How should you dress for a wedding as a guest?
Suit, shirt, shoes, accessories: the complete guest guide to looking sharp at a wedding, without ever upstaging the groom.
Tailoring and special occasions: dressing the part
Choosing a suit that fits, dressing as a wedding guest: our guides for the occasions where your outfit really matters.
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Nobody buys a suit on a random Tuesday. There's an interview behind it, a ceremony, a June wedding. And on the day, everything shows: the overhanging shoulder, the sleeve running long, the buttoned jacket pulling. These guides are for arriving prepared, in a suit that fits and a guest outfit that respects the invitation, without looking like it took you all week.
How should you choose a suit?
Shoulders, fabric, colour, alterations: the complete method to choose a suit that fits, from your first suit to made-to-measure.
A suit that fits proves it in the fitting room
The classic mistake is judging a suit head-on, standing still, in the shop mirror. Move. Raise your arms, sit down, button the jacket: if the button pulls, if the shoulder seam overshoots the bone, if the collar gaps from the shirt, change size or cut. Our guide to choosing a suit runs through these checks one by one, from ready-to-wear to made-to-measure. And for a first suit, go navy or mid-grey. Black is the one almost everyone buys first and almost everyone regrets: it only earns its keep at very formal evening events.
Wedding guest, not an extra
A July wedding at 3pm in a garden and a November wedding at a city-centre registry office don't call for the same outfit, which is the whole point of our wedding guest guide: light suit, linen shirt and polished loafers for the first, denser wool and deeper colours for the second. Either way, keep the shoes immaculate and the wrist quiet. On that last point, the guide to matching a watch to an outfit will save you from the sports chrono on a three-piece suit.
Frequently asked questions
Which suit colour should come first?
Navy, no hesitation, then a mid-grey once the first has earned its keep. Between them they cover the interview, the wedding and the dressed-up office, and tolerate nearly any shirt. Resist black: it looks versatile in the shop and ends up reserved for funerals and galas once it's home.
Can you wear a suit without a tie to a wedding?
Yes, when the invitation doesn't impose formal dress. A neat open collar, a pocket square and immaculate shoes make up for the missing tie. For a religious ceremony or a formal evening, a tie or bow tie stays the safer call.