What Color Suit Should One Wear to a Wedding?

What Color Suit Should One Wear to a Wedding?
Written By
Sara Gilmore
Sara Gilmore
Published: May 25, 2009
Updated: Jan 10, 2019
3 minute read
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A suit is appropriate men’s attire for most weddings. You might not want to look like all of the other guests at a wedding. If you go with a daring color choice for a suit, it can seem outdated or too loud. Picking the color of a suit you wear to a wedding is specific to the event you are attending.

Function

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The color of your suit allows you to express your personality. You might want to be unique without taking attention away from the bride and groom. If you are a groomsman, the bride will let you know what color suit you should wear to match the rest of the wedding party.

Identification

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Look at the invitation to decipher what color suit you should wear to the wedding. The invitation sets the tone for the entire wedding. It's a preview of things to come. If it's a classic invitation, then wear a black or dark charcoal suit. Experiment with a beige suit or a simple sports coat if the wedding takes place in the day and the invitation appears casual or beach-themed. You can also choose your suit color by looking at the season and time of day of the wedding. Summer weddings call for lighter fabrics and lighter colors during the day. Consider any event that starts after 6 p.m. to be an evening wedding. Evening weddings usually call for darker colors and more formal attire.

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Considerations

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Knowing the terminology of men's formal wear will help you decide what color suit to wear to a wedding. If you are informed that you are going to a black-tie affair, that means you should wear a tuxedo, without exception. The wedding planner and bride probably envision this being an elegant soiree. Stick with a traditional black tuxedo, white shirt and black bow tie. Full evening dress requires a tuxedo with tails. If the wedding is black-tie optional, you can wear a different color suit besides black. Stick with classic dark colors to avoid standing out.

Misconceptions

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Women wedding guests are often warned against wearing white. The bride might even take offense to this gesture. Translate that same advice into your wardrobe choice. Avoid white suits or you might be mistaken for the groom. Suits don’t have to be boring. Even if you wear a suit in a traditional colors, such as black or navy blue, you can still spice it up. Look for a tie that has your favorite colors in it.

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Solution

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If you still don't know what color to wear to a wedding, go with black. Black suits have been popular through the decades. If you wear a black suit, you probably won’t cringe when you look at the pictures in a few decades. This is a classic color for suits, and you may already have one hanging in your closet. This saves you money if you have a lot of formal events to attend.

References

Photo Credits

Marc Debnam/Digital Vision/Getty Images

Sara Gilmore

Sara Gilmore is a freelance writer who has been creating web content for the last four years. Her writing has appeared on eHow and her own blogs and websites. Gilmore has a degree in paralegal studies from Kaplan College.

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