GROOM AND 

gROOMSMEn aTTIRE

Tuxedo

The bride and bridesmaids have chosen their gowns and now it is time for

the men in the wedding to choose their special attire for the wedding.

It is important that the groom stands out on his wedding day, while

coordinating with the other men in the wedding party.  A nice way to 

distinguish the groom, groomsman, ushers, and fathers from each other 

is through their ties and vests/cummerbunds. One suggestion is to have 

the groom in a white or ivory tie and vest/cummerbund with tails, the 

groomsman with ties and vests/cummerbunds matching the bridesmaids 

colors with tails, the ushers with ties and vests/cummerbunds matching 

their tuxedos with tails and the fathers with matching ties and 

vests/cummerbunds matching their tuxedos with no tails. The tuxedo shop 

you choose to go with will be able to help you decide on the look you would 

like to have.  Every year the tuxedo factories create new and different styles. 

The most important thing is that you choose a tuxedo that is comfortable and

suits your style. Tuxedo shops will allow you to try on the tux you wish to 

order.  As with the bridesmaids trying on their dresses, formalwear may look 

different on than in the picture. It is also important to consider and inform your 

tuxedo consultant the size and shapes of your attendants when choosing the 

formalwear. This will ensure a proper fitting tuxedo for all the attendants. The 

process of ordering tuxedos is fairly simple. It is important to have the name, 

address, and phone numbers of the attendants.  You will need to complete an 

order form at the formal shop. Most formalwear shops require a 50% deposit 

the tuxedos because if there are any changes that need to be made, the

consultant may have the exchanges for you on Friday. The tuxedos are usually 

required to be returned on Sunday or Monday. If the returns are late, their may be 

penalty fees added to each tuxedo.  Most tuxedo shops will be able to correct 

long pants or sleeves on premises, however, they may need to re-order the pieces 

from the factory. In the event of having to replace an attendant at the last minute, 

many tuxedo shops will be able to accommodate your needs.  It will relax the 

groom and bride at the rehearsal if they know all formalwear is complete and 

ready for the wedding day. Most weddings involve a couple of attendants from 

out-of-town, in this case, these attendants may have to wait until the last minute 

to finalize their fittings. For this reason, it is important to have all in-town attendants 

taken care of as soon as possible.  When the wedding is over and you are done with 

the tuxedo, assemble it back onto the hanger and place all the accessories back 

into the bag. If you are not able to return your tuxedo because you need to leave 

town, ask another attendant to return your rental.  In this case, place all the rental 

items together and place your name on the tuxedo. This will ensure that you will 

not be charged for any missing items from your order. Most tuxedo factories

scan their merchandise and they know which person has rented it, however, 

mistakes may be made. Therefore, all rental items from tuxedos to accessories 

must be returned or the company will charge you for the missing pieces. It is 

considered retail theft if rental merchandise is not returned. By choosing the right 

tuxedo shop and sales consultant, your attire will be a piece of cake. Your sales 

consultant should be able to tell you about the stores policies as well as offering 

you fashion ideas. The following information will allow you to be informed about y

our decision concerning your formalwear.

The Jacket

Single-Breasted

A coat with one vertical row of buttons that close in the front.

Double-Breasted

A coat with two rows of vertical buttons, one button closes the front.

Tails 

A formal coat that is cut in the front and has two extended pieces of 

fabric in the back.

Cutaway/Morning Coat 

A long coat that tapers from the waistline to one large tail in the back.

Stroller 

 A semiformal coat that is worn in the daytime.

Spencer 

 An open coat that is cut right at the waistline.

Dinner Jacket 

A tuxedo coat in white, ivory, or colors. Usually worn with black pants.

Most jackets may appear to be the same, but they actually have many

differences. These differences begin with the lapels, pockets, and style.

Lapels - pieces of fabric that extend from the collar and lay folded

back on the chest.

Peaked - a cut in the lapel that points upward and adds a broad V-line

look.

Notched - a triangular piece in the lapel is cut at the collar and

points outward.

Shawl - a rounded collar with a smooth look.

Pockets - may be flapped or have a decorative border design at the top.

A nice accent to the pockets is the addition of the pocket square. You

may coordinate the pocket square with the wedding colors to match the

ties and vests/cummerbunds. There are four types of folding for the

pocket squares.

Multi-pronged- this elegant fold looks like three points.

Pouf - this is more of an informal fold, which looks like it is softly

stuffed into the pocket.

Square-ended - this is the most common fold in which it is a square

neatly placed into the pocket.

Triangle - like the square, this shape is neatly folded into a triangle

and placed into the pocket.

Shirts

Most tuxedo shirts are white or ivory, or sometimes other solid colors.

However, some tuxedo companies now have printed, black, and even denim

shirts. All shirts have buttons and they may be enhanced with the

addition of studs and cufflinks. Studs replace the buttons and are

usually pearl or black with gold or silver backing. Cufflinks detail the

cuffs of the shirts and match the studs. Studs and Cufflinks are often

referred to as the "jewelry" of the accessories.

Pleated Shirt - wide or narrow pleats with your choice of a collar.

Wing - collar has downward points.

Spread - collar like a business shirt.

Mandarin - collarless shirt that requires a button cover to dress it up.

Pants

Double-pleated - two pleats in front of pant with a satin stripe on the side.

Peg Leg - cut wide at the thighs and taper at the ankle for a narrow look.

Neckwear

Bow tie - resembles a bow fairly standard wedding tie.

Four-in-Hand - resembles a business tie.

Ascot - broad neck scarf fastened with a stickpin usually worn with a

cutaway coat.

Bolo - thin woven leather piece with a decorative medallion on it.

Cross - small piece of short fabric that crosses over at the neck and snaps.

Shoes

Each tuxedo shop will have many choices of shoes. It is your choice to

choose which ones you would like to have. All shoes tend to fit the same

way. However, the more decorative you get, the more of an increase in

price you will see.

Slip on loafers - shiny patent leather resembling loafers.

Tie - lace up.

Accessories

Cummerbund - a wide, usually pleated fabric piece worn about the waist.

Coordinates with the bow tie in color.

Vest - coordinates with bow tie covers majority of the chest

Hat - cowboy or top hat

Cane - matches the color of the tuxedo

Gloves - matches the color of the tuxedo

Suspenders - adds novelty to the tuxedo

Socks - matches the shoes

What to Wear at What Time of Day

The following suggestions are only guidelines for the groom's attire.

Informal Wedding - business suit or single/double breasted tuxedo.

Semi-Formal - formal tuxedo (day) or dinner jacket and matching pants

(evening).

Formal - cutaway or stroller jacket (day) or full dress black (evening).

Very Formal - cutaway with ascot and gloves (day) or black cutaway with

striped pants, ascot, and gloves (evening.)