Her fiancé, Jeff, was in the car with us and one of the the discussions was what do you wear to a black tie wedding on New Year’s Eve.  Turns out, Darianna® Bridal & Tuxedo dresses thousands of people every year for weddings, galas and New Year’s Eve events.  We have some ideas for you (and him).

Black Tie Ideas:

On the surface, Jeff is not really a “black tie guy”. He prefers long ties to bow ties and suits to tuxedos. Because they are having a very formal, black tie New Year’s Eve wedding, a tuxedo and bow tie are necessary. Especially because he is the Groom! We can’t have guests dressed more formally than him. After a quick explanation of this, it made sense. He is on board and became more excited about going black tie as the discussion went on.

What made this discussion easier is that our daughter – the Bride – set out some guidelines for all of us: she doesn’t want to dress the groom in a bow tie that matches the color of her dress (ivory, champagne, etc). 

In addition, she doesn’t want the groomsmen to wear bow ties that match the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses.  This is often a look that you see in a wedding party.  The groom often ties into the bride by wearing a bow or long tie and pocket square that closely match the color of the bride’s wedding dress and the groomsmen often wear a long or bow tie and pocket square that match the color of the bridesmaid dresses.

Of course there is no rule or requirement that you follow a certain color scheme.  This is your wedding and it’s fun to create the look that appeals to you.  We’ve seen brides and grooms wear accessory colors that match their floral color choices, others have a theme and some grooms like a certain color.  Recently, we had a groom who liked the color purple.  He wore a purple bow tie and pocket square.  This year alone we had two wedding parties that chose the Philadelphia Eagles green as the long ties, vests and pocket squares.  GO BIRDS!

Distinguish the Groom:

So here is the dilemma you have when you prefer not to mix up the accessory colors between the groom and groomsmen.  The question becomes, how do you distinguish the groom from the wedding party if they are all wearing the same thing?

A black tie wedding, let’s face it, is a black tie affair!  It is formal, timeless and traditional.  If everyone is wearing a black tuxedo with a black bow tie and a white pocket square, how do you know who the groom is, especially if he is not standing next to the bride?

Not to worry!  We have some ideas for you.

We suggest that everyone wears a black tuxedo, however the groom can wear a black tuxedo with a different lapel.  There are three types of lapels for a suit or tuxedos: notch, peak and shawl.

For example, the groom can wear a peak lapel and the groomsmen can wear a notch lapel, helping setting him apart in a subtle, yet classy way.

Other Ideas:

Some other differentiators is that the groom can wear a vest and the groomsmen, have no vest.  Or you can reverse that where the groom has no vest and has a slick pair of suspenders and the groomsmen can wear the vest.  Alternatively, the groom can wear a satin bow tie and the groomsmen can wear long satin skinny ties.

All of these subtle changes still keep a classic black tie look yet make the groom look different from the groomsmen both in the wedding photos and of course at the wedding.

Lastly, our daughter suggested that maybe the groom, on top of wearing a black tuxedo with a different lapel, can wear a black satin bow tie and a white satin pocket square.  The groomsmen can also wear a black satin bow tie but wear a pocket square matching the color of the bridesmaid dresses.

Overall, there are many choices and combinations to make your black tie wedding a timeless memory that family and friends will speak about for years to come. So, have a question about what to wear to your wedding?  Send us a message and we will give you personalized advice. 

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