What color for groom/groomsmen?...

shawnaalisha

I hope I'm posting this in the right area!

I just got engaged on Christmas Eve and already am having a blast doing planning! I really love the idea of doing a wedding with cranberry and gold colors, but there's one thing I can't figure out. What in the world would the men wear? I'm fine with them not wearing black tuxedos, but I don't know what other options there would be...

vulpiepop

My groom's suit is black because that's what he felt the most handsome in. We're just letting the groomsmen and the bridesman choose whatever color suit they want to wear and providing the ties in our main color. All we asked were that they didn't wear some crazy neon color

doeydo

Maybe a charcoal grey suit with a cranberry coloured tie?  Like the groom in this inspiration collage:

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/83/fb/a0/83fba0dc90f30224cc20e11d8e8f270f.jpg

Or a lighter grey suit:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/9c/fb/c0/9cfbc08b6ac902453794b1db1660967e.jpg

Or maybe a tan suit with a cranberry tie, like this:

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/sites/files/marthastewartweddings.com/imagecache/wmax-330/ecl/images/content/pub/weddings/2002Q3/ml211_fal02_bb12_xl.jpg

They could go with a gold tie, though IMO it isn't as nice looking:

http://www.fsweddings.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/12-0824-41.jpg

Or if they are really stylin', they can mix it up:

http://static.weddingchicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/vintagebrideandgroomlooks.jpg

http://vintagedopedealer.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/lb47.jpg

theartistformerlyknownas

I'd do charcoal gray suits.

shawnaalisha

You're brave, vulpiepop! I feel like my fiance's brothers would pick something silly, because that's the type of men they are. Ha ha. It's something to consider though, thank you!

doeydo, thanks for those suggestions! I hadn't even thought of most of those, and I really like how the charcoal looks! (Also, that lion is absolutely adorable. I can't stop watching it.)

shawnaalisha

lolo883 said:

I'd do charcoal gray suits.

I'm definitely starting to lean towards it. Thanks for the input. Easier to feel more confident in a decision with agreeing opinions.

hellohkb

What does your FH think? I told my FH to just figure it out himself since they are HIS groomsmen.

vulpiepop

shawnaalisha said:

You're brave, vulpiepop! I feel like my fiance's brothers would pick something silly, because that's the type of men they are. Ha ha. It's something to consider though, thank you!

doeydo, thanks for those suggestions! I hadn't even thought of most of those, and I really like how the charcoal looks! (Also, that lion is absolutely adorable. I can't stop watching it.)

Yeah, the groomsmen and the bridesman are all kind of businessy people so they all have the gray or black suits. 1 or a couple of them may show up in navy or tan but they're not the kind that would go out and purchase/rent a crazy-colored suit just to show off for the day.

I think a gold tie would work with just about any [non-crazy] colored suit you decide on.

shawnaalisha

hellohkb said:

What does your FH think? I told my FH to just figure it out himself since they are HIS groomsmen.

He seems to be the, "Whatever makes you happy, dear" type. It certainly makes my life easier with planning!

vulpiepop said:

Yeah, the groomsmen and the bridesman are all kind of businessy people so they all have the gray or black suits. 1 or a couple of them may show up in navy or tan but they're not the kind that would go out and purchase/rent a crazy-colored suit just to show off for the day.

I think a gold tie would work with just about any [non-crazy] colored suit you decide on.

I hadn't thought about going with a gold tie..that might be a nice way to bring that color in. Thanks!

CMGragain

I think you are jumping the gun.  What is your budget?  How many people are on your guest list?  What time of day is you wedding (Very important if you are Catholic!)?  What style is your wedding?

All these questions should be answered before you worry about clothes.  Slow down!  You are newly engaged!  This is the time that most brides-to-be make their mistakes!

Don't even THINK about picking your bridesmaids until about 9 months from your wedding date!

shawnaalisha

We've got the budget set and a rough estimate of the amount of guests, and I'm leaning towards a rustic-style wedding.
I definitely agree about slowing down.. It's just so exciting! I will definitely remember to wait on picking bridesmaids out. I have an idea who I will go with, but I know things can certainly change.

southernbelle0915

Congratulations on your engagement! 

I think it's fine to just envision stuff right now and picture the type of wedding you want. However, WP attire has some rules --- before you pick anything for the BMs/GMs to wear, you need to ask each of them privately about their budget. Then you pick the lowest budget (keeping in mind alteration/shipping costs) and THEN you decide what you can afford in that budget. 

The only reason I bring this up now is so that you don't get set on one certain suit, or one certain "vision" and then someone says "my budget is $100" and you're forced to go another direction.

FWIW, it was about the same amount of money for our GMs to buy a decent suit as it was to rent a tux. They all bought black suits and were really happy they weren't just throwing money down the drain on a tux rental. Now they can use that suit for anything - other weddings, funerals, interviews, etc.

shawnaalisha

Thank you!

You have some great points. I certainly don't plan to go overboard with wedding party attire budgets, but I will definitely reach out to the people I choose to see what they feel comfortable with. I didn't have that option as a bridesmaid myself, but it would be nice to do for others. (We've also considered paying for the attires ourselves).

I hadn't thought about them potentially buying suits, but that could be a good idea based on prices!

theartistformerlyknownas

Our groomsmen also chose to buy suits, after seeing their options for renting versus buying. It was only slightly more expensive to buy, for something they can wear again that fits better. The choice was theirs though.

marie2785

One other thing to keep in mind is--are any of the groomsmen military? If they are, you should give them the option of wearing their dress uniform. I live in an area with a high military population and I've heard from numerous military members that not being given this option is highly insulting and borderline friendship-ending. This can change the color scheme a little. The dress uniform of a few of our groomsmen is white, and they've expressed a desire to dress in uniform. Because of this we're keeping the suits/tuxes black and not really playing around much with color on the tuxes.

I know there are other feelings about this but I lean towards respecting the wishes of people who put their life on the line to protect my freedom, even if that messes up my color scheme a little bit. This is every couples decision though.