If WHITE is the color of happiness and the bride wears it on her wedding, then why does the groom wear BLACK?

Question

I always wonder...

Answer 1

I don't think that white represents happiness, but rather purity.  IF the man wears a black tux, maybe it represents his sewing of oats and impurity...I think the white wedding dress is an outdated tradition.

Answer 2

White is for purity...that is why "back in the day" if you had a baby or it was a second marriage, you were suppose to wear off white, or ivory.  My husband wore a white tux with tails, it was sharp!  But some like the black because it looks so formal. But hey, there are a ton of shades of everything in between any more!  

Answer 3

Because white tuxes look dorky.

Answer 4

That depends on your culture..

My fiance is wearing white, a traditional white shirt from El Salvador.

You also might want to do a little reading on what WHITE really means..

http://www.fromtimespast.com/wedding.htm

Answer 5

Well, white actually isn't a color of happiness, it's the color of purity. I think that maybe the bride wears white and the groom wears black so it's sort of like a yin-yang thing, symbolizing how they can't work w/out each other, etc.  But I don't really know why it is...but the black of the grrom's tux isn't supposed to be the color or sadness or anything if that's what you're thinking, lol... :)

Answer 6

because a black suit is considered a formal, hence the term a 'black tie' event

Answer 7

White is the color of mourning in many cultures go figure.

Answer 8

White represents the bride being a virgin not happiness

Answer 9

The groom doesn't Have to wear black. I've been to a wedding where the groom wears white as well. White tux and with like a light purple lavender vest inside to match the bridesmaid's dresses and the groomsmen's ties.

Answer 10

White is for purity, not happiness.

Traditionally, men do wear black tuxes, but it's not required. I've seen men in white tuxes as well as navy blue. Some men in the military can wear their uniforms.

Pretty much anything goes these days. Many women don't even wear white dresses anymore.

Answer 11

First of all, where did you come up with the idea that white means happiness? It doesn't mean purity either. White for a wedding dress means that the bride (or whoever purchased it for her) is rich. It has nothing to do with her being a virgin or not. If someone wants to flaunt their virginity, they should wear a blue dress because that what is what has symbolized purity throughout the ages.

Men wear black because it is a flattering color on them. And it's traditional for men's formalwear, regardless of the occasion.

In fact, if you go outside of the US, you will find many cultures who view white as a color of mourning and sorrow, whereas red symbolizes happiness and passion.  

Answer 12

White isn't worn to represent happiness, purity or being a virgin, it represents as SirenSong said, wealth.

This tradition is fairly new, it started when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert and she shockingly wore white. People at this time followed what the royals did, a bit like people do with celebrities these days so copied her to be in fashion. Normally the bride would wear her best dress and by wearing a white dress it meant that you were wealthy enough to be able to buy a dress that could only be worn for one day because white would get too dirty to wear again.