Here’s the part we’d tell a friend first: there’s no correct amount of matching. The weddings we pull from run the whole way across, from groomsmen in identical black tuxedos to a party in pearl snap shirts and cowboy hats. What holds either version together is the same thing, one decision repeated down the line, and a groom who’s a notch dressier than everyone beside him. Once you have it, the big decisions sort into four groups: what he wears, the small pieces that get photographed up close, what the group wears, and what happens at every other event of the weekend.
That’s how this guide is sorted. It takes the pieces that change the look the most, covers what varies and why it matters, then hands you off to the full set of options. Everything here comes from real grooms at real Love & Lavender weddings, photographed on the day rather than styled on a mannequin, and you can browse the whole collection in our real weddings directory.
The Groom’s Main Look
This is the decision everything else gets built around, and it comes down to two forks: suit or tuxedo, and then color. Formality sets the first one. The venue and the light usually settle the second.
Wedding Suits for the Groom
A black suit is the default answer. Color is where a suit stops looking like a default answer. Steel blue reads sharp against golden grass. Forest green works as an outdoor neutral in a way navy doesn’t. Warm taupe holds up in bright sun instead of washing out. The other lever is the three-piece, because adding a waistcoat changes the look completely the second he takes his jacket off for the reception, which he will. Cobalt blue with a burgundy bow tie and brown cowboy boots is also a wedding suit, and it works.
- Steel Blue Three-Piece with a Black Bow Tie
- Royal Blue Suit with a Grey Waistcoat
- Forest Green Suit with a Floral Shirt
- Warm Taupe Three-Piece with a Feather Bow Tie
- All Black Suit with a Patterned Tie
See our groom wedding suit guide →
Groom Tuxedo
A tuxedo is a stricter garment than a suit, which is exactly why the personality has to come from smaller places: the lapel, the jacket color, the thing at the waist. A burgundy velvet jacket with black satin trim is still a tuxedo. So is a forest green shawl collar dinner jacket worn with forest green high-top Converse, which is our favorite kind of rule-following. One groom wore a printed cummerbund covered in faint champagne bottles and glasses, a detail nobody notices until they’re standing close enough to see it.
- The Classic Black Tuxedo
- The White Dinner Jacket
- Navy Tuxedo with Black Satin Lapels
- Burgundy Tuxedo Jacket
- Black Tuxedo with a Bow Tie for the Dog
The Small Pieces That Land in Close-Ups
The suit is what guests register from across a room. Everything in this section is the opposite: cheap by comparison, decided late, and photographed from a foot away. These are the pieces that show up in the ring shots, the getting-ready shots, and the frame where he’s fixing his cuffs.
Groom Bow Ties
Self-tie or pre-tied is the first fork, and it comes down to whether he wants to learn a knot. After that it’s pattern versus solid, and how loud the tie can go when the boutonniere sits three inches away from it. The pairings we like most put one loud element next to one quiet one: multicolored paisley against muted florals, or a bow tie and pocket square cut from the same fabric so they read as a single choice. Feather bow ties by Brackish arrive in engraved wooden boxes, which makes them a groomsman gift and an outfit at the same time.
- Multicolored Paisley Bow Tie
- Bow Tie and Pocket Square Cut from the Same Fabric
- Bow Tie Matched to the Boutonniere
- Gray Polka Dot Bow Tie
- Gold Paisley Bow Tie
Boutonnieres
The lapel flower is the only floral the groom wears all day, through the ceremony and the receiving line and every close-up of the ring, which makes it worth more than a spare stem pulled off the bridal bouquet. Succulent rosettes hold their shape through a long reception with no water at all. Feathers, fishing flies, and fabric all work when flowers aren’t the point. One groom tied his own from pheasant feathers and red floss. Another wired on the champagne cork from the night he proposed.
- White Rose Boutonnieres
- Calla Lily Boutonnieres
- Succulent Boutonnieres
- Greenery and Eucalyptus Boutonnieres
- Simple Boutonnieres
See our unique boutonniere ideas guide →
Dressing the Guys Standing Next to Him
The question here isn’t whether the guys should match. It’s how closely, and there’s a range of right answers. Identical suits sit at one end and a single shared accessory sits at the other. Where you land depends partly on the look you want and partly on how much you want to manage, because the tighter the coordination, the more somebody has to chase measurements.
Groomsmen Outfits
It helps to think in degrees rather than yes or no. Identical suits are the sharpest, cleanest option, and they photograph beautifully when the guys are similar builds and you get to decide who stands where. A step looser is one color in different cuts, so everyone brings his own navy and nobody gets fitted for something he’ll wear once. Looser still, the party wears what it owns and a single repeated element pulls it together: eleven groomsmen in mismatched grey and navy, tied together by burgundy accessories and nothing else. And you can skip suits altogether. Turquoise pearl snap shirts, dark jeans, and black cowboy hats at a South Texas ranch is a coordinated wedding party, just not a rented one.
- Royal Blue Suit With Striped Socks
- Mismatched Grey Suit With a Burgundy Tie
- Grey Waistcoat With Rolled Shirtsleeves
- Turquoise Pearl Snap Shirt With a Cowboy Hat
- Patterned Waistcoat Back
See our groomsmen outfits guide →
Groomsmen Socks
Socks are the cheapest way to give the party something in common, and the only piece nobody has to be fitted for. The shot is almost always the same one: everyone sitting in a circle, feet in, trousers hitched, socks against a patterned rug or the grass. What makes it worth taking is having a reason behind the pattern. Avocado socks at an avocado farm wedding. Names and roles embroidered down the side with the date. Or one color family with no two pairs alike, which looks deliberate in a way that pure novelty doesn’t.
- Every Guy in a Different Pair
- Striped Socks in Full Color
- Argyle in Colors You Don’t Expect
- Custom Socks with Names and Roles On Them
- One Color Family and No Two Alike
See our groomsmen sock ideas guide →
The Rest of the Weekend
The wedding suit is one outfit on one day. There’s also the night before, and there’s the separate matter of what he does with his body once a camera is pointed at all of it.
Groom Rehearsal Dinner Outfits
The rule we give grooms is simple: dress a notch above the guests, and save the wedding suit for tomorrow. After that it’s a venue question. A tailored suit for a hotel dining room. An unstructured blazer for a smart casual restaurant. Something that survives barbecue sauce for a backyard. Two things worth knowing before he buys anything: match the bride’s formality level rather than her exact colors, or the two of you read as a themed set. And in humid weather a linen blend holds its shape where pure linen creases by the salad course.
- The Tailored Suit for Hotels and Fine Dining
- The Unstructured Blazer for Smart Casual Restaurants
- Smart Casual for Bistros and Daytime Patios
- Brewery and Backyard Without Looking Sloppy
- BBQ and Lawn Games That Survive the Sauce
See our groom rehearsal dinner outfit guide →
Groom Poses
Plenty of grooms go stiff the second a camera comes out, and the fix isn’t a better expression. It’s a task. Give him something to do with his hands and the stiffness goes on its own: adjusting a cuff, holding the jacket open to show a patterned lining, leaning on a wall, reading a letter from the bride. Crouching down nose to nose with a dog also works. Send this one to your photographer so he has somewhere to start.
- The First Look
- The Finishing Touches
- Hands in His Pockets
- The Casual Lean
- Reading Her Letter
None of this has to get settled this week. Pick the suit, decide how closely the guys should follow it, and let the small stuff fall in behind. And if he ends up with stronger feelings about the socks than the jacket, he’s in good company.
Frequently Asked Questions
A few things come up in almost every conversation we have about groom and groomsmen attire.
Should the groom match his groomsmen?
No, and it usually looks better when he doesn’t. Set him a notch apart with one visible difference: a different suit color, a waistcoat the others aren’t wearing, or a bow tie in a pattern the party wears in solid. He should read as part of the group and still be findable in a wide shot.
Suit or tuxedo for a wedding?
Formality and time of day decide it. A tuxedo suits an evening wedding, a black tie invitation, or a ballroom. A suit is right for daytime, outdoors, and anything that reads relaxed. If the invitation doesn’t say black tie and the ceremony is before four o’clock, a suit is the safer call.
Who pays for groomsmen attire?
Groomsmen traditionally cover their own suit or rental, the same way bridesmaids cover their dresses. The couple usually pays for anything they’re asking the group to wear specifically for this wedding, like the ties, the pocket squares, or the socks. Those double neatly as the groomsmen gift.
How far ahead should groomsmen attire be ordered?
We recommend starting around four months out for rentals and closer to six for anything made to measure. That leaves room for a fitting, an alteration, and the groomsman who sends his measurements late. Build in a final try-on the week of the wedding so nobody discovers a problem the morning of.
