What's dressier - white or colored shirts for the men?

nlh85

This is probably an obvious question, but I am completely fashion/etiquette oblivious.  We're having a very casual outdoor wedding, so the guys are all just wearing nice shirts and ties.  I'm debating having my hubby-to-be dress a little differently from the groomsmen.  If I do that, I obviously want him to be dressier than them, not less dressy.  So here's my question - what is generally considered to be dressier?  White shirts or colored shirts?  Should I have him wear a colored shirt and them wear white, or the other way around?

manateehugger

White shirts are definitely more formal. 

That said, if I were you, I'd put them all in white shirts - I think it's just a cleaner look. You could throw different-colored ties in the mix or grab a nice sport coat for your fiance. 

QueerFemme

White is dressier. I'm with PDKH though. Put everyone in white and just switch up the ties.

doeydo

A white shirt is more formal and classier, IMO.  Maybe your groom could stand out by wearing a different style or coloured tie than the groomsmen, wearing s sport coat, bigger/different boutonniere, etc. Examples:

nlh85

Thanks, everyone!  Jackets/vests are pretty much out due to the heat element, but we could maybe mix up ties or something.  doeydo, thank you SO much for those pictures.  They are extremely helpful!

nlh85

Oh!  Part two to the question now - are bow ties considered dressier than longer ties?  Or can those go either way?

emmyg65

This is a great post on bow ties from my favorite men's fashion blog: http://putthison.com/post/14174369816/q-and-answer-how-formal-are-bow-ties-ken-asks

tl;dr: Even though bow ties are traditional with tuxes, they're a more eccentric choice and thus seem less formal. 

Bow ties also look kinda doofy without a jacket. But technically, long ties shouldn't be worn without a jacket either. (http://putthison.com/post/29635680290/q-and-answer-when-can-i-wear-a-tie-without-a)

manateehugger

Unless you're going for a quirky, more casual look, I wouldn't do bow ties without jackets. 

LarraO2530

Personally, I don't like bow ties. Though they are coming back "in" they are becoming more eccentric like emmy said. They very much remind me of PeeWee Herman, or that weather guy, Hurricane Schwartz....

CMGragain

You know I am going to tell you to have the mean wear lightweight sport jackets!  Navy is easy to find.  Your photos will look so much nicer, and you can get bouts for the men, with a special one for your FI.  I think bow ties and shirtsleeves look silly and under dressed.

nlh85

Okay, I think the bow tie idea is nixed.  I'm going to look for a different long tie for him.  I just don't think I'm a bow tie kind of person.  And he looks so nice in long ties!

CMGragain, I would love to do jackets, because I think they look very nice, but my FH runs hot and has a tendency to sweat very easily, and like I said, it's an outdoor wedding.  I would rather forego the jackets and have him be comfortable, not to mention he won't really look any nicer if he's in a jacket but sweating profusely (which he absolutely would be).  The fact that he's going to be wearing long sleeves and long pants instead of shorts is nothing short of a miracle in and of itself.  So while jackets would be nice, if for no other reason than to have another option/variable to play around with, it just isn't realistic for our situation.  But for me, it's worth the trade-off to be able to do the wedding outside.  That was very important for me.

CMGragain

He could ditch the jacket as soon as the ceremony ends.

nlh85

lol.  Yes, he could, but he would be miserable and distracted for the ceremony, which is the most important part.  It's unnecessary.