Should my fiance wear a tux in our afternoon wedding?

Question

I just read in a magazine that the only time a tux is appropriate is at a formal evening affair. We had planned for him & his groomsmen to wear tuxes, but I'm wondering if we should change plans? The wedding is this October outdoors, and will be at 3pm. Should he just wear a suit??

Answer 1

If you two agree on tuxes, then have the guys wear tuxes.  I have performed many afternoon weddings where the men wear tuxes.

And who cares what the magazines say?

Yes, there is a LOT of good information in them, but don't let them dictate to you how your wedding should be.

I just read where the author of the article was reprimanding brides for using white linens instead of colored!

Heck, when I got married 30+ years ago, I had paper napkins with our names on them!  

And we survived!

Answer 2

While some fashion rules do indeed become outdated, the "no tuxedos before 6:00" rule has some decent reasons behind it. First, a tuxedo is mostly black, which is extremely sharp in dim light but tends to look either washed-out or mournful in daylight. (Adding color is not a workaround, either--trust me, colorful vests and ties are not a good idea.) Second, there are centuries of tradition behind formalwear--evening-wear and day-wear have always been different. It suggests that both a day wedding and an evening ball are important enough to deserve unique clothing.

Now, your options.

A good suit is perfectly acceptable for a wedding--my grandfather did it, and he looked sharp enough. If you go the suit route, make it special--take the suit to a tailor, wear French-cuff shirts and cufflinks, and polish those shoes.

If you do prefer something even more classic, keep reading. In terms of daytime formalwear, there are two options, the morning coat and the stroller.

The morning coat is the more formal and, when done correctly, the sharpest outfit a man can wear in daylight hours. That said, rental versions are very unpredictable--morning coats are very different from suit jackets, and unless you have tens of thousands of dollars to spend on having several of them handmade by a master tailor, I wouldn't do it.

For this reason, I recommend the stroller jacket, which is more practical but still tremendously handsome for a day wedding. Your groom and groomsmen would wear:

*a dark grey jacket

*grey/black striped trousers

*a lighter grey vest

*a formal necktie (usually silver and patterned)

*white shirts (turndown collar, French cuffs)

*black oxford shoes

While modern tuxedo rental shops may stick you with something that looks dated in five or ten years, this kind of style won't fade in your lifetime.

This guide offers the basic of daytime formalwear:

http://www.blacktieguide.com/Supplementa...

Oh, one more thing--mazel tov.

Answer 3

Tuxes are more formal than suits, but a wedding - even in the afternoon - can be a formal occasion. You should do what you think looks good. Don't change your plans based on something you read in a silly magazine!

Answer 4

The magazine was right, but these days most people just do what they want. My father was the one who convinced us to stay away from a tux and go for something more traditional. Although we both felt that a grey "morning suit" (cutaway jacket & ascot tie) was too formal, we settled on  a grey "stroller" jacket with a traditional tie. Here's one example:

http://cape-cod-tuxedos.com/ralph_lauren...

Looking back, it's hard to believe we were considering a tux at all. My fair haired/skinned husband would have looked terrible in a black or white tux. Years later, we're both still very happy with our decision (and our wedding pics don't look "dated"!).

Answer 5

If you wanted tuxes then go with them. It's your wedding at it doesn't matter what the "rules" are...there aren't any..it's your day!

Answer 6

nah I'd still go with the tux

Answer 7

My wedding was at 2pm and we used tuxes.  I think they look much better than a suit, and this way all the men can look uniform. (same color of outfits)

Answer 8

Let HIM decide what to wear.

Answer 9

A suit is more appropriate, or a Texas tux - which is dressy but informal and fun, or whatever else you'd like for him to wear.  The thing with wearing suits is none of them will match so if that doesn't matter to you, go for it.

Answer 10

yes he still should wear the tux because it's a formal thing and this is a 1 and a lifetime thing and it's supposed to be spiecal and he should look good