taking back the wedding, the groomsman:

groomsman and best man:
if you are the groom and can't decide how to dress the crew, consider the following advice by josh thoreson, style editor at park & bond. when asked about the groomsman of his own wedding he explained: "I'm not compelling my guys to wear anything specific. I've just asked them to keep their attire in the same color as mine, and their groomsmen's gift will tie it all together. I think many modern wedding parties follow this kind of program, at least on the men's side."

here's an example: say the groom wears a black suit like the one above to the left. the groomsmen could all be wearing darker grey suits and then for the groomsmen gift, the groom gives them all ties that look good with his. sharp, uniform, yet natural.

know here and now that you, the best man, and your groomsman don't have to wear the same thing, nor match each other perfectly, leave that to the bride and bridesmaids if they so desire.

if you are a groomsman or best man, in most cases you'll be wearing a like-colored suit and matching ties/boutonnieres/shirts. if that's the case, make sure you're suit is slim and tailored, even if it's not your favorite suit (odds are after you get it well tailored, it will be). if you are in matching shirts, consider getting yours fitted. if you are just told to stay within a certain color scheme, pre-approve what you are wearing, and keep accessories and details to an absolute minimun. the only one that should stand out in the pictures is the groom, you should look nice, simple, and very sharply dressed but not overdone.

you've already promised and vowed to not rent a tux at your wedding - good - but then your college roommate is getting hitched and his bride-to-be has her heart set on the groom and groomsman renting black tuxes with black shirts and pink ties. as best man or groomsman, your in charge of making sure the groom looks good, so:

first: try and talk him off the ledge - remind him that choosing his own attire is well within standard groomal rights.

second: if he jumps, and goes for the tux rental, jump with him - he's your friend and what you wear is always second to that.

third: go make battle with the tux rental shop - a few summers ago, i was chosen to be a groomsman, and we were all going to be wearing tuxedos. when i went to get mine at the rental shop, the the store manager measured me and said, 'you're a 42, but your arms are long, so maybe a 44 long or a 42 extra long.' i asked him for a 38 regular. he gave me a flat look, remeasured, and reiterated his previous statement - 44 long or a 42 extra long. after this went back and forth for awhile, he gave in. the 38r was not too small, maybe even a little boxy, but it did hug my shoulders and fit closer to how it should. lesson being: you are at least entitled to a tuxedo that fits your shoulders properly - but even if you will be wearing pink on black on black, wear it all with pride, because whining looks even worse than the tuxedo above.