With the flowers in full bloom, so is love and that means summer weddings. Navigating what to wear to a wedding can be quite challenging as each wedding may have different levels of formality. That tied with the warm weather and looking good, appropriate and comfortable may be a bit daunting of a task.
A black-tie wedding does fully dictate a tuxedo. You can get into some fun colors with your tuxedo, but it would be recommended that you wear a solid black tux. All eyes should be on the bride for a wedding and not looking at your bright purple paisley tuxedo jacket. There is a time and place to stand out, and even a level of standing out, and that place is not a wedding. The wedding day is abut the couple and not the guests, so we should be at least a little tame in our dress.
With formal or semi-formal, wedding suits are generally dictated. A nice well-tailored suit with a collared shirt and nice shoes. Now we can get into a sport coat with dress slacks and a collared shirt. With the heat, I highly recommend an unlined or 1/2 lined suit or sport coat that will allow breathing and keep you a little cooler. Now I never enjoy wearing ties, so for myself, as a rule, if I choose not to wear a tie I always wear a pocket square. The pocket square elevates any look and also helps add a splash of color to any sport coat or suit jacket. If you do choose to wear a tie I still am an advocate for a pocket square, but it is not a necessity. One thing to know is that the pocket square doesn’t need to match the tie; it merely needs to complement it in color and pattern.
As we get away from formal weddings, there are a lot of fun things that can be done. Many brands are making slacks in performance fabrics, which while looking very sharp are also comfortable and breathable, so that brings in the comfort and keeps us looking sharp. (In our photo Lou is at a wedding wearing black performance fabric slacks with an unlined sport coat and a sharp sport shirt.) Sport shirts with nice patterns are also fine to wear tucked or untucked as long as they’re ironed and not too long on your body. We want to look sleek and tailored.
I would always recommend wearing a leather dress shoe but if the event is more casual, then a more casual loafer may work or even and sophisticated sneaker. The main thing I would say is if you’re unsure don’t do it, but honestly I would always ask the bride and groom what their image of the wedding is. If they say they want you in a suit or just a shirt follow their directives; the day is all about them and I would not be afraid to ask them how they view this. They will be the ones looking at your photographs for years to come, so don’t be the guy that spoils the photos with an unironed shirt and sneakers at the formal event. You can always stop in and talk to me if you need any assistance with this, but my recommendation is always be a little overdressed rather than under, especially if it for someone else day.
For more style tips, visit Eric at The Haberdashery, 900 Rutter Ave., Forty Fort or on Facebook at @TheHab900 or Instagram at @the_haberdashery900.
