There is a lot of attention given to the bride and her wedding outfit, but what about the groom? On the most important day of his life, the groom needs to look his best. So when it comes to choosing the perfect suit for your wedding day, there are a number of factors to consider…
So how to choose the perfect men’s wedding suit?
The Fit – Well your perfect wedding suit really depends on your personal taste, but of course it should also fit like a glove so you look ultra-sharp on your wedding day. This is where a tailor made wedding suit or tuxedo will be beneficial.
The Theme of your wedding can also play a role in what sort of wedding suit you require.
The Fabric should generally be cashmere wool or at the very least a wool blend with a high percentage of wool. But then depending on the theme it could be a bit more of a shiny material such as a cotton-polyester blend, or even linen if it’s a beach wedding.
The Styling – the design of your wedding suit or tuxedo should be as unique as possible. You don’t want to look like all the other guys at your wedding – you want to stand out and be the man of the moment. It’s ok to be a bit more flamboyant.
Ultimately there are a mind-boggling amount of choices and combinations for men’s wedding suits and tuxedos. So if you’re a little overwhelmed and looking for some ideas, we’re here to provide you with a little guidance.
What’s the difference between a wedding suit and a tuxedo?
Many men opt for a wedding suit as opposed to a tuxedo because they could use it again later down the track for work or any other function or event.
The difference between a wedding suit and a tuxedo is that the tuxedo has certain embellishments (e.g. satin covered lapels and buttons) that restrict you from using it for any other purpose other than special events. The wedding suit, however, can be re-worn later for work – and if it’s a 3-piece suit, the vest can also be worn individually at parties or when going out. So the wedding suit is much more versatile than a tuxedo and you can get much more use out of it.
However the tuxedo can be designed in such a way as to make it extremely unique and make the groom really stand out – something that I’m sure most grooms will desire on their wedding day!
Before we get to tuxedos, first, let’s cover some examples of wedding suits.
If you’re having a very formal church wedding, there is of course the traditional solid black 3-piece suit on a nice crisp white shirt with a silver or red satin-finish or paisley-patterned silk tie and a carnation or rose through the button hole of the left lapel.
Despite the standard colour and format of the suit, you can still add some flair to it by perhaps giving it some peak lapels, narrow slanted pockets, making it 1 button, and adding some contrasting red paisley lining on the inside. Add a pocket square that matches your tie to further increase the uniqueness of the look.
An alternative to the black wedding suit is the navy blue 3-piece suit with a white shirt and light blue satin-finish silk tie and pocket square.
If you’re having a beach wedding, then we recommend a white or sand coloured 2-piece linen suit with an unbuttoned white shirt.
Now for wedding tuxedos…
Now we’re heading into special territory. Many women say that there is nothing sexier than a man in a tuxedo – perhaps because of the sexy image created by James Bond, who is often seen in a tuxedo when at the casino or when driving his Aston Martin or even when shooting the bad guys.
Here at Finestitch, we get really excited about designing a unique wedding tuxedo, because we know we can get really creative!
Recently I designed a tuxedo that was made in Navy Blue Super 150s cashmere wool, with black satin covering on the lapels and pocket flaps. Then it had white hand craft stitching on the border of the lapels and pockets to contrast against the black satin. The trouser was also in the same Navy Blue cashmere wool material, with a 1-inch wide black satin stripe running down the side of the trouser. This gave the tuxedo a really distinct look that is sure to make the groom stand out on his wedding day.
See the design specifications below:
Another design was a black 3-piece suit with navy blue paisley patterned covering on the lapels and pocket flaps of the jacket. This same navy blue paisley pattern covering was used on the vest buttons and the back of the vest, so even when the jacket was taken off, the groom still had that element of flair.
Some other things to consider with tuxedos include:
- Shawl lapels – the shawl lapel is a continuous curve with no angles and is commonly found on more formal clothes such as dinner jackets (tuxedos) – often with a satin finish over the lapel. Generally found on an all white jacket (pictured) or an all black jacket; a contrast of black lapel on a white jacket is also quite elegant and appealing.
Shawl Lapel - Cummerbund – this is the sash worn around the waist and is an alternative to wearing a waistcoat (vest). Cummerbunds are usually made out of satin or silk material and match the colour and fabric of the bow tie.
Cummerbund - Tuxedo shirt – these shirts have pleats on each side of the buttons down the middle of the shirt. Often they will also have wing-tip collars to allow for bow ties.
Tuxedo shirt with wingtip collar
Almost anything is possible. If you have a design in mind or if you’ve seen something you like somewhere, then just let us know and we can draw it up for you. Or even if you don’t have anything specific in mind, but you just want something unique – we can design and make it for you.
Taylor Lautner – blue satin covered peak lapel suit in blue
In this post, we’ve just given a few basic examples or ideas. There are indeed many variations for wedding suits and tuxedos, and it can all get a bit confusing. At Finestitch & Co we offer one-on-one consultations to design a unique wedding suit or tuxedo just for you, and provide advice on accessories such as ties and pocket squares so that you can really make a special statement on your wedding day.