Ask Abby: Men’s Shirts
Our next question comes from Abby (another Abby)….
Q. I was hoping you could help me out! I don’t know what color shirt to have my Fiance and his groomsmen wear to the wedding with their black suits. I am wearing a deep ivory cotton mermaid/trumpet gown from Melissa Sweet that has vintage lace.
The dress is not shiny and there is no beading, just the cotton and lace. The boys are wearing black suits instead of tuxes. I am not sure if they should wear regular white or ivory shirts? I’ve heard conflicting views from two different stores.
What do you guys thing…white or ivory?
A. I for one would rather pass this one over to one of our favorite new vendors, the team at 9Tailors. Samantha was sweet enough to offer her insider tips on choosing the perfect hue for your man’s shirt. From 9Tailors…
The great debate: should my groom and groomsmen wear white or ivory dress shirts if my wedding gown is ivory? You’ve probably heard from the salesmen at your rental tux shop that the dress shirts should match. However, I think it really depends.
Here are some points to consider. First, know your shade. There are so many shades of white, ivory and off-white. Some are more yellow. Some are more peach. Bringing a fabric swatch of your gown, will help you figure out which shade of “ivory” will look the best with your outfit. Second, know your accessories. If your groom and groomsmen will be wearing vests and ties where the shirts will mostly be covered up, the question of whether or not the dress shirt should be white or ivory will not matter as much. Third, know your grooms and groomsmen’s skin tone. As we know, white tends to make those with fair-skin look washed out. So, if your groom and groomsmen are on the paler side, I would consider outfitting them in ivory or off-white.
The rules on matching dress shirts with the gown have relaxed a bit. So, it is not always necessary to match. I think the bigger issue is to keep the style of the gown and the dress shirts the same. Subtle differences in the collar, cuff and fabric weave can make the dress shirt more or less formal. It really depends on what you’re going for. For more information about how to dress your groom or groomsmen, ask a 9tailors Stylist at 9tailors.com or at boutsandbowties.blogspot.com
Thank you Samantha…you are as genius as ever!!
White. Ivory looks dingy to me.
I have the same type of dress and we decided to go with ivory. It was recommended by the custom tux/suit shop we used and makes sense since you want the colors to blend well in pictures.
I am also wearing an ivory dress and the guys are wearing black suits with white shirts.
I was told by the photographer and by the suit/tux shop to put them in ivory shirts because white would make my dress (ivory) look dingy.
Hmm. I'm still making this same decision. I was leaning towards a shade of ivory, but not dramatically noticeably. I mean, you've got to consider there are many shades of white and ivory.
The groom is wearing a suit. The groomsmen are wearing either suit vests or just shirts and ties...so that makes it more tricky I think.
P.S. Does anyone have a good store that sells suit vests?
with an ivory dress, I'd go with matching ivory shirts on the guys, it will look great for pics. That's what I'm doing :)
Hi ladies! Where did you find the ivory shirts? Every place I look only sells this creamy/yellowish shade.
I had the same issue and I ended up going with white shirts with my ivory dress and I've never regreted it! I made the decision at the suggestion of the tux shop after much debate. We got married in July and even in full sun pics my dress didn't look "dingy", even in the pics when he has his jacket off. A white shirt is classic, just like an ivory dress. Good luck with your decision!
I always think the ivory next to the black has sort of a dirty look. I think bringing in the white would be a nice contrast and not so matchy matchy with the ivory.
White shirts! I am doing the same thing (ivory vintage looking lace Melissa Sweet gown) and the men are wearing white shirts. White looks cleaner and fresher on the men, ivory looks too discolored and if it doesn't match your ivory exactly will look even worse. I think the bride in ivory and anything else that would be debated between ivory and white (other than bridal accessories) should be in white.
We were really struggling with this because the "ivory" shirts that most tux places and department stores sell/rent are REALLY yellow toned and I hated them! Also, I didn't want to have to make the table cloths and everything also ivory. The other thing you have to take into concideration is that most of the "ivory" shirts are not the same shade of ivory as the wedding dresses. So we ended up having him wear a white shirt and an ivory vest and tie. The contrast actually looked really snazzy and the pictures turned out great. It made any differences in the shades of white/ivory colors look like they were on purpose instead of on accident.
I would say white for sure. However, have you thought of another color? We're in the same situation, groomsmen wearing black suits, me wearing ivory Melissa Sweet gown. Our wedding colors are all different shades of purples and creams/natural greens, so the groomsmen are going to wear either a lilac shirt and patterned tie, or a patterned blue shirt that has all sorts of different toned purple stripes, and then a solid tie in the purple family. I think it's nice to sometimes deviate from the white/ivory dress shirt. It makes a great gift for the guys too!
I agree with the comment about the ivory shirts start to look yellow which I don't like! What Melissa Sweet gown are you wearing? Mine is Chloe.
I have actually thought of different color shirts, possibly blue or green. Our colors are beige/khaki, ivory, salmon pink, greens (because it's outdoors) and black to bring in the more formal look. I don't want salmon colored ties because I think it will start to look too promish. ugh...
If it's really black and not dark grey, white. My soon to be husband (in less than a week !) has a black suit with shiny black stripes and ivory didn't look nice (even a nice ivory, matching my dress color).
Ivory is great with chocolate toned suits (even a dark grey suit with very thin chocolate stripes - that's what my father will have) but not with black or blue.
I'm kind of in the same boat, except my dress is a shade darker than ivory (kind of a champagne color). Anyway, I'm having my fiance wear a shirt that matches my dress, so in your case I'd go with ivory.
Or, I liked the last user's comment about using an entirely different colored shirt to try and match your wedding colors.
My dress is off-white - it's silk and the color is called natural. He is still wearing a white shirt, b/c it's a classic look. I do like the idea of wearing a white shirt with the ivory vest/tie. My fiance wants to wear the same as his groomsmen though, so they'll all be in grey vests and ties.
We had the same dilemna. We ended up going with white shirts (it just looks more sharp) and an ivory vest and tie. The groomsmen are wearing brown vests and ties to match our wedding colors. White is so clean and crisp and that's one of my favorite things about a man in a tux. I didn't want to take that away just because my dress is ivory.
my dress was also an off-white...and my hubby decided to wear a light purple shirt--it was great since it complimented his modern paul smith suit--so i'd suggest a light/faint color--maybe something that matches your theme/florals/etc....then you don't have to worry about anything looking dingy! ;)
I would go ivory if it was me. Or maybe a soft version of a wedding color. Like if pale blue, pale almost white pink, etc.
If they are buying them, I'd probably say white just because they can reuse them. Dont worry about their shirt and what it looks like with your dress. Even in all the formal shots, it looks fine either way. My dress was blush (not actually pink - just a glowing ivory) and the guys were all in WHITE military uniforms. No worries. If anything it made me stand out a bit more. Really, just go with whichever you feel fits your overall feel best. Crisp and white, or lacey/vintage esq with teh softer ivory.
Go with white shirts. I wore an ivory gown and my husband wore a black tux with white shirt and ivory tie/vest combo and it looked great. My dress definitely didn't look "dingy" in pictures standing next to him.
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I had a light ivory dress, and thought of white because I was told ivory would look dingy, but then wouldn't that be the same for you too??? I got the guys light ivory shirts and they matched well and did NOT look dingy at all. Infact because my husband matched me, it made us both look crisp and clean.
I should also comment that their shirts were not creamy or yellowish ivory, so they can be found. Talk to different tux shops.
I'm in the same boat, and the guys are wearing white shirts with ivory vests and ties. I think it will look great next to my ivory lace Melissa Sweet (Tilda) gown. I guess I'll know for sure next week -- wedding is May 15! :)
We always recommend matching the dress color to the best of your ability. It photographs more evenly and looks more pure. Definitely choose the ivory!
I'm actually working on a series of posts on my blog this coming week all about dressing the groom. Check it out for some in-depth Suiting 101 answers.
http://www.inspiredgoodness.com/blog
A white shirt on a man is classic and sophisticated. Even with an ivory gown, I think a white shirt will always look good as long as it is made of from a good quality fabric (and is not see-through, as some tend to be!). A white pique shirt can be gorgeous and adds a bit of style especially when matched with a black tie and black suit. In sum, stick with the classics and you won't go wrong even if you gown is ivory.
If you still aren't convinced, you could always test it out by bringing a male friend into the store where you bought your wedding gown and asking him to wear a black or dark navy suit and simple white shirt (which all men have) - then see for yourself if it works ok.
Hope that helps!
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