The Best Wedding Suit Colour Combinations

Although waistcoats aren’t a necessity and some find them uncomfortable, they do create a wonderfully elegant look, turning a plain suit into something that appears much more stylish, especially when worn with a morning suit. But how do you style the menswear so that they look ‘class’ and not ‘cringe’?

Meet your match

First things first, you need to choose what colour suit you want the groom and groomsmen to wear (but working backwards and having your colour theme for the accessories first can also work).

Usual colours are grey, beige or navy, but there’s nothing to stop you from having black or even a more colourful outfit choice. Once you have settled on a base colour, then you can begin to plan the finer details. Will you opt for a sheeny or a tweed material? Or will you be bold and go for a velvety soft texture or possibly a pattern?

A great way of working out which tones work best together is to use the colour wheel. By searching for the standard colour wheel online, you can discover which colours associate well with one another, in which case they will be side by side on the chart. These combinations help to form a monochromatic look.

If you want to work with a wider palette and wish to find colours that complement one another then look at choosing colours that are directly opposite each other. These will create contrast and demand attention.

Finally, if you are feeling bold, then you could opt for a multi-tonal theme that incorporates what is known as triadic colours, i.e. they are situated at equidistant points on the wheel.

When it comes to deciding which metallic tone to pair with a theme, then a good thing to do is to check on the colour chart whether your colours are cool or warm – cool colours are best paired with silver and warmer tones work perfectly with either gold or rose gold.

Contrasting colour combinations

Examples of contrasting colour combinations would be a navy suit teamed with a yellow waistcoat, or a khaki waistcoat with a pink tie and handkerchief. When done well and teamed with a crisp white shirt, these colours will look sophisticated and as if they were meant to be!

You see, when talking about contrast you don’t need to be scared off by the idea of garish pops of colour, the colour wheel works equally as well with the palest of colours.

Associated colours

As you will see from our examples, associated colour themes are, simply put, a tonal blend of one colour.

Note that the groomsmen don’t all have to wear the same, either. You could put your colour wheel knowledge into practice by inviting all the men to wear associated colours, such as multiple shades of grey. This can create quite a dramatic effect if you have multiple groomsmen.

The same applies to the bridesmaid dresses. If your theme is pink then you could hunt for several dresses from blush pink to magenta, which will result in a subtle but chic collection. This is particularly useful if you have bridesmaids with different personalities and preferences as then it isn’t a case of one dress fits all!

Channelling your colour theme

Of course, the most obvious way to have a perfectly synchronised theme is to see the same colour combinations crop up throughout the wedding. This might be in the styling of the groomsmen and bridesmaids’ outfits, as well as the colours of the flowers. But it doesn’t have to end there.

What’s more, you now know how to use colour in a way that either complements or harmonises the palette so instead of using the same single colour across all aspects of your wedding, you can introduce one or two new shades to the mix and help balance out that theme, creating harmonious or striking tones depending on your taste.

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