How should we coordinate the men's attire?
We are planning an evening black tie winter wedding, and I am having trouble deciding how to match up the groom, best man and my three grown up sons who will be walking me down the aisle. The groom would prefer a tie and waistcoat, so should they all look the same?
Jacqui, wellington
Official Site Photography by Wellington Photographers
Erin answers...
Absolutely not! That's the beauty of the modern wedding - it's not expected that every man in the wedding party is a carbon copy of the next. There are quite a few variations you can go with...
1. Groom, Best Man, Three Sons all the same. Okay, so above I said they don't have to, but you can choose this option if you want to make it an easy decision. A way to provide distinction among the five men is with their buttonholes...they could all wear the same flowers, but the groom's buttonhole is a different colour...etc.
2. Groom in one colour, Best Man and Three Sons in another OR Groom and Best Man in one colour and Three Sons in another. This is a common trend. The colour variation comes into play with the accessories...everyone wears the same outfit, but the waistcoats and/or ties are different shades of the same colour (i.e. white for the groom and ivory for the others) or are different colours all together (i.e. ivory for the groom and the others in the colour of the bridesmaids dresses). You can play with this a bit, but it looks really lovely when there are different shades of the same colour or there is coordination with the maid of honour's dress or the bridesmaids' gowns.
3. Groom in Tie and Waistcoat, Best Man and Three Sons in Tie only OR Groom and Best Man in Tie and Waistcoat and Three Sons in Tie only. It's sometimes nice to have the Groom dressed "to the 9s" - with that little bit extra. After all, he is the most important man in the room. When I got married, my husband wore a suit without a tie. His best man and groomsman wore the same shirt and black pants (without the jacket)...and his groomswoman wore a dress made out of the same fabric as the bridesmaids but in black. Talk about variation, but it worked!
If you are hiring your suits, I suggest you also discuss this with the shop assistant, as they will be able to steer you in the direction that will best suit your vision.
