H needs suggestions. This November D’s getting married in the afternoon in a southern state with no brides maids, etc. I originally thought it would be informal. But, I found out it will be semiformal. It will be outside for both the wedding and the reception with dancing. There will also be a night before dinner at a restaurant and a day after of fun and then at night bar hopping in town.
As MOB, I have ordered a semi formal dress from suggestions from the MOB/MOG thread. And I think I got the idea of what to look for and wear.
However, H as DOB is wondering what DOB/DOG are wearing these days for millennial weddings.
I would say suit, nice shirt, no tie, but I wonder if “semi formal” in the South necessitates a tie. Same issue with cotton/casual suit (I’d think that would be a nice choice but maybe custom dictates a wool or similarly serious suit?) Maybe navy blue or dark gray for suit (or khaki if he’s adventurous).
My husband wore his black suit to his older daughter’s wedding and will be wearing the same suit 10 years later to his younger daughter’s wedding (fingers crossed it will happen this summer). I have to go back to look at the photos because I don’t remember what sort of a tie he wore… to the upcoming wedding, he will be wearing a tie matching my dress color (TBD).
ETA: we are in the greater Seattle area. Both weddings were/will be semi-formal/dressy.
H was not sure he should wear the same suit as he wore to D’s wedding 9 years ago.
Are sports coats in? Looks like suit with no tie or suit with tie so far in the suggestions.
I felt so bad for the men at an outdoor wedding we attended one year in August in Maine. It was so hot that one of the bridesmaids fainted during the ceremony. There was NO shade. I don’t know how the guys in suits could stand it. Ugh.
Hard to get an answer on the suggestions from them. H wore a suit and tie to older D’s wedding. Now that I think about it, it also was semiformal outside in a Nordic country in the Fall. So, I just looked at the wedding album (sniff, sniff). It looks like the attire varied from H suit and tie, Groom suit and tie, FOG sport coat and tie and grandfather of G sport coat and tie. I think a suit is the most logical choice at least for the ceremony.
Did suit styles change in the past 10+ years? I’m guessing ties definitely have.
What is the groom going to wear to each event? I’d speak to your D and future SIL and then have your husband follow their lead.
FWIW at my D’s micro-wedding during COVID my H wore a suit with no tie (H wanted to wear a tie but SIL chose not to wear one so I told H he needed to dress in a similar fashion).
It sounds like there is a lot of flexibility. I’m thinking a nice suits, but he should pick what he finds comfortable AND will like in the wedding photos.
My BIL bought a new suit for his D’s wedding. I’m pretty sure it was navy but I’m not sure what the composition was. He looked very nice. He didn’t agonize about it much but decided it was a worthwhile occasion to splurge when the store told him they couldn’t suitably alter his old suit.
Semiformal can be a tux or nice suit At sons wedding both dads wore suits and ties. We don’t have wool suits in the south (guess we do but you’d be crazy to wear one in summer)–mostly lighter weight. Not sport jackets. Definitely think about the pix. November can be freezing or hot from one day to the next.
Husband will be getting a new suit for son’s May wedding, which has a cocktail attire dress code.
@gouf78 I never thought of a tux for a semi formal wedding. That seems more for a black tie type event . But, maybe a tux is popular in some areas or in some social circles for semi formal events?
Some people (especially those in wedding party) still wear a tux even if semi-formal but usually because they already own one! Usually it’s suits. Honestly I wouldn’t stress too much. In this case I’d tell hubbie to wear a nice suit in a lighter weight (that guarantees freezing weather and he’d have to give me his coat) and a shirt that looks good if he takes his tie off.
My other BIL has always worn a navy suit to all his D’s wedding. He looked fine. (It was probably sane suit at all 3 weddings.) He never agonized about his attire, tho my sis sure was concerned about her attire and had a different dress for each of the weddings.
I’m in the Northeast and it is not at all uncommon for men in the bridal party to wear tuxes to a semi-formal or cocktail attire dress wedding.
Again, I like when the men in the bridal party are dressed similarly at the wedding (ex. all suits and ties, all suits with no tie, all tuxes etc.) so as I said up-thread I’d ask the future SIL and wear something along the same line.
DS married last spring in the Deep South, 5pm outdoor ceremony next to lake, no wedding party other than best man/maid of honor. I would classify the wedding as cocktail/semiformal. Both DS and DH wore tuxes. Best man wore black suit and tie. I wouldn’t go more casual than dark suit with tie.
My husband wore a grey/blue suit he bought for £99 from Mark and Spencer 4-5 years ago for our niece’s wedding. Pretty casual because of the color. Surprisingly, the suit fits him and we bought it because it was cheap. Glad we got to use it once.