Having a hard time figuring out what you’d like your wedding attire to look like? A tuxedo is a classic look, and a black tux wedding may be your ultimate wedding vision, but how do you decide what’s best? Especially since more and more couples are choosing to go less formal for their wedding. Of course, you want to look stylish on your big day, but more formal isn’t always better.
Here we will help you decide if a black-tie wedding is the best option for your wedding dress code and give you everything you need to know to choose a black tuxedo or suit for yourself.
Black tux wedding? Or a less formal affair? It’s totally up to you.
If you’re planning a wedding and are trying to decide if you’d like the dress code to be black-tie, you must first know what a black-tie dress code is.
Typically, a black-tie wedding comes with a dress cost of wearing a black tuxedo or an evening dress. Really, it means fancy, so guests should bring out all the stops, and it’s safe to assume you can’t be too overdressed.
Guests must stick with dark colors like navy and gray or deeper jewel tones like emerald, burgundy, or sapphire. A black tuxedo is the first choice. Guests could wear a black suit but should be paired with a black tie.
It’s your wedding, and it’s up to you if you want to enforce a dress code. There is nothing that says a wedding needs to be a black-tie affair.
The tuxedo was popularized in 19th-century England as the go-to formal attire. It’s a suited outfit for formal events such as galas, balls, premiers, and weddings. The critical aspects of a tuxedo are; the black bowtie, cufflinks, cummerbund, tuxedo shirt, and the tuxedo suit jacket and pants.
You’re not alone if you feel like a tuxedo is a must for a wedding. But what you wear is up to you; many grooms wear more simpleblack wedding suist or other less formal attire. To make an informed decision, you must know the differences between a tuxedo and a suit.
Worried that you can’t personalize your black tux? The different tuxedo lapel styles are one way to make your tux feel more personal.
If you’re buying a tuxedo, you will likely get a professional to properly fit you, and you may even get slight alterations; however, here are some things to consider when it comes to fit as you shop for a tuxedo for your wedding.
The lapels on the jacket should lie flat, and the seams at your shoulder should be at your shoulder. If the lapels billow or form a wave when you fasten the top button, the jacket is too tight. Conversely, if the shoulders of the jacket don’t lie flat or hide the shape of your chest, it’s too big.
The jacket should end around mid-crotch and barely cover your buttocks. With the sleeves, when you relax your arms at your sides, you should be able to see about ¼ to ¾ of your shirt cuff (yes, we want to see those cufflinks). So, your suit jacket sleeves should end just before your wrist bone.
There are a few things to consider when it comes to pants:
Never worn a black tux? No worries! Here are the basic step-by-step instructions on how to wear a tuxedo to prepare for your wedding.
Typically if the groom is wearing a tuxedo, the rest of the wedding party also does. That doesn’t mean they need to match exactly, however. Sometimes the groom will choose a few differences in their wedding attire from their wedding party so they stand out.
As a general rule, yes, wear a pocket square with your black tuxedo or suit. A simple, often white, pocket square in a flat fold is ideal for a black-tie wedding.
A tuxedo jacket should be buttoned when standing and unbuttoned when sitting. However, the bottom button should always remain unbuttoned (the only exception is if your jacket only has one button, it should be buttoned while standing).
Traditionally, a person didn’t wear a watch with a tuxedo when attending a formal event, as it was considered rude to watch the time. However, it’s acceptable to wear a watch with a tuxedo today. Still, you want to wear an appropriately formal and elegant one.
For a traditional black tux look, a cummerbund is essential. They cover the bunching that occurs when a shirt is tucked into suit pants creating a more finished look.
Don’t wear white. Generally speaking, white is off-limits at a wedding, no matter the dress code. Still, it is especially off-limits at a black-tie wedding. For a black tie wedding, go with darker colors.
Now that you know more about the differences between a tuxedo and a suit, you can decide what’s best for you and get the perfect look and fit you’re going for. But there’s one last thing to mention. A tuxedo is a classic look, but they’re traditionally more expensive than a black suit. If you’re looking to save money on your wedding attire, you may want to consider a quality black suit.
At the Groom Club, we help grooms up their game at every stage of the wedding process, from the proposal to the honeymoon. Ready to propose? Learn how to make it perfect. Need help to decide what to wear to your engagement party? We’ve got tips.
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