Deciding on the father of the groom outfit can be tricky as he’s not a formal member of the wedding party but you want him to feel a part of the proceedings. Here are some tips on getting the father of the groom outfit right.
Talk to the groom’s father
Discuss with your father-in-law about what he wants to wear to the special day or, if you aren’t comfortable talking about this with him, get your fiancé to bring up the subject. Perhaps you are scared he might feel left out from the wedding if he doesn’t wear the exact same clothes as the ushers when he would in fact much rather go with a simple suit.
Create a version of the grooms outfit
Men’s wedding outfits are actually quite complicated, so you could always match the father of the groom with the other members of the wedding party without getting him to wear exactly the same outfit. If the groom and ushers are going with navy morning suits, the father of the groom could opt for a simple lounge suit in a similar colour and fabric. If they are sporting cravats he could go with a tie of the same colour.
Match the two fathers
If both your father and the groom’s father wear similar clothing, it prevents any feeling of favouritism and creates a sense of harmony in the family pictures. If you don’t want them to look identical you could mix the colours, for example clothing one in a white waistcoat and red tie and the other in a red waistcoat with a white tie.
Give some guidelines
If the father of the groom is in charge of choosing his own wedding outfit, it might be a good idea to ask your fiancé to give him some guidelines on colour and style. Selecting a smart suit the same colour as the groom’s as well as a shirt that complements the bridesmaids’ dresses will be a simple start. The father of the groom will be an important figure in wedding pictures and he will look wrong in a pale blue suit if all the male members of the wedding party are wearing black tuxedos.
Consider body shapes and sizes
Although the main person to keep in mind when you are picking out the men’s wedding outfits is the groom, you will need to take into account the body shapes and sizes of everyone in the wedding party if you want matching outfits. Double breasted jackets just emphasize large bellies and long jackets can look bit odd on short men. You aren’t required to have the same style for all of the men as long as the fabric and colour is the same. If one look suits your father-in-law better than the one the groom is dressing in let him pick that one.
Don’t involve everyone right away
If you are hiring the wedding clothing for the father of the groom, as well as for the rest of the men in the wedding party, don’t ask them all to come along on the first shopping trip. Too many opinions can end up in a very long and frustrating day. In the perfect world, it should just be yourself, the groom, and his best man to ensure you and your fiancé can view the outfit on a third person.
