress lets the bride stand out. Sure, the wedding suit can match the color of the groomsmen suits, but it should be distinctive.
What the Groomsmen Should Wear
This goes back to what type of wedding this is. Is it a day wedding or a night wedding? For the day wedding, let’s stay with a solid color three-piece suit in your classic lighter colors. Most importantly, it’s easy and always looks great for a daytime wedding. For the night-time affair, let’s go formal with solid black tuxedos. Wedding suits for men can match them up to the color of the bride’s maids’ dresses with vests that the groomsmen can wear. It’s simple and easy to look great and have great wedding pictures for the wedding album.
Father of the Bride or Father of the Groom
Whether you’re the Father of the Bride or Father of the Groom, you should also dress accordingly. Sticking to the rules of the Day time wedding or evening wedding apply just the same. You can usually wear what the groomsmen are going to wear and call it a day. It’s easy and once again will make for great wedding pictures. The solid color 3-piece suit for the day wedding and the basic black tuxedo if the wedding is an evening affair. You simply can’t go wrong this way.
What Male Wedding Guests Should Wear?
Let’s say you are one of the lucky ones not to be party of the actual wedding party. You are simply known as the guest. You are going to really enjoy the catering and music without being interrupted every other minute to take pictures by the photographer. However, his mind is focused on the wedding album he is creating. You will need to wear the correct wedding suit as well. Now, here the rules are a bit different and less stringent. As usual, everything depends on the time of day the wedding takes place.
Always wear a Suit.
For the daytime wedding, you of course should wear a suit. Do not show up to someone’s wedding wearing anything but a suit. It’s completely disrespectful. Stick to wearing a light color solid color or muted pattern suit and you will be okay. Don’t show up wearing a gangster stripe suit or loud plaid pattern suit unless it’s some sort of theme wedding. You want the suit to be no older than 5 years old if you already own suits. Anything older will show its dated styling.
If it’s one those formal night-time weddings, the same rules apply. I would recommend wearing a tuxedo. Sure, you can just wear a dark color suit but most of the men who know how to dress properly will be wearing a tuxedo. Tuxedos are very affordable and usually don’t cost more than a suit. However, you know that you’ll have other weddings and affairs to go to. Having your very own tuxedo in your closet is a comforting thing.
Wearing the right wedding suit always boils down to time of the affair as well as the time of year. However, by sticking to these basic rules, you will have no problem knowing what type of suit to wear. There won’t be any need to be like a deer in the headlights paralyzed with not knowing what to wear. For instance, it sure is far simpler than what women must contend with when it comes to what type of dress to wear. Wedding suits for men are simple by comparison.