Grooms look great on your Wedding Day

You want to look good on your wedding day. Good enough to make your bride to be proud of you, even good enough to make her gasp. She’ll be looking great so you should too. Most of us don’t wear formal dress very often so it can be a challenge to sort out a morning suit, waistcoat, cravat, handkerchief etc that all look great and go well together. To further complicate things traditionally the principal adult male members of the wedding party - the bride's father, groom’s father, best man, ushers should all dress alike although the groom should choose to be slightly different.

For the suit, a morning suit is traditional for weddings before 3pm, it is the most popular choice and hard to beat. The cut and style of the coat is very flattering to the majority of body shapes and consists of a blue, black or grey tailcoat paired with matching or contrasting trousers either, plain or pinstriped. The outfit is completed with a white wing-collar shirt, cufflinks, a waistcoat of any colour, a cravat and a pocket handkerchief.

A more unusual alternative but increasingly popular is the frock coat, which are available in many colours and fabric designs. Usually made in beautiful brocades, it looks great paired with a pair of plain black trousers and is worn with a winged-collar shirt and traditionally tied cravat

Black tie is traditionally worn for weddings later in the day or those to be followed by a formal reception and is ideal for a grand evening reception or summer ball. You should wear a black dinner jacket, either single or double-breasted, with ribbed silk lapels, preferably not satin, with no vents or covered buttons. Trousers should be tapered, suitable for braces and, officially, have one row of braid. The evening shirt, in cotton or silk, with either a Marcella or pleated front has a soft, turn down collar or wing collar. You may want to use dress shirt studs rather than buttons. The bow tie is silk in black or something more colourful. Cummerbunds can be worn but waistcoats are still much more acceptable and can be made as individual as you like with a colourful bow tie, matching waistcoat and pocket-handkerchief.

For a less formal wedding with a modern day slant, opt for a tailored jacket rather than tails and team with a classic white shirt. Knot your cravat as you would a tie. A modern day suit can look sharp and sophisticated and is ideal for a register office wedding or for those grooms who prefer a more informal option.

Renting the suit is cheapest and best if you going for something like a morning suit that you are unlikely to wear again. You have enough to worry about without a last minute panic so sort the suit out a couple of weeks in advance.

Shirts, cravats, cufflinks, waistcoats and handkerchiefs are best to buy. Get matching waistcoats and cravats for the father of the bride, father of the groom and ushers. You may want to match the colours of the bridesmaid’s dresses or go for something neutral like grey, cream or silver.  Get something different for yourself so you stand out, silver or gold are often good, perhaps something with a rich pattern. The fabric for the waistcoats, handkerchiefs and cravats or ties should match. Silk is usually the best choice, perhaps with a shantung slub (bobbly looking fabric).

Don’t leave getting the accessories to the last minute. Matching the colour to the bridesmaids accessories and  getting the right sizes for everyone can all take time so try and sort it out a couple of months before the wedding. That way you and the rest of the guys can turn up on the day relaxed and looking fantastic.