Dress Your Best: A Formal Wear Guide for the Best Man
When attending a wedding as someone’s best man, the last thing you want to do is stick out and have your suit distract from the happy couple. However, learning what to wear is half the battle of being the best man. Here are a few tips to help you put your best foot forward.
The Right Fit
First and foremost, your suit needs to fit. When you stand, sit, or bend over, pay attention to how the suit bends and wrinkles. If it goes past your hands or too far down your shoes, you need to take it to a tailor. Remember to do so long before the actual wedding day since tailoring takes time.
In addition, you’ll want to make sure it isn’t too tight or too loose around the shoulders or chest. While a tighter fit may look more flattering to you, it will become uncomfortable as the day goes on.
Ask the couple whether they’d prefer you to wear a vest or tuxedo before making any final decisions. Also, you’ll want to consider which suit color will work best for you and the event.
Appropriate Accessories
The right accessories can tie a suit together perfectly. However, you should ask the couple whether they’d prefer you wear a bowtie or a silk tie, as this will be your suit’s main pop of color. Tie pins and cufflinks should match in color and material if you wear them. Your belt buckle should also match the pin and cufflink.
Additionally, the tie or bowtie color is an important choice and should reflect the wedding theme or palette, so choose wisely and pay attention to those factors.
Shoes Make the Man
As a general rule for choosing a shoe, it should always match your belt color. They don’t have to be the same material, but a mismatched belt and shoe will look odd. It’s also advisable not to wear sneakers, at least initially. You may be able to change shoes during the event, but wait until you’ve completed pictures.
Oxfords and Derbies are on the more formal end, while boots are more casual, so pay attention to the formality level of the event. Also, your shoe color should be at least two shades darker than the suit itself. Of course, if worse comes to worst, black goes with everything.
Hopefully, this formal wear guide for the best man helps you on your suit journey. However, the ultimate tip for choosing a suit is to ask the happy couple.
Often, the groom wants you to wear the same thing as them, so you may not have to choose anything at all, aside from going to a tailor. But don’t wait to start! Reach out today so that you can prepare for the big day.
Photo – Guiseppe Messina