From those lovely powder blue suits with the ruffle shirt alongside leisure suits, to Miami Vice style sports jacket with colored t shirts & loafers with no socks, to three piece suits and formal tuxedos, men’s wedding attire has seen quite a few trends over the last few decades! Boy, am I glad we’re past the 70′s AND the cummerbund stage of the 90′s too! Since we started off talking last week about bridesmaid dresses, I thought it only fair to dive into the topic of men’s wear this week. This Do Weddings Smarter series is a series of thoughts shared to get you thinking about how to achieve the goals and desires that you really want for your wedding day, so let’s talk about groomsmen attire.
ORIGIN: Similarly to the bridesmaids, it is thought that the groomsmen attire was created to be similar to the groom’s attire so as to confuse the evil spirits. If a jealous or evil spirit came to bother the groom, of course, they would be confused and not know which man was the groom. The main difference though is that the concept of groomsmen came about during the wedding-by-capture era. In other words, you went and kidnapped your wife, and your buddies stood guard as a small army to protect you from the family or anyone that might want to steal her!
GOAL: The goal with men’s attire currently is to reflect and add to the color and style of your beautiful day. Many more men now are choosing self expression over tradition in their wedding attire. Men, always be sure to check with your bride though..don’t want any fights breaking out here
When we got married, there weren’t a lot of elements that Damion really cared about, but his attire was one of them, so he chose what he and the groomsmen wore. He has good taste, so he was trustworthy!
When it comes to weddings, one of the trends that we see most often is the three piece suit. This suit consists of the pants, jacket, and vest with either a bow tie or a tie. As a photographer, and again this is simply my opinion, I am not too fond of three piece suits and here’s why: although they look very nice, there is a problem with the vests. Once things are getting relaxed and the buttons on the jacket come undone, we have a challenge as a photographer….white shirts peeking out of the bottom and other places. Because of the nature of rentals and inherent differences between body types and sizes, this is a VERY common issue and the vest themselves fit each person differently and produce a variety of effects because they are not custom fitted. I have removed the heads to protect the innocent, but here are some examples of the vest issues that I am talking about:
I want to encourage you think outside of the box (here I go with that again!). There are SO many options available to men today that are very flattering and stylish and reflect the style, theme & personality of your wedding. Remember that when you’re selecting men’s wear, you will want to consider the season/temperature and the type of event. For instance, if you’re having a garden wedding in the summer, please don’t have your poor groomsmen wear a dark wool tuxedo! I’ve gathered a huge variety of thoughts and ideas here on my Pinterest Board, Groomsmen Attire, for you to look at and hopefully take inspiration from. Here is a great article from GQ with some other options for wedding attire & tips for men’s wear. Here are just a few options:
1) A beautiful suit: Most appropriate for a day wedding or informal wedding. Between the suit and, tie, and/or pocket square, you can create an unlimited palette of color combinations! There are websites such as The Tie Bar that feature an amazing array of ties specifically categorized by color or pattern.
2) Military Dress: Striking & always classic.
3. Black Tie/Tuxedo: Timeless. Most appropriate for evening weddings and formal events. My personal favorite.
And lastly, I thought I would share with you the tiniest little suit I’ve ever seen! Honestly, I don’t know exactly how long a baby would stay in this cute little outfit, but it was adorable and I hope it leaves you with a smile too!
So, what are your thoughts? How are you planning to dress your groomsmen appropriately for the season and your type & style of wedding?? We’d love to hear what creative ideas you are considering!! Please do share
Damion's timeless approach of combining beautiful photojournalism with portraiture & the ease with which he captures precious moments & exquisite details alike, has thrust Damion forward as one of the most sought after photographers in Northern California. He and his wife Julie's genuine honesty, integrity as well as raw skill behind the camera is what makes them one of the most celebrated teams in the Napa Valley.
by julie
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