25 Rules of Suits Every Groom Should Know

Many grooms get engaged and realize they have only worn a suit a handful of times. Most likely these grooms have been wearing them wrong. There are essentially 25 rules to wearing a suit the most handsome way possible that not all men know. Share this with your groom and prepare to be wow-ed on your wedding day when he hits all of hot stuff requirements.

If you need to buy a suit off the rack, make sure the shoulders fit. It is worth the alteration fee to get the shoulders to fit correctly.
Make sure the jacket fits well in general! A gap between the jacket lapels and the shirt collar means the jacket does not fit well. Your groom will look more handsome if there is no gap because this means the jacket is a perfect fit.
You need to balance all of the elements of the suit. The first step is making sure the width of the tie matches the width of the lapel.
Depending on the theme of your wedding, you want either a thin or wide lapel. Thin lapels are modern while wide lapels are for older styles. If you have a theme wedding set in the past, go for the wide lapel.
It is easiest (and attractive!) to choose a classic Windsor knot. Your groom can choose between full or half Windsor depending on the size of his head.
The tie needs to barely reach the waistband of your groom’s pants or be ever so slightly shorter. Any longer or shorter can look a bit ridiculous.
Make sure the tie is darker than the dress shirt for a striking look.
If wearing a belt, it needs to be thinner and match your shoes. Otherwise, it will look awkward.
This is kind of a gross rule, but make sure your groom is wearing an undershirt if you are having an outdoor or a wedding in the summer. The undershirt will help collect sweat before it stains his dress shirt.
If you and your groom have decided to go casual with a vest, make sure the bottom button is unbuttoned. It will make your groom look less stuffy.
If he is wearing a vest with a full suit, the vest will look best with a single breast suit so it is visible.
Pocket squares are extremely fashionable ONLY if they contrast your tie. The pocket square must be a different fabric and pattern to be in style. Choose carefully, because the pocket square is the only part of the suit your groom gets to show off their personality. Yes, you want it to match the wedding, but let your groom go crazy.
To stand out, choose a charcoal or gray suit instead of black. Everyone wears black and your groom will look infinitely more handsome and stylish in a different color.
If your groom chooses a two button jacket, the top button should rest at or above the navel. If he chooses a three button jacket, the middle button should follow the same rule.
The jacket should be long enough to barely cover the pant zipper and your groom’s lovely derriere.
For a formal look, choose a double button notched lapel jacket for the stylish groom.
A single button peak lapel jacket is a good choice if your groom is going for a trendy and casual look.
Double vents in the back of the jacket are modern and fashionable. If your groom is larger, double vents also give him enough room to swing his arms and look cool and casual in photos.
Whichever jacket he chooses, your groom should be able to slip his hand between the his chest and the buttonend jacket snugly. However, there should be just enough room move his hand as well. It is a delicate balance since it should not be too tight or too spacey.
The shirt sleeve cuffs should be exposed a half an inch to help make the suit look balanced. If you want to go above and beyond, match the visible cuff length to the amount of collar visible at the back of the neck.
Choose dress socks that are long enough so no leg is exposed when sitting down. Many grooms choose to show more of their personality with their socks!
For a fashionable, modern look, have the pant hem hit the top of your groom’s shoes.
For a conservative and traditional look, the pant hem should cover the top of the shoe and some of the laces.
You don’t want creases in your dress pants! Use the Savile Row Fold technique on the dress pants to keep the creases to a minimum before the wedding. This fold also prevents the pants from falling off the hanger.
Lastly, use this guide to match the color of your shoes to your suit. You might choose to have fun and wear sneakers. If that is the case, do whatever you want! You are breaking rules of suits, but it’s your wedding day and the groom gets to have fun, too!