Dress codes can often be one of the more confusing parts of wedding etiquette- not only for the guests but for the bridal party itself. I thought we’d have a bit of a gander, a bit of a look at the dress codes and how you, as a groom can dress to suit.
Kicking off with White Tie – the most formal dress code of all normally reserved for evening weddings. White tie involves a formal dress coat (or tailcoat), cuffed white shirt, white bow tie, and can even be accessorised with a top hat, gloves and cane.
1.Fred Astaire, Photo by Sarah Janes Photography via Bridal Musings 3. Photo by Twin Lens Photography via Style Me Pretty 4. Photo by Judy Pak Photography via Style Me Pretty 5.Photo by Sergius Bruce Photography 6. Ebony and Andrew by Marzena Wasilewska.
Would love to see the whole list of dress codes for men showcased like you did for girls i.e. also black tie, lounge suit, casual, formal ….
Hi Nerida!
For the guys we’re doing one at a time 🙂 Black tie is next! Then we can round them up!
With all due respect, you have 6 pictures under your heading of “White Tie”, but only 3 of them are actually White Tie. The first 3 pictures that include a top hat on the gentlemen are all Morning Suit / Morning Coat pictures, NOT White Tie. To clarify for your readers: In Europe daytime formal weddings are typically Morning Dress weddings, while evening formal weddings are White Tie. The exception to this is Scandinavia where daytime weddings are also typically White Tie (google the two recent Swedish royal weddings for evidence of this). The difference between White Tie and Morning Dress is comprehensive. Every single item of clothing is different. The trousers are different, the coat is different, the shirt is different, the tie is different and the waistcoat is different. They should not be confused. Further, a top hat is associated predominantly with morning dress rather than White Tie. As White Tie is a primarily a dress code for the evening, and indoors, a hat is typically inappropriate.
A few more White Tie pointers:
– The waistcoat must completely cover the top of the trousers / transition from trousers to shirt.
– The bottom edge of the waistcoat should be covered by the coat. (No white peeking under the coat.
Here is a perfect example: http://www.manolith.com/files/2012/12/white-tie-e1354827944372.jpg
Note that getting these KEY points wrong resulted in broad based mockery of Obama and Romney in the lead up to the last Presidential election, both from the UK press and in the US.
http://thechapmagazine.co.uk/2012/10/white-waistcoat-divides-a-nation/#.Us5v9fQW18E
http://dresslikeagrownup.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-scariest-thing-ive-seen-this-year.html