Consider your Colours Carefully Wearing coloured clothing is a great way to elevate the look of your outfit and create a bold statement wherever you go. However, dressing for a wedding requires serious consideration, as it is usually quite a formal event and focuses on two people and their happiness – not how the guests are dressed. There’s no rule against wearing colour, and some dress codes may even require you to wear a bold piece. You just have to be considerate about the colours you wear, as a clash of colours or patterns can take away from the happy couple. How to Choose Wedding Appropriate Colours for Men? When choosing a coloured piece, make sure that it’s an appropriate colour for a wedding. Subtle colours like navy, grey, brown or beige are safe colours to choose from, while fluro yellows and pinks, for example, are not great choices and will likely clash with the theme and wedding venue. How to Decide on Colours to Wear? When choosing to wear colours to a wedding, there are several factors you should consider before putting on a brightly coloured bow tie or patterned shirt. Dress Code Most weddings will require the guests to adhere to a dress code. As it’s such a special event, the happy couple will want their nearest and dearest to look good to celebrate the day with them. Some potential dress codes could include: Black Tie: This dress code is very strict, requiring their guests to wear formal attire. This means that for men, it’s tuxedos all the way and very little room for pops of colour, other than a pocket square or dress socks. Cocktail and Semi-Formal: A cocktail or semi-formal dress code allows for more freedom in dressing, but still swings more formal than not. Stick to classic items, like dress pants, a crisp white shirt and a navy suit jacket. You can add your own touch with a coloured tie, light belt or pocket square, especially if it’s a cocktail wedding. Smart Casual: Less common for weddings, but this dress code gives way to a more casual style. Look for a stylish sports coat or blazer and a brushed shirt. It also allows you to experiment with coloured accessories, like a bright bow tie, watch and dress socks. Location Where the wedding is set can also affect how you choose to wear colour, as you want to be respectful of your surroundings by choosing colours that blend in and compliment the location. Church or Religious Setting: For weddings in a religious setting, it’s best to stick with colours that are subtle and don’t clash with the serenity of the place. Sticking to a navy sports coat and white shirt will mean you avoid any embarrassment by wearing a bold statement piece that could be seen as disrespectful. Beach Wedding: For weddings at a coastal location, choose light layers for a relaxed yet stylish look. Colours for a beach wedding should resemble the setting – light blue, sand or beige work well. A light blue or sand linen shirt with light-coloured chinos is a good outfit option for a beach location. Botanical Garden: If the wedding is being held at a botanical garden or state garden, choosing subtle colours that match the foliage is a great way to stay stylish but not overdressed. A navy, dark green or dark brown sports coat or blazer combined with a white shirt and brown pants and a natural-coloured tie is a good outfit option to help you stay neutral in an already colourful place. Wedding Theme Compared to a dress code, a wedding theme usually speaks to the layout of the wedding venue, what accessories or decorations will be in place and can usually be a good indicator of colour choice for your outfits. For rustic or farmhouse style wedding themes, stick to beige, sand and browns to complement the space. For nature inspired themes, greens, blues and browns will keep your outfit on the theme. For highly specialised themes, for instance, winter wonderland or holiday inspired, make sure to do your research about which colours to be used or reach out to the wedding party for more information. Popular Men’s Colour Combinations for Wedding Attire Once you have a firm idea about the wedding dress code, location and theme, choosing your outfits should be much easier and which colour combinations you can wear on the day. Below, we’ve listed some of our favourite colour combinations that will keep you looking well put together without clashing or taking away from the happy couple. All-Navy Outfit An all-navy outfit is a popular choice for men’s wedding outfits, as navy is a subtle choice that works for most dress codes and locations. Depending upon the dress code, look to a dark navy blazer or suit jacket and corresponding dark navy dress pants. Choose a crisp white button down and dark brown shoes. Compliment your look with a maroon tie or gold cufflinks to add a point of difference and to break up the colour. All-Grey Outfit An all-grey outfit is another popular choice for wedding attire and is a great option for more formal weddings. Depending upon the wedding theme or dress code, you can either choose a light grey or dark grey combo for jacket and pants, combined with a white button down. For an even classier take, add a grey waist coat in the same colour to elevate your look. To break up the grey, opt for a statement tie, like a navy or red, for example, to bring an extra layer to your look. Combined Colour Outfit For a more relaxed setting or cocktail dress code, you can opt for a combined outfit. One classic combo is navy and sand. You can either choose a sand blazer and navy chinos or sand chinos and a navy blazer; the choice is yours. Make sure to add a white shirt, brown leather belt and brightly coloured pocket square to enhance your attire. Wedding Outfit Colours FAQ While getting ready for your next wedding event, there are some dos and don’ts of colour choices to make sure you’re aware of so that you don’t clash with the bridal party. Can men wear black to a wedding? The short answer: yes. The long answer: it all depends upon the dress code. If you’re attending a black tie wedding, men are expected to wear a black tuxedo with tails. For more relaxed dress codes, you’re not expected to wear a black suit. To make sure you don’t clash with the bridal party, opt for a softer colour, like navy or grey. Can men wear white to a wedding? There is nothing against wearing a white suit, however, it’s best to stick to classic colours, like navy, grey or brown, as you don’t want to pull attention away from the bride and groom. This is especially true if the best men have decided to wear light grey or white suits and you’re not part of the bridal party. Stick to just wearing a white shirt underneath your blazer or suit jacket. Can you wear a short sleeve shirt to a wedding? For wedding attire, no matter how casual the dress code may sound, sticking to a formal outfit is the best way to go. Although a wedding is more than just what you choose to wear, you can come off as underdressed or that you don’t care about the event because you’ve worn something too casual. Sticking to a long sleeve shirt, even if the sleeves are rolled up, will ensure you stay put together for the whole day. Whether you’re off to a wedding soon or have just received your invitation, wearing colour to a wedding is a fun way to experiment with your outfit choice, and with the information above, you’ll be able to choose a coloured outfit with confidence and stay stylish, no matter the type of wedding. Discover the full selection of men’s clothing, including shirts, pants and jackets online from GAZMAN.