As wedding season creeps up, many of you will thumb through your closet ready to dust off your one suit appropriate for any invites labeled “semi-formal attire.” Luckily for us men, dressing for a wedding like is not complicated. Dark suit, white shirt, dress shoes, and a tie. But a gentleman knows that meeting the bare minimum requirements isn’t necessarily presenting the best version of yourself. To help dial in your look, we’ll review semi-formal wedding attire for men and how you can stand out while respecting the formality of the event.
| Suit | Shoes | Shirt | Tie | |
| Best Value Option | Spier and Mackay Red Label | Beckett Simonon | Nordstrom | The Tie Bar |
| Best Splurge Option | Proper Cloth | Paul Evans NY | Ledbury | Kent Wang |
While your old reliable suit, tie, shirt, and dress shoes will technically meet the requirements for the occasion, you may need to consider a refresh of your semi-formal attire. Especially if you haven’t worn these items for a couple of years.
While the set of clothes needed will not vary much, it’s how you execute this look that differentiates the average Joe from the gentleman. You don’t need to wear a loud shirt, suit, or tie to stand out. While most men are close to looking good, the best way for you to turn heads will be to perfect ALL of the basics.
Suit Quality and Fit
Most of us have at least one suit in the closet. Make sure you check on yours. Does it still fit? Is it a cheaper option that you bought when funds were a bit tight? Try it on and see how it looks. If you’re not satisfied, you have two choices – buy a new one, or get it tailored.
The good news is that there are a ton of affordable, high quality options. The best budget buy is Spier and Mackay’s new red label suits for under $300. These combine features of more upscale suiting, such as half-canvas construction (so the suit breathes, moves with you, and drapes properly), a fitted silhouette, lightly padded shoulders, breathable lining, and 100% pure merino wool fabric. See the pictures below for a quick look at the quality for the price.
If your old suit is good quality, you should try it on – you may need to get it tailored. If your weight has changed since you last wore it, you may need the sides brought in (or out…). Same with your pant waist. As always, check the pant length and sleeve length and have a tailor adjust appropriately if needed. These two small details make a huge difference on whether or not your suit looks like it fits.
Proper fit and color
A poorly fitting suit will make you look frumpy, out of shape, and like you don’t really care about your appearance. Not how a gentleman should be perceived. On the other hand, a properly fitting suit will lengthen and slim your body shape, so you appear taller. It will also taper in your waist and accentuate your shoulders, providing the ideal V shape for your silhouette. People notice these minute details, and if you nail them, you will give off the most positive first impression of yourself. Plus you’ll feel more confident in a suit that fits your frame perfectly.
In terms of color, go with navy, charcoal, or medium grey. These darker colors are appropriate for semi-formal attire. Avoid black, as it’s a little too stark for semi-formal situations. Check out this post for a deeper dive on suit colors.
Splurge a Little on Shoes
Shoes are the first thing a woman notices and a key part of semi-formal wedding attire for men. If you don’t have a good pair of dress shoes, splurge a bit. This article gives you the best options for dress shoes (and more). A good pair will look great and still provide comfort. The style below is from Paul Evans NY. A pair like this will definitely turn heads.
Go with a closed laced oxford (like the picture above), as this style provides the appropriate formality to match a semi-formal suit. You can (but don’t have to) wear black shoes for night weddings with a grey or charcoal suit. Otherwise you should stick to brown shoes.
Small Tweaks Will Help You Stand out
While a plain white or light blue shirt will hardly set the pulses racing, minor details can elevate this basic piece. Try a spread or semi-spread collar – Ledbury makes a great version of this shirt, even if it is a tad spendy (see pic below). Keep the shirt color conservative, such as plain white or light blue, or a subtle check or stripe.
Make sure the shirt fits well. The same rules for suits apply to shirts – get the sides and sleeves adjusted by a tailor, ideally with your suit jacket to make sure everything works together. You should have a quarter to a half inch of your shirt cuffs peeking out of your jacket sleeves to frame the jacket.
You can skimp or spend on the tie, and something seasonal will stand out. The Tie Bar has a lot of great options for under $30, and you can get something just for the occasion without breaking the bank.
Other basics to execute – make sure your belt color matches your shoe color, get a haircut a few days prior to the wedding, and shave. Most men look better clean shaven (although your mileage may vary if you have a good beard or can rock the stubble look).
Accessories
Watch, pocket square, and cufflinks. None of these are required, but adding one or two good options will enhance the look. If you have a nice dress watch (not a smart watch, please)? Wear it. Been waiting to don some special cufflinks from your grandfather? Get the right shirt and go for it. Pocket squares are great too, but don’t match them exactly to your tie. Take a color from your tie and go solid with the pocket square. For instance, if you’re wearing a navy tie with white pin dots, a solid white pocket square works well.
Don’t over accessorize. Too many rings, lapel pins, bracelets, and tie bars will overwhelm your look and give the appearance that you are begging for attention. You’re not Johnny Depp. This can negatively affect your semi-formal wedding attire for men.
Behavior
Have fun but remember your manners. Treat the occasion with the respect it deserves. Enjoy the free booze, but a gentleman should never get too drunk (to where you black out) at an important event like this.
You may want to make a romantic connection, which can work out very well at a wedding. Don’t be too desperate or forward. Act like a gentleman, and if romantic sparks fly, then wait a day or two to follow up on it. Unless your game is on point, in which case you don’t need our advice…
