Cowboy boots and black suits

swimchick713

Looking for your opinions on this combination. I will be wearing an ivory lace dress with turquoise cowboy boots, and my bridesmaids will be wearing turquoise dresses with brown cowboy boots. I was planning on the groomsmen wearing brown suits or tuxes, but my fiance wants the men to wear black. Do you think the black suits will look bad with the women's brown boots?? Or do you think no one will notice? 

missdelilah

I think that people generally pay very little attention to shoes at weddings, unless, of course, they're a stand out, like yours sound; the wedding party's shoes sound less attention grabbing.  I don't see that this should be a problem at all.  If you had half the BMs wearing brown and the other wearing black, I'd rethink it, but having the BMs in brown shoes and your FI and his GM wearing black doesn't sound like a bad idea at all.  Have any of your ladies purchased their shoes yet?  You could always compare one of them to a black suit of a similar fabric to what your FI plans on wearing if you're still unsure.  I say you should go for it.

chibiyui

I personally don't think tuxes or suits go with cowboy boot bridesmaids. Have you and your FI considered less formal options?

QueerFemme

I wouldn't have them in suits at all.  Maybe a pair of khakis.  Boots are not formal attire.  If you are going to have them in boots, don't put them in formal suits.

missdelilah

I actually don't think the suits and cowboy boots is a terrible idea.  It's quirky, sure, but your wedding is an expression of your and your FIs style.

CMGragain

Cowboy boots + wedding dress = ugh.  JMHO.
Tuxedos are black.  Cowboy boots look silly with them, too.

holyguacamole79

My BIL & SIL had this same setup.  She had a lace wedding dress with turquoise cowboy boots and the bridal party wore turquoise dresses with brown cowboy boots.  The guys wore jeans, white button down shirts, and a tie.  I agree with PPs that the guys should dress a bit more casually to match the decor.

RebeccaFlower

Cowboy boots and dresses look so bad to me. Make sure you really love the idea so you don't look back at your pictures and roll your eyes at that one.

southernbelle0915

One of our GMs wore his black, ostrich boots with his black suit. He called ahead to ask about it because he thought I'd be anti-boots...they looked fine. Quite nice in fact. Cowboy boots aren't always brown and junky.

That said though, I've never seen a pair of women's boots that were dressy enough to wear with a dress.

HobokensFury

I don't think cowboy boots are suitable wedding attire for anyone. Not the guests, bridal party or the bride and groom.

climbingsingle

I'm really not a fan of this trend. I don't think boots go well with formal attire. 

emmaaa

I like to wear cowboy boots with dresses only under certain occasions. A wedding is not one of those occasions.

 If this is your style and taste, I suggest the men be dress a little more casual. Definitely not a tux. A suit would be more appropriate. If you can convince them to just do khakis and a button up shirt, that would look more suitable and match the overall feel better. 

I tried to fix paragraphs...

garnetandgold60

I've only ever worn cowboy boots and dresses to football games/tailgating, so that's what I think about when I see that combination. Just my opinion.

However, PPs have given some good advice, I'd have the men wear suits, not tuxes. The difference in the levels of formality between tux and cowboy boots may make things look off. 

Maybe a good compromise is to have the men wear regular dress shoes for the ceremony/pictures and then switch into boots for the reception?

labro

I'm not a big fan of the boots with dresses. With that said... it's like @southernbelle0915 said. Not all cowboy boots are brown and junky. My grandfather wears a very very nice black pair of boots with his suit to all weddings and other formal events. It's just who he is. Maybe it's because he grew up on a ranch and that's just his way of life, but I've never looked askance at it nor has anyone else. I think if your FH wants the GM to wear black suits or tuxes then you should consider dropping the brown boots for the BMs in favor of nude shoes. I think the brown boots would really stick out (and not in a good way) against the black suit/tux the GM are wearing.

Maggie0829

Do all members of your bridal party have cowboy boots?  If not, then you and your FI will need to buy them cowboy boots.  Cowboy boots are a very specific type of shoe and if you require it then you need to provide it.

doeydo

If you decide to have the groom and groomsmen more casual so that they can wear the cowboy boots and not look out of place, I suggest you and the bridesmaids meet their level of casual-ness.  It bugs the heck out of me when I see a bride in a big fancy ballgown with an updo and the groom and groomsmen in bluejeans and cowboy boots.

swimchick713

Okay cool, I am getting some good feedback. The men will not be wearing boots, likely dress shoes to go with their suits. It would only be the girls wearing the boots. So what I was worried about was the brown boots on the girls with black suits on the men. Maybe I can convince him to wear brown or khaki suits (that was my original idea haha!) 

missdelilah

How about grey, so then it's not too matchy with your bridesmaids' shoes? I think it would look great with all the turquoise.

swimchick713

@missdelilah So something like this? 

I actually like the idea, thanks!

missdelilah

I really like those looks.  I didn't have anything specific in mind, except that when you said brown suit (particularly with turquoise dresses), I immediately thought 70s, and grey seemed a little more modern in my mind.  

It depends a lot on the style of your dresses, but I love the vests and shirtsleeves looks (preparing for barrage of criticism from more traditional members of this community).  It probably also saves your GM a lot of money not to have to buy or hire jackets.

Maggie0829

swimchick713 said:

Okay cool, I am getting some good feedback. The men will not be wearing boots, likely dress shoes to go with their suits. It would only be the girls wearing the boots. So what I was worried about was the brown boots on the girls with black suits on the men. Maybe I can convince him to wear brown or khaki suits (that was my original idea haha!) 

So do the girls already own brown cowboy boots or would they need to purchase them?  Again, if you require a specific shoe then you need to pay for it.

swimchick713

@Maggie0829 They all already own them, except for my little sister, and my parents are going to buy hers. I don't want my want my bridesmaids to spend more money than they already are, so I would never ask them to buy matching boots or shoes or anything like that. Just the boots they already have.

Maggie0829

Okay that's good.

I think since the girls will be wearing boots then I would have the guys in tan suits since that will feel a little less formal/dressy then black or grey.

jenna8984

missdelilah said:

I really like those looks.  I didn't have anything specific in mind, except that when you said brown suit (particularly with turquoise dresses), I immediately thought 70s, and grey seemed a little more modern in my mind.  

 

@missdelilah This is hilarious. My dad got married in 1976 in a terrible brown suit. When my brother got married last year, his wife said "I want orange dresses and black & orange is too much like Halloween so can you guys wear brown?" My brother immediately laughed and said "No, I don't want to look like Rob!" then she asked my opinion without even knowing his response I said the exact same thing "No, don't make him look like Rob!". Brother and I thought it was hilarious but she didn't....and she made him wear the brown which I thought was not attractive at all.

theartistformerlyknownas

jenna8984 said:

missdelilah said:

I really like those looks.  I didn't have anything specific in mind, except that when you said brown suit (particularly with turquoise dresses), I immediately thought 70s, and grey seemed a little more modern in my mind.  

 

@missdelilah This is hilarious. My dad got married in 1976 in a terrible brown suit. When my brother got married last year, his wife said "I want orange dresses and black & orange is too much like Halloween so can you guys wear brown?" My brother immediately laughed and said "No, I don't want to look like Rob!" then she asked my opinion without even knowing his response I said the exact same thing "No, don't make him look like Rob!". Brother and I thought it was hilarious but she didn't....and she made him wear the brown which I thought was not attractive at all.

Gross. The only people who should ever wear that much brown are UPS drivers and zookeepers. 

missdelilah

@jenna8984 That's hilarious!  What did your brother and SIL in end going with?

And yes, @lolo883!  Brown suits should be exclusively reserved for uniforms.