Although weddings can bring with them oodles of fun (open bar, anyone?) they can be notoriously difficult to dress for. This is especially true for the men among us. While it may be possible for women to wear a number of different dress styles to a wedding, with men the things are drawn rather clear with full suits and dress shoes being the norm.
But, what if you wanted to dress for a wedding in a way that is both appropriate and true to your style? Here is our handy guide to wedding outfits for men.
1. Beach Wedding Outfits
The beach makes a calming and beautiful locale for a wedding, but it can be admittedly hard to dress for occasions of this kind. We kindly beg you, though, to think beyond the Hawaiian shirt or breezy button-up. Instead, try a pastel colored dress shirt underneath your suit. Depending on dress code, khaki or cotton pants can also make for great wedding attire.
2. Casual Wedding Outfits
A wedding with a casual dress code is not an excuse to slack off when it comes to your outfit choice. In fact, it can be a challenge to use your creativity to dress as fashionably as possible while still maintaining a trendy vibe. While you may usually go for a dress shirt, try something different like a turtleneck or patterned button-up. By dressing with intention you may just end up the best dressed wedding guest, though you still won’t risk upstaging the wedding party.
3. Fall Wedding Outfits
Though perhaps less common than the summer wedding season, fall is a great time to have a celebration. The cooler weather means that you don’t need to worry about sweating through your formal attire, and that you’re not restricted to wearing breathable fabrics only. For fall weddings, you are at liberty to choose suits made from heavier materials like tweed and to choose longer sleeved shirts to go underneath it, such as a turtleneck.
4. Formal Wedding Outfits
For weddings that err more on the traditional side of things, it’s a good idea to stick to the basics of men’s wedding attire. In these cases, a tuxedo or lounge suit is not a bad choice — especially one in classic black with a jacket and white shirt underneath. If you want your wedding attire to show a taste of your personality without swaying away from its polished character, opt for a patterned silky necktie. Don’t forget a pair of shiny dress shoes.
If the wedding is very formal, you will want to wear a black tie. If the wedding calls for “cocktail attire”, your outfit should be more formal than business casual but not as formal as at a black tie wedding.
5. Spring Wedding Outfits
Much like fall, spring lives up to its reputation as a good time to have a wedding thanks to the mild temperatures afforded by the shoulder seasons. In spring, everything is in bloom, and dressing in a way that mirrors that is a great way to fit in with a wedding’s overall theme. This means choosing suits with unexpected colors like blue, and brown, and tan.
6. Summer Wedding Outfits
The most popular season for weddings also happens to be the hardest one to dress for. If you are attending a summer wedding and concerned about feeling comfortable at an outdoor wedding, feel free to opt for a pair of dress trousers and suspenders in the place of a heavy suit. You can dress up this outfit with a coordinating necktie or even bowtie. If the event you are attending has wedding colors, be sure to heed those — they are sometimes included on the wedding invitation itself.
7. Winter Wedding Outfits
We believe that winter is an underrated time to get married, if for no other reason than the wonderful fashion opportunities it provides. To comfortably and fashionably dress for a winter wedding, strive for a layered look and try to stick to moody colors like gray and black.
