Groom''''s attire suggestions?

[BrightSpot]

Hi ladies,

I'm getting married on the beach in Jamaica & am pretty puzzled about what my FI should wear. I'm looking for something relatively cool for my boy, but fancy enough that my dress doesn't look out of place.

Any suggestions?

I'd prefer that he not wear a white shirt if possible because I'd like for there to be more contrast between the bride & groom in the photos. (Also, I suspect he'd sweat through the white shirt pretty quickly.

)

I think a tux is definitely out (way too hot), but I've seen some linen or cotton blend suits that look nice.

Poplin suit

Linen suit

Perhaps in this color or black or olive green? (See all swatch colors here)

I think this would be my preference, but my FI is afraid he'll be miserable in the heat. I've also looked at guayabera shirts, but wonder if they'd look too casual with my dress. Perhaps the long sleeved guayaberas look a bit more formal? I think I like the look of a black shirt w/ tan pants better than a white shirt.

Here's a short-sleeved version.

(ETA: I removed the pic of me in my dress so I can show this thread to my FI!

You ladies know how to find it...)

What do you guys think?

 

[njc]

I just went and checked out the Today Shows options for the groom when they had the beach/destination wedding. Here are the choices:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6292188

I kinda like the blue shirt and pants rolled up. The suit is nice too.

 

[selflove]

I just saw a spread for this in a Modern Bride. One couple that looked exceptionally elegant had the groom wearing a tan suit, probably linen, with a white shirt underneath (I think it was white), and no tie or neckwear, just an open collar, and bare feet. The bride was dressed similarly to how you will be dressed, and they were on the sand for their vows. It looked very elegant but kept the feeling casual. I think if he has a white shirt underneath a suit it won''t obscure your photos.

 

[abradabra]

In my mind, there is only one option for a "beach formal" wedding: Seersuker suit (pref. blue) with a white button down and flip flops.

Linen is a good second option, especially if you aren''t a fan of the uber-preppy look, but I think nothing compares to seersucker. It''s also a relatively cool fabric, so it could easily be comfy for your honey.

 

[jcrow]

i love what they pick. the coral shirt is a nice touch too. maybe you could do a darker flax colored linen suit and bring in color with the shirt.

 

[BrightSpot]

Thanks, ladies!

njc, I don''t know how I missed the whole destination wedding on the Today show! Thanks for the tip--now I have a new thing to track online!

I like the blue shirt & pants combo too, but am not sure if it looks too business casual. That belt is adorable!

I also love the idea of a tropical-colored shirt with a darker tan linen or cotton suit. That coral shirt is gorgeous--maybe it could even tie in with my bouquet.

selflove, I''ll try to take a look at that ModernBride spread. It''s not online, is it?

Abra, I hadn''t thought about seersucker. I''ll have to run that option by the boy too!

Thanks for your great ideas. Keep ''em coming!

 

[Tybee]

I agree with you Brightspot about the "business casual" thing.
To me there seems to be something missing in the outfits of those
groom-models.
I want to to look like an island wedding, but I don''t want
my husband-to-be to end up being a puddle of sweat in the end.
How would one define "island-formal?"

 

[Layne]

I like the first suit you posted and the seesucker.

 

[monarch64]

Brightspot, what month will you be getting married in jamaica? Are you having the ceremony down on the beach where there is a breeze or up closer to the hotel where it''s hotter? I really like the first brown suit you have posted as far as the whole look with your dress, also I like the one right below it but it looks very formal.

 

[njc]

Sorry for posting so many links! Here are some beach ''real weddings'' from The Knot:

This wedding says the groom has on a JCrew seersucker suit, very nice!

Groom with Khaki linen suit and Tommy Bahama print tie, very nice again!

Im not sure what he has on, but it looks beach elegant to me!

Not a fan of his outfit

Tommy Bahama suits-- silk jacket, silk shirt, and sand-colored pants

I like the first picture, when he has the jacket on... another linen suit maybe?

A little preppy, but nice looking

Another nice light colored suit

 

[BrightSpot]

Wow, I love you guys! Thanks for brainstorming with me!

Tybee, I agree with you--while I like a lot of the components, none of the Today Show outfits absolutely hits the nail on the head for me either. Maybe the tan suit would look better with a slightly darker coral shirt? It seems difficult to balance having the guy look nice & a bit dressed up, but still cool.

I don''t really know how you define island formal. This outfit from the Today Show looks more islandy to me (the model is wearing a white guayabera shirt & linen pants) but I really don''t want my boy in white too if I can help it...

Also, I just think that outfit is too sloppy for my FI. I can count on one hand the number of times I''ve seen him out with his shirt untucked.

Monarch, I''ll be getting married on April 29th at 3pm. We don''t have to finalize our decision on the wedding site until we arrive in Jamaica, but our 2 options are on the beach or in the garden. I''m leaning towards the beach because I think it''s much prettier, but I''m told the garden will be around 10 degrees cooler.

Beach wedding site

Garden wedding site

As for the suits I posted, if we go with the linen suit, it would be in a different color & would be worn w/o a vest & probably w/o a tie. (less formal)

njc, you''re just amazing! Thanks so much for posting all of these great links! I agree w/ all of your opinions on the attire as well.

It seems that khaki suits are very popular choices for beach weddings. The JCrew seersucker suit in tan is nice as well.
Perhaps this look (the one where you weren''t sure what he was wearing, but thought it looked beach elegant) could be done w/ a black linen suit & a white shirt? I think my FI might be averse to wearing black, though, as it''ll draw in the heat? I want to make sure my FI looks nice w/ his jacket off too--hopefully his shirt won''t be too boxy, like the guy in the third from the last link you posted.

There''s really just not much information out there on the guy''s attire. It''s almost as if he''s not the focus of the celebration. Heh.

Please keep your eyes peeled for anything else of interest! Thanks!

 

[ep6585]

Date: 11/15/2005 10:56:42 AM
Author: BrightSpot
Thanks, ladies!


I also love the idea of a tropical-colored shirt with a darker tan linen or cotton suit. That coral shirt is gorgeous--maybe it could even tie in with my bouquet.

selflove, I''ll try to take a look at that ModernBride spread. It''s not online, is it?

Abra, I hadn''t thought about seersucker. I''ll have to run that option by the boy too!

Thanks for your great ideas. Keep ''em coming!

I got married on the beach this past May. I wore a suit similar to this one from a previous post. With it I wore a white dress shirt with a pink tie that matched our flowers. I also went barefoot.

 

[BrightSpot]

It''s great to hear a guy''s views on this. ep6585, were you crazy hot in your suit or reasonably comfortable? Was your suit linen or cotton? Did it get really wrinkled? Did you wind up keeping your jacket on or did you lose it as soon as you could?

I''d love to see your wedding pics if you''d care to share.

Congrats on your marriage, btw!

 

[ep6585]

The suit wasn't linen and it didn't wrinkle. I wasn't hot at all. It was only about 80 degrees out and not very humid. I kept the jacket on the entire time.

Here a few pics that I have on my work PC:

 

[ep6585]

pic #2:

 

[ep6585]

pic #3

 

[Tybee]

ep,
You look great!
I hope you don''t mind, I''m going to have my FI look at these!
Were you hot?
My FI gets really really hot...poor guy, I''m making him get married near the beach
and he''s such a red head/stay out of the sun kind of guy.
Brightspot, both those locations look AMAZING! wow, it would be hard to choose.

 

[Tybee]

njc,

Don't be sorry for posting links! I'm checking out every one of them!
They all look great to me, but still haven't found a look that suits my FI.
It's supposed to be easier for the guy, right?
hmmmm.
flip flops, we got that down...now what?

We visited our spot at the exact time that our wedding will take place.
It was 85 degrees, and tropically humid. It felt fine to me, but FI is like his
own personal heater (great for me in the winter time...he he.) I love the look of a dark shirt and tan
pants, but my FI thinks he will sweat through the black (um yuck) and it will show.

I LOVE the look of the guy in the white shirt and dark jacket. If I had my way, that's what my FI would
wear. Nothing says formal like black, but then the lack of tie and shirt opening makes it breazy looking.



(edited because I more carefully read Brightspot's post...and saw that she wasn't getting married in the morning!)

 

[codex57]

I''d go for as little and lightweight natural fiber materials as possible. I just got back from Jamaica a couple weeks ago and holy moly is that place humid. I suppose if you''re from a humid area already, your body won''t be affected as much, but still!

A linen suit sounds good to me. It means a lightweight cover over the shirt in case he sweats through the shirt, yet should be loose enough that a breeze will cool him down significantly. Regular suits hold heat in so you don''t want anything tight.

 

[monarch64]

Brightspot, I sure wish I''d been on pricescope when I got married in ''03! You are getting such great advice! I think by April it starts to really heat up in Jamaica, but it looks like you are lucky enough that you will have a nice breeze!!!! I love the J.Crew seersucker suit, I think it''s so elegant and classic. I''m sure whatever you pick will look wonderful on your main man. I agree with you about him not wearing white (can''t take away from you!) and the untucked shirt look is a little too casual, IMO. Hey, did you ever decide about the tiara?

 

[BrightSpot]

ep, thanks so much for posting pictures from your wedding! You & your lovely bride look amazing! Sounds like you guys were lucky to have perfect weather & a breeze. I really think cotton suit w/ a touch of lycra would hold up better in the heat (not wrinkle), but would it be hotter than linen?

Tybee, my FI gets pretty hot too, but does like to be out in the sun. Your poor redheaded boy will have to wear lots of sunscreen!

I really like the beach site better b/c it''s so much more private. You can''t tell from the photo I posted, but the hotel rooms are very close to the gazebo site. Also, I think the gazebo looks a little too much like a grass hut for my taste. (this coming from the girl who wants to wear a tiara on the beach...

)

Funny--I was just thinking how it''s supposed to be easier for the guy too, but there''s not nearly as much helpful info online for guys as there is for the ladies. Has your FI found a look he likes yet?

I''m with you 100%--if it were just up to me, I''d go for a black linen suit w/ a white shirt like the link njc posted (pic below), no tie & shirt open for added coolness/casualness.

Does wearing black really just suck in the heat? I''d think that sweating through a black shirt would be less noticeable than sweating through a white shirt.

Codex, that''s a good point about the jacket being a cover for when he sweats through his shirt. We''re from NYC--it can get humid here, but not in April.

monarch, yes, I''m getting such good advice here! Thanks to everyone! I''m really hoping he''ll agree to wear a suit--either a dark tan or black linen one, the tan poplin, or a navy or tan seersucker.

I haven''t decided on the tiara yet. I thought I''d wait until we decided on his attire first. Somehow if he wears a suit I think I might be able to pull off the tiara, but if he just wears a shirt & khakis, the tiara just seems too formal to me. (yet another reason why I''m pushing for the suit--heh!

) Thanks for asking!

I have my first dress fitting this Sat. and am super excited. My seamstress removed the heavy satin lining in the skirt of my dress so I''m eager (and anxious

) to see how it turned out. I''ll keep you guys posted!

 

[eks6426]

I got married outside last July when it was in the 90s and very humid. We didn''t have a tropical destination like yours, but our wedding site was on a concrete porch of an auditorium on the University of Illinois campus. There was no shade at all. It was very hot and sticky. My husband wore a navy light-weight wool suit with a white shirt & pink tie (to match the flowers). It turned out that HE was cooler than I was in my dress--which was very similar to yours. Most of the bridal dresses may look cool, but the fabric doesn''t breathe like men''s suits. I was very suprised to find out that I was the one who was HOT--so hot that the sweat dripped into my shoes. I think the linen options for your guy are fantastic.

Also, something to keep in mind, your cemeremony is likely to be only 20 minutes or so. So, your guy can wear the jacket for the ceremony & pictures, then leave it off the rest of the time.

 

[BrightSpot]

IslandDreams, you''re right, I was amazed at how hot my dress really was! It looks so light & airy... I hope the removal of the satin lining will make it cooler for my legs. There''s not much that can be done for my bodice, but ditching the modesty panel in my dress should help a bit.

I grew up in Missouri so I know how hot it can be in the summer in the Midwest!

That''s for putting this all into perspective as well. You''re right--the ceremony will probably be 15 minutes long, plus photos & our little private reception, it''ll only be an hour tops. After that, he can lose the jacket!

So, what do you guys think about a white long sleeved guayabera or dress shirt w/ a black linen suit?

 

[AChiOAlumna]

BS...in order NOT to hijack other threads, I joined yours!

Here are a couple of pix of the wedding we stood up for in OR as I was talking about. Sorry the pix are SO bad. They were in my scrapbook, under a protective film...with the flash, you''d be blinded by a white light and couldn''t see the pix. Without the flash...well...here are the results. I deleted the bride/groom''s faces and DH as I didn''t get permission to show them online.

You can see his outfit...DH is sweating on the left next to the officiant. I''m on the right. We''re casual as we didn''t know we''d be standing up for anyone''s wedding when we went to Jamaica. They were getting married on the day of our 4-year anniversary and were looking for witnesses. We told them it was our anniversary and she BEGGED us to stand up for them as it HAD to be kismet!!! We had a fun day....

Your dress is beautiful and will be VERY appropriate for Jamaica!!!

 

[Erin]

How about this

 

[Erin]

Oops!! Wrong pic

with darker pants - it still looks very elegant (linen)

 

[Tybee]

alright starset...too funny.
I do like linen shirt, though...

 

[rms]

Starset Princess, that pic is hysterical!! BrightSpot, hopefully when you and your man do get married on the beach, you won''t remember that pic and bust up laughing in the middle of the ceremony

I suppose I am not going to be much help here except to say that I really like the idea of a nicely put together suit, even for your beach wedding. I think to me it goes with the general formality of any wedding IMHO. And I really like long long pants over anything folded up or too short on a man. I am remembering the days in the 80s of guys wearing skin tight jeans folded up at the bottom...maybe because my college boyfriend did that. Whew, I really hope that style never comes back!

So a cool lightweight fabric and ditching the jacket after the ceremony if it is really hot sounds great to me.

Can''t wait to see you guys on your big day!

 

[eks6426]

Brightspot--

Is your fiance a more or less formal guy? I think either the guaybara shirt or the black (or tan) linen suit would work. It''s really a matter of what is more "him." My husband would never in a million years have worn a guaybara shirt..it''s just not him and he didn''t want to look like he was wearing something totally out of character. My guy was just really thought a wedding deserved a jacket. When my best friend got married in Key West 2 years ago, her guy wore khaki linen pants, brown sandals & a blue linen shirt (same color as the bridesmaid dresses). Both weddings & pictures are equally lovely--just different. I really think your fiance should pick what suits his personality best--with your gentle guidance of course!

On an entirely different note, if you tend to sweat a lot and are afraid you might sweat through your dress, put anitpersperent (the clear kind) on your skin in the places sweat lines tend to gather...even if this is your stomach, back, under your bra--etc. Silly, I know, but someone advised me of this and it saved me on such a hot day. The last thing I wanted were wet spots on my dress and considering all of our couple pictures were taken AFTER the wedding, I would have had some.

 

[BrightSpot]

ACHi, Thanks for your advice! How cute that you were surprise witnesses for a couple getting married on your wedding date! Kismet indeed! You & your DH look adorable & cool.

Starset princess, the ensemble you posted is definitely fancy. I wonder if the fur might be a bit hot on the beach?
(LMAO, you silly girl!

I nearly spit my drink all over my keyboard when I saw this one! I will definitely have to show this one to FI....) The linen shirt in your 2nd post is lovely, though.

rms, of course, now that you mentioned me thinking about the pimp-on-the-beach picture at my actual wedding, I will!

I agree...a suit just seems more appropriate for a significant occasion such as a wedding to me. LOL about the 80''s pant roll!

IslandDreams, what, I can''t pick out his outfit?

My FI is definitely a more formal guy. He almost never wears his shirt untucked, only wears sneakers to the gym, etc. Maybe that''s why I just don''t picture him in some of the more relaxed outfits that you see at beach weddings. They just don''t seem like him. But he does have a couple of Cuban-type shirts that look really nice on him & we like to salsa dance so I could kind of see him in a guayabera too.

That''s a great point about the antiperspirant! The bodice of my dress is really thick so I don''t worry about sweating through it, but I don''t know what the situation will be with the skirt yet. Someone on the Knot suggested these Be Kool patches too. I might give them a try.

Aah, so many options, so much time to obsess about each one...