While watching TV yesterday, a commercial for JoS. A Bank caught my eye. Actually, it inspired me! I was quickly reminded of a couple of mine that was looking for non-traditional black tuxedos for the groomsmen to wear at their wedding, and they found what they were looking for with JoS. A Bank. Then it got me thinking…I’ve actually shot a lot of weddings where the groomsmen wore something other than black tuxedos or suits. It’s traditional and pretty much the norm, but who says it needs to be that way? Let’s break the rules a bit. 🙂

Who says the groomsmen should wear black tuxedos and suits? What about brown, tan, gray, and blue?

As I was looking through my past wedding collections, I noticed a BUNCH of groomsmen not wearing black. I had more rule-breakers than I thought! Gray was definitely the popular alternative with a little bit of brown, tan and blue mixed in. My three favorite set of men included two groups of tan and a group of brown:

 

Matt and his groomsmen wore a light shade of tan. It contrasted so well with the navy blue ties, vests and bridesmaid dresses. Very appropriate for a summer or spring wedding!

Bobby and his groomsmen were especially impressive. Don’t you just love the mix of fall colors here? Brown suits, green ties and orange boutonnieres. Manly, yet fun!

Here’s a darker shade of tan and another mix with navy blue. The suits were polished and simple with no fuss. And you know my favorite part was their polka dotted ties. 😉

Stuart was my first groom! Yep, these next two pictures are from my first wedding as JFP! Stu and his best man wore gray and decided to forego the jacket. Now isn’t that a twist on the norm?

Here’s a little bit of blue for ya! I was so excited to see Kevin and his guys struttin’ their stuff in navy blue suits…just so snazzy. If you want to do something different than black, but still want something dark, navy blue is a FAB option!

Another set of light tan…

And now a darker shade of tan…almost gray-ish. Jim was the only one to wear a jacket. The groomsmen played it casual and went without. Definitely allowed their yellow ties to stand out!

Brown or tan? Can’t really decide. Maybe a little bit of both? All I know is that this was a unique color for Corey and his guys. The taupe-ish color was paired with cream and light pink for the wedding day and was perfect for the spring event!

And here’s some more brown for ya! Justin and his groomsmen having fun before the ceremony…

And Bobby and his groomsmen looking super sharp in their brown suits. Perfect for a fall outdoor wedding indeed!

And now for our gray lineup! BTW how do you spell the color anyways? Is it gray? Or is it grey? I never know which is correct! Anyways, gray has become a super popular color not only for groomsmen, but as a wedding color all together. A lot of couples are pairing it with yellows, purples and blues. I think gray is kinda fitting for every season!

P.S. This was my most fun, most enthusiastic, most creative group of guys EVER!!

See what I mean? They were so great at vogue-ing. 🙂 Had me laughing the whole time!

Dark gray…almost blue-ish…for a fall wedding. Would have never guessed it would look good with rich yellows, oranges and reds, but it did!

The suits that Sam and his groomsmen wore actually came from JoS. A Bank!

And last but not least…Kendall and his groomsmen in gray. Almost silvery-like! Very appropriate for a December wedding!

So if you’re still trying to decide what the groomsmen might wear on your wedding day, consider a color other than black. If the bridesmaid dresses are warm colors – yellow, orange, red – consider brown and tan suits. If the bridesmaid dresses are cool colors – blue, purple, green – consider navy blue and gray suits. Of course you can mix those up a bit and do whatever you want because it’s YOUR day! But know that there are a bunch of options for the guys just like there are for the girls!

And here’s an added tip: If you are going with black, have the guys each wear their own black suit. There are variations of black that may be visible super close-up when compared, but in pictures and just in general conversation, it’s not noticeable! This is what we did for our wedding and the guys were thrilled. They didn’t have to spend $165 on a tux rental and if it forced them to buy a black suit, they now have a black suit that they can actually use in the future. What guy doesn’t need a black suit at some point in time?

Here’s a picture of Brian and his groomsmen each wearing a different black suit. Can you tell?? Nope.