Groomsmen Attire

bluebug1726 · October 2010

My boyfriend is in the Air Force and so are his brothers who will be groomsmen in the wedding. Should the brothers wear their uniforms too or should they just wear tuxes?

LP11509 · October 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_groomsmen-attire-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:d767ffe8-3213-40b7-871c-d396ed3c5065Post:83e55cb5-3c15-4906-9a00-13aed27e8cbe">Groomsmen Attire</a>:
[QUOTE]My boyfriend is in the Air Force and so are his brothers who will be groomsmen in the wedding. Should the brothers wear their uniforms too or should they just wear tuxes?
Posted by bluebug1726[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>If he's still your boyfriend and not your fiance yet, it's probably a little early to be deciding this.</div><div>
</div><div>ETA: To answer your question, I would ask him what he prefers, and have him talk with the groomsmen about it and let them make the decision together.</div>

squirrly · October 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_groomsmen-attire-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:d767ffe8-3213-40b7-871c-d396ed3c5065Post:b5157b56-3256-4a45-8b4b-d64253940751">Re: Groomsmen Attire</a>:
[QUOTE]It's my understanding that anyone who is active miliitary is supposed to wear their uniform to formal events.
Posted by Kristin789[/QUOTE]

The military doesn't dictate what you wear when you're at a civilian event, so this is incorrect. If it were a military event, the invitation would explicitly state what uniform standard is correct for the military members attending, but that's the only occasion where that is the case.

At a wedding (even if it's two military members being married in an on-post chapel) it's acceptable for them to wear either. A dress uniform is equal to a tux in terms of formality, and is appropriate at any occasion at which a tux would be appropriate. Since they already own their uniforms I would suggest that you make it their choice. Some servicemembers prefer to wear them, but there's a lot of work involved to get them ready (ribbons and such), and they're not always as comfortable as a tux.

My H chose to wear his Army dress blues for our ceremony and a tux for the reception. Several of our military guests wore their dress uniforms as well, but many others wore suits.

The one thing I would caution you on - please don't tell a servicemember that it is INAPPROPRIATE to wear their dress uniform. That's condescending and rude, and it's happened to my H.

kara811 · October 2010

Ditto dnbeach and squirrly. My FI chose not to wear his uniform just cus he doesn't liek to wear it. He didn't want the same thing for his groomsmen that are also in the military. Ultimately, this is a decision your FI/BF has to make. Ask him what he wants to wear, same for his groomsmen.

mysticl · October 2010

My FI and his BM are opting to wear their dress uniforms. Mainly so they don't have to spend money on tuxes and FMIL wants to see her son in uniform. I left the decision entirely up to FI. Just remember if they wear their uniforms they cannot wear bouts. which is another way to save some money.

bluebug1726 · October 2010

Thanks for these ideas! I wasn't sure if it was a matter of ettiquete or a matter of opinion. My boyfriend and I have been talking about getting married for months now and while I'm not officially engaged I still would like to get my questions answered and some planning underway. Thank you all for your help

M&R7111 · October 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_groomsmen-attire-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:d767ffe8-3213-40b7-871c-d396ed3c5065Post:c5e4206c-bcf8-4d71-83e9-8d6692619a7b">Re: Groomsmen Attire</a>:
[QUOTE]My FI and his BM are opting to wear their dress uniforms. Mainly so they don't have to spend money on tuxes and FMIL wants to see her son in uniform. I left the decision entirely up to FI. <strong>Just remember if they wear their uniforms they cannot wear bouts. which is another way to save some money. </strong>
Posted by mysticl[/QUOTE]

Amen to this!

FI has 4 out of 5 groomsmen who are in some type of service: JAG, Marines, and local police force. So we don't have to spend money on the bouts.

I think it will look really cool to have different dress uniforms up there with us. Only downside - we don't get the "free tux rental" offered if 4 or more groomsmen rent a tux. lol

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