I haven’t been to a wedding since I was 4.
My cousin is getting married this month; her wedding website says “attire: formal”
I thought a tuxedo would be appropriate, but my mother told me “you’ll look like a fool.” But then again, she was okay with my father wearing a double breasted suit with a blue tie to the wedding we went to when I was 4. The attire specifically says formal.
Can some guys give me some advice as to what I should wear?
“Formal” isn’t as, well, “formal” as “White Tie” or “Black Tie.” According to this article in Brides Magazine, for a male guest at a “Formal” wedding, while a tuxedo isn’t required, it would not be out of place.
But, as running coach suggests: if in doubt, check with your cousin.
Traditionally a tuxedo was only semi-formal, while a white tie and tails was formal. But standards seem to have slipped in the past decades, so that I almost never see anyone wearing a white tie and tails.
Edited to add, I recommend calling the cousin to ask what the male members of the wedding party will be wearing.
What time are the wedding and reception? What kind of venue (how upscale)? Urban or rural area?
While “formal” does suggest that a tuxedo would be appropriate, I would think that only the very ritziest settings would make a dark business suit seem inappropriate.
Do you own a tux?
I can’t imagine that many/most male guests will be dressed in tuxedos, no matter what. Call you cousin or other people you know will attend.
Unless your family is highly fuddy duddy (in which case, wedding attire should already be something you’ve been bred to understand), you can never go wrong in a dark suit. Add a pocket square that matches your tie and you’ll look sharp.
Wear a dark suit and tie unless you hear otherwise from the cousin. For many weddings, if you wear a tux, you’ll look like you’re one of the groomsmen but screwed up renting the right thing.
Do a google images search for “september wedding men’s dress”. For some reason, stylish guys these days aren’t wearing socks. I don’t get that, but hey.
short form: Dark suit and tie. And wear socks for god’s sake.
I go to a lot of weddings and agree that these days, at least around here, a tux for a guest is overkill, and I personally would recommend against it (unless the invitation specifies it. I have been to a black tie wedding or two, but that is made clear in the invitation.) Dark suit is standard.
ETA: I just noticed. “Formal” is a tricky word there. That has various meanings, depending on where you are, what the situation is, and who you ask. I think it’s likely to only mean suit and tie, but it couldn’t hurt to ask. When I was in high school and college in the 90s, semi-formal meant suit and tie and formal meant tux. So this will depend on the kind of circles you run in.
