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Welcome to Wedding Week, GQ Recommends’ exhaustive guide to navigating the nuptials circuit in style. Whether you’re looking for a non-corny groomsmen gift, the right venue to get hitched, or just trying to figure out how much to spend on a swanky new tux, we’ve got all the thoughts, takes, and, yes, recommendations you need to make planning your wedding—or attending someone else’s—a breeze.
Google "wedding outfits for men" and you'll find no shortage of guides dedicated to deciphering the inscrutabilities of every dress code under the sun. Which is funny, because if you disregard the pomp and circumstance, weddings hinge on a pretty simple question: does Person X agree to take Person Y as their lifelong partner, with or without the requisite tax perks?
Somewhere between the tearful vow-swapping and the hiccupy toast-making, though, a whole host of ancillary questions crop up to complicate the proceedings. Questions from your in-laws (you spent how much on flowers?); from your caterer (okay to sit your uncle next to his estranged second wife?); from your college buddy Greg, who keeps begging to MC the reception.
We’re not going to answer those questions. (If we had to hazard a guess: too much; absolutely not; get real, Greg.) What we are going to do, though, is help you puzzle through the thorniest question of them all, the bane of every wedding-goer’s existence and, from GQ’s perspective, the best part of getting hitched, second to the tax benefits: What are you going to wear?
Here’s the good news—it doesn’t really matter what type of frustratingly opaque instructions come appended to the bottom of your invitation. Most wedding dress codes still fall into three overarching categories: Formal, Semi-Formal, and honest-to-goodness Wear Whatever You Want. Here’s the bad news—there’s a whole world of abstraction between each designation, and a special place in hell reserved for the couples who think it’s cute to tack a dress code of their own design—😎Mykonos Chic! 😎—below the RSVP box.
So with wedding season looming large on the horizon, we set out to decipher them all, breaking down what, exactly, you should wear to every ring-swapping ceremony on your calendar this year, from your buddy Greg’s first to your ne'er-do-well uncle’s third. You don't need to copy these outfits wholesale, but if you're in need of a little nuptials-related inspiration, there's no better place to start. Your frantic search for "wedding outfits for men" officially ends here.
Desperate for more wedding-related style intel? We've got the lowdown on all that, too.
The Best Wedding Suits, Period | The Best Summer-Ready Wedding Suits | The Best Wedding Suits Under $600 | The Best Casual Wedding Suits | The Best Black Suits
Wedding Dress Codes, Decoded
No matter where you’re headed or who you’re celebrating, everything you need to come through absolutely fitted is directly below.
- The Black Tie Wedding (a.k.a. Formal or Black Tie Optional): Brioni silk-trimmed wool tuxedo jacket, $6,400; Todd Snyder peak lapel tuxedo jacket, $868; Banana Republic "Lanza" tuxedo jacket, $480.
- The Semi-Formal Wedding (a.k.a. Cocktail or Festive Attire): Ralph Lauren Purple Label "Ralph" velvet jacket, $2,730; Ami two-button jacket, $845; J.Crew "Kenmare" Italian cotton corduroy suit jacket, $398.
- The Destination Wedding (a.k.a. Beach Casual): Guiliva Heritage linen "Gaspare" blazer, $1,810; Stòffa wool-seersucker double-breasted jacket, $1300; Banana Republic "Sirolo" linen-blend suit jacket, $380.
- The Casual Wedding (a.k.a. Wear What Whatever You Want): Saint Laurent pinstriped wool jacket, $3,390; Noah oversized double-breasted jacket, $998; Sandro wool suit jacket, $640.
The Black Tie Wedding (a.k.a. Formal or Black Tie Optional)
Black tie is the most straightforward of all dress codes, and the toughest to bungle. It's also the most limiting. In layman's terms, black tie means a tuxedo and a bow tie. The classic pick is single-breasted and comes with peak lapels—traditionally worn with studs and patent leather pumps—but if you're wearing a tux no one's going to deduct points for eschewing the finer details.
If you find yourself without the trapping of conventional formal dress, a sleek black suit, crisp white dress shirt, and silk knit tie will do the trick. A cream-colored dinner jacket and a black bow tie works too—especially if you've got a penchant for martinis shaken, not stirred—but be warned: you'll likely earn a few judgmental glances from any menswear purists retweeting their Styleforum buddies in between speeches.
Oh, and FYI: If the invite says "black tie optional"...it isn't. Take your tux to the dry-cleaner and reserve a little sympathy for the poor soul who shows up in his rumpled work suit.
The Splurge Option
The Mid-Range Option
The Budget Option
The Semi-Formal Wedding (a.k.a. Cocktail or Festive Attire)
Ahhh, the dreaded semi-formal wedding. A headache of meaningless semantics, you say? Not so. For lovers of getting dressed, a whole world of opportunity exists in that ambiguity, and the happy couple's careless phrasing represents the chance to add a little razzle-dazzle to your formal fits.
A semi-formal wedding calls for a suit, the kind that elicits comments on how dapper you look from older members of the bride's party. Think of it as a chance to bust out your sharpest tailoring and shiniest dress shoes, though best to stick with dark colors to avoid ruining any impromptu photo ops.
You could wear a sport coat and slacks like a good little boy, but where's the fun in that? Instead, throw caution to the winds and come through in a crushed velvet blazer and Cuban-heeled boots. Provided you leave your regular old tux hanging in the closet—or pair it with a slinky button-up and a neckful of pearls, so everyone knows you're wearing it because you want to—you're bound to look cooler than pretty much everyone there, groom included.
The Splurge Option
The Mid-Range Option
The Budget Option
The Destination Wedding (a.k.a. Beach Casual)
If you're headed to a beach wedding in some far-flung tropical locale, you've already proved your mettle by agreeing to go. Kudos! Accessibility clearly wasn't a priority when yours hosts drew up their invitations, and if you're springing for a plane ticket you should have free rein to wear whatever you want. In theory. In reality, though, this is your chance to stand out from the pastel-clad pack by opting for an outfit with a little more sex appeal than a camp collar shirt and chinos.
Unless your college roommate is swapping vows with the child of a Russian oligarch, the location is bound to be balmy so bring a suit in a warm-weather fabric, leather sandals, and a striped shirt with a strong, exaggerated collar—and then leave approximately two more buttons open on it than you normally would. Bonus points for pairing it all with a heavy gold chain and tinted shades.
Because of their texture, fabrics like linen and seersucker naturally lend themselves to casual wear, so your suit pants will look swell when you ditch the jacket to “enjoy the view” (read: rip a spliff with the groom's younger brother). Keep it classy, Antigua.
The Splurge Option
The Mid-Range Option
The Budget Option
The Casual Wedding (a.k.a. Wear What Whatever You Want or Countless Other Permutations the Happy Couple Thought Were a Fun Idea)
On first impression, the casual wedding—with its breezy promises of laid-back revelry and suit-free attendees as far as the eye can see—seems like a pretty good time. (The "cool mom", if you will, of wedding dress codes.) But the endless choices can be paralyzing. Can you really wear...anything? Yes. Should you? No. What you need is an outfit that won't come across as comically formal but will still look suitable for your hosts' big day. A polo shirt and flip flops are a bad idea—anywhere, actually—but a pinstriped three-piece and cap toes ain't it, either.
For the sartorially adrift, cocktail attire typically involves some bizarro mishmash of ill-fitting suit separates. But it shouldn't. Dressing down isn't the only way to dress expressively. Break out the statement-making double-breasted joint or that perfectly boxy blazer you can't wear to work and no one will mistake you for a summer associate brown-nosing with the C-suiters at happy hour.
But veer too far into the realm of spotlight-stealing foppery and the joke's on you, friend. If you're wearing a jacquard two-piece yanked straight from the runway no need to pair it with the corresponding pussy-bow blouse; a pale blue dress shirt will suffice. Itching to wear a tie? Go for it. But make it count, and leave the pocket square at home. You're on thin ice as is—best to let your sparkling personality charm any scandalized guests struggling to pronounce ‘Gvasalia’.
The Splurge Option
The Mid-Range Option
The Budget Option
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Photographs by Tom Keelan
Styled by Brandon Tan
Grooming by Laramie Glen at Day One
Tailoring by Ksenia Golub
Prop styling by Brittany Porter at MHS Artists