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Alternative to a Suit for a Wedding

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  • 04-02-2020 12:11pm
    #1
    chops018
    Registered Users Posts: 2,458 ✭✭✭


    I've a few weddings this year, with one coming up in a few weeks.

    I always wear a suit to a wedding but as I wear a suit everyday to work I think I would prefer to wear something different.

    I was thinking something along the lines of:

    - Chinos.
    - Brown shoes.
    - Nice plain shirt.
    - Dark navy blazer.
    - Even a nice jumper for under the blazer.

    I'd just be much more comfortable in something like that I think.

    I've seen the odd person dress like the above at weddings and they didn't look out of place.

    I was also thinking of:

    - Grey slacks.
    - Nice plain shirt.
    - Black shoes.
    - Dark navy blazer.
    - Again, a nice jumper for under the blazer.
    - Tie, just incase as I feel it would suit this ensemble but not the one above.


    Thoughts? Also any other ideas?


Comments

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    #2
    Effects
    Registered Users Posts: 9,761 ✭✭✭Effects


    I'd say no to chinos, but grey slacks would be more acceptable.


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    #3
    chops018
    Registered Users Posts: 2,458 ✭✭✭chops018


    Really? Any reason? As I was leaning more towards nice slim/skinny fit chinos. Fair enough though, maybe the slacks would be the better choice! Just sick of wearing a standard navy or charcoal suit with a white shirt and tie.


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    #4
    hots
    Registered Users Posts: 5,200 ✭✭✭hots


    I'm planning at the moment and thinking the exact same thing... Something along the lines of chinos/slacks, dark shoes, good white shirt, unmatched jacket and waistcoat (something a bit tweedy) and then a tie and pocket square to match the bridesmaids colours. We've a lot of guys to dress and I don't enjoy wearing a full suit at all anymore. I need to get my head in gear to find places to source all this, and to decide the look fully (not sure on all beige/khaki/green/tweed or go a navy-er route). It's also a bit tricky to bring it up to a formal enough level too.


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    #5
    chops018
    Registered Users Posts: 2,458 ✭✭✭chops018


    That's the thing - it is tricky to bring that outfit up to formal level while most around you are in suits.

    I'm only a guest and not in the wedding party per se (that is groom or bridesmaids etc.) so I should get away with it easier even if it's not a fully formal look.

    Also agree that it is hard to source it all. I don't want just simple chinos/slacks from Next or River Island etc.


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    #6
    hots
    Registered Users Posts: 5,200 ✭✭✭hots


    Ah I should have read more carefully, if you're a guest you're completely fine unless it's a formal black tie job or a particularly formal venue imo. I stick to standard grey/navy suit when I'm a guest but there's a good few now going chinos + jacket or ditching the jacket and just going waistcoat, was at one for New Year's and I reckon more than a quarter were wearing something like that.


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    #7
    chops018
    Registered Users Posts: 2,458 ✭✭✭chops018


    Cheers. I should be ok so by the sounds of it. I will have to start looking into buying the clothes so!

    Any other opinions welcome!


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    #8
    hots
    Registered Users Posts: 5,200 ✭✭✭hots


    https://www.pinterest.ie/pin/131519251603238934/ or https://www.pinterest.ie/pin/527976756293836167/ is where I'm roughly looking at, but with a good white shirt and then something like https://www.tiesrus.co.uk/ties-c1/plain-dusty-pink-satin-classic-mens-tie-and-pocket-square-set-p602 . Apologies for thread hi-jacking, helping me think about this properly :D


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    #9
    whoami1
    Registered Users Posts: 306 ✭✭whoami1


    If, as you say, you're not part of the main wedding party, then no-one is going to notice or care, apart perhaps from your partner, that you're not wearing a suit. I think that every man should have a navy blazer in his wardrobe, it goes well with almost anything.

    Either of the outfit choices you describe in your original message would work fine.


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    #10
    noby
    Registered Users Posts: 2,114 ✭✭✭noby


    whoami1 wrote: »
    If, as you say, you're not part of the main wedding party, then no-one is going to notice or care, apart perhaps from your partner, that you're not wearing a suit. I think that every man should have a navy blazer in his wardrobe, it goes well with almost anything.

    Either of the outfit choices you describe in your original message would work fine.

    Agree on all of this.
    The 'safer' option might be to wear a tie with the blazer - you can always ditch it after the ceremony.

    At a wedding years ago, and one guy wore jeans, blazer, and silk scarf. Way too casual for my liking, felt like he was trying to upstage the bride!
    (This was before purple started wearing converse with suits)


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    #11
    Marcusm
    Registered Users Posts: 10,184 ✭✭✭✭Marcusm


    chops018 wrote: »
    That's the thing - it is tricky to bring that outfit up to formal level while most around you are in suits.

    I'm only a guest and not in the wedding party per se (that is groom or bridesmaids etc.) so I should get away with it easier even if it's not a fully formal look.

    Also agree that it is hard to source it all. I don't want just simple chinos/slacks from Next or River Island etc.

    If you have a number of weddings, why not but a wedding suit in a different cut and colour than you would usually wear to work. Don’t go for 3-piece though as that is just a signifier or someone who never wears a suit.

    Think of something like a petrol blue or, if sticking with grey, a different weave. Pick up some brighter coloured shirts (great pinks or sky blues) etc.


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    #12
    Akrasia
    Registered Users Posts: 22,234 ✭✭✭✭Akrasia


    https://youtu.be/66c7el1E11o

    Why ruin a good thing?


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    #13
    Pawwed Rig
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 22,293 CMod ✭✭✭✭Pawwed Rig


    Sounds fine to me. The least of my concerns when I got married was how people were dressed but looking at the photos recently not everyone was in shirt tie and jacket.

    edit - I probably would have noticed if someone wore a tracksuit but I have a general aversion to tracksuit wearers anyway.


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    #14
    H3llR4iser
    Registered Users Posts: 4,027 ✭✭✭H3llR4iser


    If you really, really don't want to wear a suit (I will never understand the attitude, although your "I wear one every day for work" is the best justification I've ever heard!), go for the "spezzato", sometimes wrongly translated into English as "sprezzato":

    a5341cd00a0434c6a8d7937d8ee9da20.png

    It's a staple of fashion in Italy, France and some other Mediterranean areas, especially for weddings/events in spring and summer.


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    #15
    hots
    Registered Users Posts: 5,200 ✭✭✭hots


    H3llR4iser wrote: »
    If you really, really don't want to wear a suit (I will never understand the attitude, although your "I wear one every day for work" is the best justification I've ever heard!), go for the "spezzato", sometimes wrongly translated into English as "sprezzato":

    It's a staple of fashion in Italy, France and some other Mediterranean areas, especially for weddings/events in spring and summer.

    Yup, I've just escaped wearing a suit every day, definitely the biggest motivation for not wanting to wear the full one on the big day. I'm also not quite as cool as the suave guy there but something split like that is what I'm after.


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    #16
    chops018
    Registered Users Posts: 2,458 ✭✭✭chops018


    Thank you all for the responses so far.

    I was having a look online and was thinking of buying something along the lines of the following 3 options:

    https://www.next.ie/en/g592232s11#333432

    https://www.next.ie/en/g592281s1#639572

    https://www.next.ie/en/g592281s1#639572

    Could swap out the jeans for chinos (or nice slacks?) but I like the idea of jeans/chinos, shirt, nice jumper, nice blazer.

    First link is obviously the safe option!

    Thoughts?

    P.S. I know I'm not going to look like the men in the pictures :P but I am not overweight, have a full head of hair and while I don't have a 6-pack I usually fit into clothes reasonably well.


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    #17
    noby
    Registered Users Posts: 2,114 ✭✭✭noby


    IMO jeans are too casual. I would go with trousers, either slacks or possibly chinos. It's a good look, but possibly not for a wedding. Anyway, YMMV.


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    #18
    chops018
    Registered Users Posts: 2,458 ✭✭✭chops018


    For anyone interested I just went for this:

    https://www.next.ie/en/g592236s9#638142

    Not the type of suit that I would usually wear.

    I got a bit too conscious of the chinos and blazer combo.

    Can't go wrong with a suit really. The safe option.


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