Suits or Tuxes for afternoon wedding (outdoors)?

arunkumar

My fiancé and I initially decided that he and his groomsmen would wear suits for our wedding. We went to Men’s Warehouse and of course he ended up liking a REALLY expensive suit. Now I’m worried that the groomsmen will not be able to afford the suit, even after FI chips in money for part of the overall cost.  I tried to suggest a cheaper suit, but FI has never owned a brand new suit, and said if he’s going to buy one, he wants it to be nice. I tried to reason with him by saying if he wants to buy a nice suit, he can do it anytime, and shouldn’t make his groomsmen spend more than they can afford (or for FI to pay for majority of their suits just because he wants one himself).

 

So now we are considering renting tuxedos because they will be much more affordable for the groomsmen. However, our ceremony is at 4pm and is outdoors (with an indoor reception). I have heard that tuxedos should not be worn for weddings that begin before 6pm and or for outdoor weddings at all.  Both venues are very elegant and our guests will be dressed in semi-formal attire (suits and cocktail dresses).  

 

Would it be a big faux-pas if the guys wore tuxedos for an afternoon wedding outdoors?

redheadfsu

Tuxs aren't really appropriate. You can rent suits.

kd.joseph

Let him buy the suit. And just have your guys, use the same color suit they may already have in their closet or they can buy/rent something in their price range. The suits do not have to match exactly. Just keep the color the same.

This way, your FI gets the nice suit he always wanted.

Habs2Hart

agree with both.  Either have them rent suits or wear whatever suit they choose in that colour.  Nobody will notice.  Match the ties. 

katyb213

I definitely think suits look better for an afternoon wedding outdoors. I would have your FI buy the suit as the above poster said and have the other guys rent a similar one!

Peavy

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_suits-or-tuxes-for-afternoon-wedding-outdoors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:e341b2ca-52f8-44db-a5df-88563c16e418Post:c2f91995-05fb-4b96-90a1-f87b4246918f">Re: Suits or Tuxes for afternoon wedding (outdoors)?</a>:
[QUOTE]Let him buy the suit. And just have your guys, use the same color suit they may already have in their closet or they can buy/rent something in their price range. The suits do not have to match exactly. Just keep the color the same. This way, your FI gets the nice suit he always wanted.
Posted by kd.joseph[/QUOTE]

This exactly.  Plus, tuxedoes are only very formal evening wear, not appropriate for afternoon.

kd.joseph

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_suits-or-tuxes-for-afternoon-wedding-outdoors?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:e341b2ca-52f8-44db-a5df-88563c16e418Post:c211f5b2-5b02-439a-8f51-3de8fa50b778">Re: Suits or Tuxes for afternoon wedding (outdoors)?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Suits or Tuxes for afternoon wedding (outdoors)? : This exactly.  Plus, tuxedoes are only very formal evening wear, not appropriate for afternoon.
Posted by Peavy[/QUOTE]

My H and his BM wore tuxes for our 2PM outdoor wedding. As you can see in my sig.

I really just wanted to give her an option that her guys could afford and since her FI is deadset on a suit, it was the best option.

arunkumar

Thanks Ladies. I found some more affordable suit options for the groomsmen. FI and I will go back to Men's Warehouse soon to see them in person and hopefully match the color to the suit he wants to wear.