Does the Father of the Bride Match the Groomsmen?
The mother of the bride usually gets a nice dress that matches the wedding colors. I was wondering about the father of the bride, what is he supposed to wear?
So, is the father of the bride supposed to match the groomsmen? Generally, the father of the bride should match the groomsmen by wearing the same tux or suit. Some may choose to wear a different color shirt or tie to match his wife’s dress.
The parents of the bride and groom play an important role in the union of the couple. It seems important that they should get their chance to shine too. Here are some great ideas for honoring the father of the bride at your wedding.
Father of the Bride Attire
The suit or tux. If the groom and groomsmen are renting tuxedos, the father of the bride and groom can also rent the same so they match. When the father of the bride and father of the groom match, it really looks nice in wedding pictures. If you wanted to mix things up, the father could wear the same suit but in a different color. For example, if the groom and his men are wearing blue 3-piece suits, the father may opt to wear the same suit but in gray. It’s completely up to him.
The shirt and tie. Another option for the father of the bride is to wear the same suit as the groomsmen, but a different shirt or tie. This way he is differentiated from the groomsmen but still looks great in pictures. He may want to wear a tie that matches the mother of the bride’s dress.
Key Things to Remember
The father of the bride should stand out from the rest of the guests, but not be dressed more formally than the groom. If the groom is wearing a suit, dad should not wear a tux. It’s a good idea to have him wear the same at the groomsmen, but change it up a little so he doesn’t look like part of the wedding party.
Try to coordinate outfits with the father of the groom. You wedding pictures will look wonderful with everyone wearing similar styles and colors.
Most of all, just try to keep the level of formality even. If the wedding party is dressed up formally, it will look tacky for the father of the bride to come in blue jeans and a blazer.
There is no rule that the father of the bride must match, however, for a complete look it would be best if he matched in some way.
Dressing All the Men in Your Wedding
Here is an example of how you can dress all the men in your wedding party and the fathers. This is a great way to dress all the guys similarly and yet still differentiate the groom and father of the bride.
Groom
gray tux/suit
tie the same color as the bridesmaid dresses
boutonniere
Father of the Bride
same tux/suit a groom
tie the same color as the bridesmaid dresses but with a different pattern than the groom’s tie
boutonniere
Groomsmen
no jacket
a button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves
bow tie the same color as the bridesmaid dresses
boutonniere
Ring Bearer
no jacket
button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves
bow tie the same color as the bridesmaid dresses
Suspenders
boutonniere (if it’s safe for him to have one)
Ushers
no jacket
button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves
bow tie the same color as the bridesmaid dresses
boutonniere
Ushers
no jacket
button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves
bow tie the same color as the bridesmaid dresses
boutonniere
Father of the Groom
suit or tux matching groom and father of the bride
same tie as the father of the bride
boutonniere
Grandfathers of the Bride and Groom
tux to match the father of the bride or same attire as one of the wedding guests
boutonniere
Does the Father of the Bride Wear a Boutonniere?
It is customary that the father of the bride wears a boutonniere. All male members of your wedding party and immediate family should receive one.
groom
groomsmen
ushers
officiant
readers
father of the bride
father of the groom
grandfathers
brothers of the bride and groom
ring bearers (if it’s safe to do so)
Boutonnieres can cost anywhere from $10-25 for fresh flowers and $6-15 for silk flowers. You may want to limit who gets a boutonniere if your budget is tight, but make sure that the father of the bride definitely gets one. This is especially since he will be walking the bride down the aisle and they’ll look great in wedding pictures.
What’s the Difference Between a Tuxedo and a Suit?
The main difference between a tux and a suit is basically the fabric. A tux jacket has satin on the lapels, buttons, and pocket trim. Also, the pants will have a satin stripe down the side of the legs. A suit will simply be made of one solid material with no extra frills.
Traditionally, a bow tie and vest is worn with a tux. A regular necktie is worn with a suit. However, you can mix it up and wear a bow tie and vest with either a tux or suit. It’s completely up to you.
A tuxedo is much more formal whereas a suit is probably what some of your guests will be wearing. Personally, I believe it would be better to dress up in a tux if you’re part of the wedding to set yourselves apart from the guests.
How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Tuxedo?
According to a poll by WeddingStats.org, the average cost to rent a tuxedo is $196. However, designer tuxedos could cost up to $500.
When renting a tuxedo, most rentals include the coat, pants, shirt, vest, neckwear, shoes, stud and cufflink set. Additionally, the fitting cost is usually included as part of the fee.
Renting is much cheaper than buying new (approximately 10-30% of the cost), especially since you’ll probably only wear the tux once.
Make sure to ask your rental shop about getting a discount if you order the groomsmen and father of the bride/groom tuxes at the same time.
What Does the Father of the Bride Do at the Wedding?
Paying for the wedding. It’s becoming more and more common for the couple to pay for it themselves or for the bride and grooms family to split the costs. However, it’s traditionally up to the father of the bride to write all the checks.
Walking his daughter down the aisle and giving her away. It’s the father’s responsibility to make sure she arrives at the church on time and walks her down the aisle to meet her groom. The pictures of the beautiful moment will look great if he’s wearing a matching suit or tux 😉
Giving a speech at the reception. This can be both an emotional toast as well as full of fun and humor. It will often include funny stories from when the bride was little and a few tidbits about his new son-in-law.
Dancing with his daughter at the reception. Traditionally, the father-daughter dance comes before the first dance between bride and groom as an extension of giving her away. However, in modern years, the father-daughter dance comes after the first dance.
Keeping everyone cool, calm, and collected. Okay, so you might be thinking about the Father of the Bride movie here, but it’s true. Dad usually gets the role of being the voice of reason when the mother of the bride and the bride start to go a little crazy. He might have to step in and calm his precious bridezilla when the stress takes over 😉
Related Questions
What should the grandfather of the bride wear? The grandfather of the bride can choose to dress formally in the same attire as the father of the bride. He may also choose to wear the same as a wedding guest, it’s completely up to him.
What does the father of the groom do? Traditionally, the father of the groom pays for the rehearsal dinner and the flowers. Otherwise, he does whatever the bride and groom might ask him to do to help with the wedding planning.
