What to Wear to a Wedding as a Guest: A Men’s Guide
Read the dress code on the invitation and dress to the top of it. Nobody remembers the guest who was slightly too sharp.
By dress code
- Black tie optional or formal: a dark suit in navy or charcoal, white shirt, a tie. A tuxedo is welcome but not required.
- Cocktail: a suit, with more freedom in color and pattern. A tie is still the safer choice.
- Semi-formal or dressy casual: a blazer with dress pants. The tie is optional, and so is the matching suit.
- Casual, beach or backyard: a light blazer or a sharp knit, a collared shirt, chinos. No shorts unless the invitation says so.
Season and setting
In summer and outdoors, choose lighter colors and lighter cloth: tan, light grey, mid blue, in fabrics that breathe. In fall and winter, and for evening ceremonies, go darker and heavier: navy, charcoal, wool.
What to avoid
- A black suit at a daytime wedding. It reads as too severe.
- Anything louder than the wedding party.
- A suit you have not tried on since the last wedding. Check the fit two weeks before, not the morning of.
A run of weddings
Wedding seasons come in clusters, often with the same friends in the photos. Renting a suit or blazer by the month covers several weekends in a row, and you can wear something different for the next run instead of the same suit in every picture.
Orders ship within one to two weeks, so order when you send the RSVP.
