Wedding Suits for Men: The Groom's Guide to Suits, Tuxedos, Colors and Timing

Choosing between wedding suits for men starts with three facts on the invitation: the time of the ceremony, the season and the venue. Those three decide whether you wear a lounge suit, a tuxedo or morning dress, which colors and fabrics make sense, and how early you need to order. Fit then decides whether it looks like your suit or a costume. The sections below take each decision in the order a tailor would.

Should a groom wear a suit, tuxedo or morning dress?

A groom should wear a lounge suit for most daytime weddings, a tuxedo for evening weddings, and morning dress for formal daytime weddings, mostly in Britain. The dividing line is the clock. Black tie is evening dress and traditionally starts at about 6 p.m.; a tuxedo at a noon ceremony is a common American habit, but it is a mistake by the traditional rules. Morning dress is formal daywear, traditionally the daytime counterpart of white tie, and is never the dress code for an event that starts in the evening.

If you are torn between the two evening options, our guide to tuxedo vs suit explains the differences in detail, and the black tie guide covers every piece of a dinner suit. For an invitation that says black tie optional, see black tie optional: the groom should usually be at the formal end of whatever the guests are asked to wear.

Which wedding suit suits your venue and season?

Once you know the formality, the venue and season narrow the color and fabric. A city church in December and a garden in July both call for a lounge suit, but not the same one. Use the table as a starting point, then adjust for your own coloring and the couple's plans.

For a beach or hot-weather ceremony, the fabric matters more than the color; our beach wedding attire guide covers it in full. For a winter wedding, think about the coat as well as the suit: guests photograph the arrival, and a well-cut overcoat over a dark suit looks right in every frame.

What color suit should a groom wear?

Navy is the most reliable color for a groom's wedding suit because it flatters almost every complexion, photographs as a clear dark color and works from spring to winter. Charcoal is the second safe choice and reads more formal. After those two, choose by season: lighter grays, blues and tans in spring and summer; browns, greens and deeper blues in autumn and winter.

Fit your color to your complexion as well as the season. Men with strong contrast between hair and skin carry navy and charcoal best; men with lower contrast often look better in mid-gray, mid-blue or brown. Our guide to suit colors explains how to judge this.

What fabric is best for a wedding suit?

A worsted wool of 9 to 11 oz (280 to 340 g) is the best all-round fabric for a wedding suit: it drapes well, resists creasing through a long day and suits three seasons. Go lighter and more open for summer and heat; go heavier or softer for winter. You will wear it from the morning preparations to the last dance, sitting, standing for photographs and dancing, so choose for comfort as much as appearance.

Avoid very high Super numbers for a wedding suit. A Super 150s or finer fabric feels soft but creases and shines faster, and it is the wrong choice for a long day of hugging, sitting and dancing. A Super 100s to 130s worsted is a sound middle. For more detail, see suit fabrics explained and, for a summer date, the best suit fabric for hot weather.

How far in advance should you order a wedding suit?

Order a bespoke wedding suit 4 to 6 months before the wedding, because a first bespoke suit needs a new pattern and three fittings, and busy houses often take three to four months. Order made-to-measure 2 to 3 months ahead, and buy ready-to-wear 6 to 8 weeks ahead to leave time for alterations. Spring and summer are peak wedding season, and tailors and alteration shops are busiest then.

Should the groom match the groomsmen?

The groom should coordinate with the groomsmen but not match them exactly; he should be identifiable in a group photograph at a glance. The simplest approach is to dress the groomsmen in the same color and formality as the groom, then set the groom apart with one or two clear differences.

Ways to set the groom apart

• A three-piece suit for the groom, two-piece for the groomsmen. See the three-piece suit.
• A different lapel: peak lapels for the groom, notch for the groomsmen.
• A different tie or bow tie color, or a pocket square only the groom wears.
• A larger or different boutonniere.
• A double-breasted jacket for the groom in the same fabric as the groomsmen's single-breasted suits.

Organizing the groomsmen

How should a wedding suit fit?

A wedding suit should fit like any good suit, with extra attention to comfort over a long day. The jacket collar should rest against your shirt collar, the shoulders should end at your own shoulder, the jacket should button without pulling into an X, and the sleeves should show about ¼ to ½ inch (6 to 13 mm) of shirt cuff. Trousers should sit at your natural waist or just below it, with little or no break.

For the full set of fit rules, see how a suit should fit. If you are going bespoke for the first time, bespoke fittings explained tells you what happens at the baste, forward and finished fittings.

What should a groom wear with the suit?

The shirt, tie and shoes should be one step plainer than the suit, so the eye goes to your face. A white shirt is the safest choice; pale blue works with navy and gray. Choose a silk tie in a solid, a fine pattern or a grenadine weave, and match its formality to the suit: plain dark silk for a city wedding, a lighter color or texture for a garden.

• Shirt: white or pale blue, spread or semi-spread collar, double (French) or single cuffs. Have it fitted in the neck so the collar does not gap above the tie knot.
• Tie: silk, about 3 to 3½ inches (7.5 to 9 cm) wide to suit a classic lapel. Bow tie only with a tuxedo, or by deliberate choice at a relaxed wedding.
• Shoes: black oxfords for a city, formal or evening wedding; dark brown oxfords or loafers with navy, gray or tan in daylight. See which shoes to wear with a suit.
• Pocket square: white linen in a simple fold, or a muted color that does not echo the tie exactly.
• Boutonniere: on the left lapel, through the lapel buttonhole or pinned just below it, with the stem behind the lapel.
• Waistcoat or belt: if you wear a waistcoat, wear braces, not a belt. See how to wear a waistcoat.

Common wedding suit mistakes

• Wearing a tuxedo at a midday ceremony when the guests are in suits.
• Choosing a fashionable extreme: very short jackets, skinny lapels or a tight trouser that will date the photographs.
• Ordering too late and taking the suit home without a final fitting.
• Buying new shoes on the week of the wedding and not wearing them in.
• Choosing a heavy suit for a summer date or a pale linen for a winter church.
• Matching the tie exactly to the bridesmaids' dresses; a harmonizing shade looks more considered.

What to tell your tailor

A good tailor will ask about the wedding before they ask about the suit. Arrive with the facts, and you will get better advice and a realistic schedule.

If you want a suit you will wear for years after the wedding, choose navy or charcoal in a year-round worsted and add the wedding-day character through the tie, waistcoat and flowers. To find a tailor with the time to make it properly, start with our ranking of the best tailors in London and book a consultation early.

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