While so much time and energy is spent on making sure that the bride, the church and the venue are perfect on the Big Day, sometimes it is easy to overlook the aesthetics of the other equally important element in any wedding – the bridegroom.
Traditionally the bridegroom doesn’t have too much input on the day’s arrangements. However, it is important that he has his say about what he wears. To help things along, we’ve compiled the Perfect Sartorial Checklist to help the Perfect Bridegroom.
Start from the basics
Let’s start from the foundations of your outfit – the style of your suit. Your choice of venue may dictate what your suit style is – after all you don’t want to be in a full on morning suit of you’re doing a beach wedding. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you want to be in shorts and flip flops. Don’t trade down too much – your wedding day is after all very special, and you want to look back at the photos and remember it as just that, rather than a simple holiday.
This is one of the reasons why a morning suit with tails and a waistcoat is so special. It is so far beyond the realms of what you would normally wear that it makes it all the more special.
Don’t underestimate the power of the cufflink
How many men these days wear cufflinks? Unless you are required to be in your best bib and tucker as part of your profession, then casual wear is becoming the norm for more and more people.
Consequently, you probably haven’t even considered cufflinks – at the very least, you know you’ll be wearing a suit, and doing up the cuffs with buttons as usual, right? Wrong! Elevate your shirt and choose a style that has double French cuffs and holes for cufflinks. Cufflinks don’t have to be boring – view here for a range of different styles and designs which go above and beyond what you can normally expect.
To tie for, or cravat it?
While a shirt and tie is the go-to sartorial choice when you need to look smart, ask yourself – is it enough for your wedding? Or will it just feel as though you’re getting dressed and ready for work again? Choosing a cravat will take it to that next level.
But what is a cravat exactly?
A cravat is a wide strip of fabric that is worn around the neck and tucked into an open necked shirt. An Ascot is a more refined and formal style of cravat that is more typically worn with the formal wedding suits.
The importance of the buttonhole
A buttonhole is more than just a formal adornment. In ancient Greek times the groom would wear a clutch of fragrant flowers and herbs over his heart to ward off any evil spirits. This tradition evolved and travelled, across continents, and became a tradition that would ensure a man’s heart was protected against the predatory eyes of other women.
To top it all off…
Nothing screams a wedding more than a top hat. And to be honest, when else are you ever going to have the opportunity to wear one. Make sure that you get one properly fitted, as the wrong fit will make you look like an extra out of Laurel and Hardy. It is difficult to buy a brand new top hat these days – the machinery used in their manufacture no longer exists, so any available hats on the market are second hand. But if you do find one, hang on to it – it could prove valuable in time.
