October 23, 2020

What Wedding Suits Should Groomsmen Wear?

If you’re a groomsman for an upcoming wedding, then you may be feeling a little nervous about what to wear.

Weddings are a special occasion in a man's life. They can be extremely formal events.

You don’t want to feel awkward or out of place when standing alongside the groom. You want to wear a wedding outfit that is at the same level of formality as the other groomsmen.

As a groomsman, you have an important role to fulfil in a wedding. Groomsmen may also be expected to make the very first speech at the wedding, especially if you are the best man. Grooms will often ask their close friends and relatives to be their groomsmen, so to be a groomsman is a great honour indeed. There’s no doubt that all eyes will be on you, so you want to wear a wedding suit you can feel confident in.

If you are looking for a wedding suit, you can trust Nathon Kong to create a suit that will not only fit for whatever wedding event you are attending, but that you can feel an emotional connection with. For years, Nathon has made suits for several different events that his clients love to wear because he takes the time to get to know you and what you need.

We are here to provide some inspiration for what outfits you could wear as a groomsman. Here are some rules to abide by when it comes to groomsmen's suits.

If you are not a groomsman or you are looking for more ideas on fashion accessories to wear with a suit to a wedding, then be sure to read our article on what you should wear to a wedding.

Does the Groomsmen's Suit Have to Match the Groom's?

One of the first questions Nathon asks his groomsmen is what the groom and bride are wearing. While the groomsmen should all wear the same suit between each other, the fashion of the groomsmen does not have to match the groom's exactly, but it should be similar, at least in what sort of colours everyone is wearing. It is, after all, the groom's day, and he should stand out (but never outshine the bride!).

When picking a groomsmen's suit to wear for a wedding, groomsmen should work with the bride and groom to select fabrics and colours that will look well with the groom's suit.

Groomsmen also have to make sure their suits compliment the bride and the bridesmaids. Afterall, weddings put more focus on the bride than on the groom. The outfits of the groomsmen should reflect this style.

Even with this involvement, it is traditional for groomsmen to pay for their own suits. Grooms and brides should keep in mind not to ask for wedding suit styles that would be beyond the means of the groomsmen.

Groomsmen should speak with the groom about what he wants from the groomsmen suits. Grooms and brides should have an idea of what they want and communicate it to their groomsmen.

Groomsmen who are bringing partners to the wedding also have to make sure that they are coordinating their outfits with each other so they look nice together.

It isn’t uncommon to have no clue what you want from the wedding outfits at your wedding. This can be where creating a suit with a fashion designer can be so helpful. Nathon is an expert in fashion and lifestyle and can provide advice on what grooms and groomsmen should wear for any particular wedding.

What are the Best Colours for Groomsmen Suits?

There are as many colours grooms and groomsmen can wear to a wedding as… well… as there are colours in a rainbow. However, some in particular stick out.

Black or Grey Groomsmen Suits

Black is the most formal colour of suit you can get for a wedding. It’s also a colour that makes the suit easy to reuse.

Pure black suits may not always be the best choice for a wedding since the colour is often associated with funerals. Instead, Groomsmen may opt for a dark grey suit. It is just as versatile and appropriate as a black suit, but of a much lighter tone.

Blue Groomsmen Suits

A dark blue suit is certainly the most popular choice of wedding suit among both grooms and groomsmen. The colour of royalty, blue is a welcome colour to any wedding.

Non-Traditional Wedding Colours

There are many colours that you may not see at many weddings that are still excellent choices for your groomsmen suit.

Burgundy with a fabric like silk or velvet can look really nice for a wedding that takes place in the evening, while a light lilac or pink can be especially appropriate for a wedding taking place in the spring or the summer.

Beige or even off-white can be an interesting choice for groomsmen suits too if the wedding is more casual or taking place somewhere with a lot of sun, like on a beach.

There is one colour suit you should really avoid wearing, and that colour is white. White tends to be the colour reserved for the bride’s dress. You wouldn’t want to match the bride with a white suit.

Ideas: Groomsmen Suits You Could Wear

This is the groom and bride’s day, so they should have a say in what the groomsmen wear and don’t have to follow any of these styles. However, if you are looking for some inspiration, here are a few wedding outfits you can use as a starting point.

Classic Wool Suit

The wedding pictures are going to be forever, so Nathon often recommends getting a suit that will be timeless.

Getting a suit of a traditional colour like black, grey, or blue, of a traditional fabric like wool, is a perfectly acceptable choice for a groomsman to make.

Classic Three-Piece Suit

Three-piece wedding suits are the most popular style of suit for weddings. They are suits that have three parts, a bespoke jacket, pants, and waistcoat.

Keep in mind, not everyone will want to wear a waistcoat to a wedding.

Wedding Tuxedo

Wedding tuxedos are a really formal choice for wedding suits. They can absolutely be an appropriate choice for a groom or groomsmen for certain indoor and evening weddings.

Some brides may want their wedding to be a really formal, black-tie event. In these cases, the groomsmen, and even the wedding guests, should wear a tuxedo.

Wedding Tuxedo for Groomsmen | Fashion Designer Nathon Kong

All guests should wear a tuxedo for formal weddings.

Business Style Suit

It isn’t uncommon for groomsmen to want to wear their suits for more than just the wedding, and there are in fact few differences between a wedding suit and a formal business suit.

Nathon will ask during the first session with a client if the suit will be worn again. That way, he can work with the client to make a suit that maximises reusability.

It’s hard to go wrong with a dark grey suit in these cases. Business suits in particular are designed to be a little looser and more comfortable.

Contemporary Wedding Suit Style

Of course, you don’t have to follow what is classic and traditional. For certain weddings in certain venues, it may be better for groomsmen to wear a wedding suit that is totally unlike what they would normally wear.

Many contemporary wedding suits will be of light colours like light blue, light grey, or even off-white.

Groomsmen’s suits may even be designed to be a little more casual by using a fabric like cotton. On the flipside, a silk suit can shine in a way most groomsmen suits usually don’t. But remember the golden rule of wedding outfits: never outshine the bride!

What Shirts do Groomsmen wear?

As is traditional for any man wearing a suit, you can’t go wrong with a white dress shirt with a collar, though realistically, any solid colour shirt will do. As with the suit, the groomsmen should all wear the same style and colour of shirt, or at least a similar shirt.

How Tight Should a Wedding Suit Fit?

One of the major drawbacks of renting a wedding suit or of buying a suit off the rack is that these suits tend not to fit well. Beware of common fitting issues.

Whether or not you want your suit to fit you tightly is up to you. While a form fitting suit may seem to be the best choice, you also choose a suit that’s loose in the chest and waist.

These suits can be more comfortable and allow for a wider range of movement without being baggy. It is also possible to create a groomsman suit that is both form fitting and loose.

No matter how slim you choose to have your suit, you should be able to move around normally without being restricted by the suit.

Can Grooms Wear a Bow Tie? The Groomsmen?

Wedding Bow Tie for Groomsmen | Fashion Designer Nathon Kong

Photo by Jason Briscoe on Unsplash

Grooms and groomsmen can absolutely wear bow ties. As a rule, very formal occasions that do not happen often are especially appropriate to wear a bow tie to. You can read our article on when you should wear a bow tie instead of a necktie for more advice, but to summarise: bow ties are unique fashion accessories usually worn with tuxedos, making them a perfect accessory for weddings.

Silk Self-Tie Bow Tie in Green | Fashion Designer Nathon Kong

Bow ties are appropriate for groomsmen to wear

If you want to be extra fashionable as a groom or groomsmen, you may want to consider wearing a self-tie bow tie for your wedding. Read the following article to learn how to tie a self-tie bow tie.

But what if the groom wants to wear a bow tie and the groomsmen all want to wear ties? Can that work?

Custom Groomsmen Suit Montreal | Fashion Designer Nathon Kong

Or can the groom wear a necktie while the groomsmen wear bow ties.

This can actually work really well. If the groomsmen are wearing wedding suit styles that are similar to the grooms, then changing the necktie everyone is wearing will make it easier to distinguish who is the groom and who are the groomsmen.

What Else are the Groomsmen Supposed to Wear?

Besides the wedding suit, groomsmen have a plethora of accessories they can wear. This is perhaps the area where they can deviate the most from the groom by wearing different accessories from the groom, as the above example described.

What can be challenging about accessories is coordinating with the other groomsmen.

The rules regarding what accessories groomsmen can wear with a suit are not strict. You can wear almost anything you want within reason. Your accessories don’t even have to exactly match with the other groomsmen.

But all the groomsmen should wear the same accessories. If, for example, the groom is wearing a wedding bow tie and all the groomsmen are wearing ties, none of the groomsmen should wear a bow tie. The groomsmen can wear different coloured ties or ties with different knots, but the accessories should be the same.

Fashion Accessories and Suits that Support Mental Health

Develop an emotional connection with what you wear.

Nathon Kong creates wedding suits our customers connect to emotionally through art. Our unique groomsmen suit linings and silk fashion accessories incorporates the artworks of Les Impatients, a non-profit organisation that organises therapeutic art classes for artist's with a mental health difficulty. Les Impatients gives these artists a venue to express their story of mental health recovery through art. 10% of your purchases from Nathon Kong are donated to Les Impatient so they can continue to support these artists.

Custom Suits for Men | Fashion Designer Nathon Kong

Jean R. Dupré, President & CEO of the Orchestre Métropolitain and Nathon Kong Ambassador

Each silk fashion accessory is made in limited edition and comes in a unique gift box with a certificate of authenticity detailing the art piece's edition number and the story of the artist who created it. Every one of these accessories can be a unique part of your wedding outfit.