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Yes it’s that time of year when you have received the glossy wedding invite and must now choose what’s appropriate to wear. Thankfully formal wear dress for weddings is not overly complicated. Firstly you need to find out if the wedding is black tie, if there is no dress code stated on the invitation then you can assume it will be standard smart attire or non-black tie.

Black tie event

When the invite states ‘black tie’ you know that the affair is going to be an upmarket formal affair so you are going to have to wear a tuxedo (aka dinner suit).

The main components of a tux are:
A) the dinner jacket (single breasted with ribbed silk facings on a shawl collar).
B) the evening trousers (with silk braids covering the outer seams).
C) the dress shirt (white with Marcella frontage and double cuffs).
D) the bow tie (black, which you can buy pre-tied or tie yourself).
E) the cummerbund (a waist sash that comes in various colours).
E) smart polished black shoes (such as brogues).

You could hire a full dinner suit for a wedding but if you know a couple of black tie events are coming up we would recommend purchasing a tuxedo. There are numerous retailers who sell dinner suits for weddings online including Clermont Direct, Moss Bros and Marks and Spencer.

Non-black tie event

Typically a wedding suit should follow the seasons with a light-coloured suit (such as grey, light brown) for the Spring/Summer months and a darker suit (such as navy blue, black) for colder months. Blazers with charcoal trousers can be worn although you can come across as a little informal.

Remember if you are a member of the wedding party such as groom, ushers and best man then you should make sure you are in similar attire with each other. If for example the groom is wearing morning dress, other men in the party should follow suit.

Along with the suit you should wear a complimentary smartly ironed white shirt, silk tie and polished shoes. There are many clothing retailers in the UK who now offer a wide and varied collection of comfortable and affordable suits for weddings including Moss Bros, Marks and Spencer and John Lewis.