Dressing for Your Body Type: 5 Tips for Grooms

To plan the perfect nuptials, you must pay attention to every detail. Your attire is one of your event’s headliners — so make sure you wow attendees by dressing for your body type. 

Where should you start?

Are you planning a seaside wedding in Bermuda? If so, you might wilt in a mostly black tux.  Conversely, if you plan on a formal evening event during an Alaskan winter, you better bundle up. You need to marry comfort with fashion, so keep practical matters in mind.

Options for warm weather weddings include lighter colors like baby blue and gray, trousers that you can roll up at the bottom or even a classy pair of dress shorts. For cold climate events, you can go white or black tie and pair your ensemble with a heavier wool jacket or even a cape. It’s your wedding — you can goth it up Dracula-style if you wish.

Men’s bodies fall into five basic types depending on where you carry your weight and your musculature. 

• Triangle shape: If your waist and hips are wider than your shoulders, opt for suits with vertical lines and darker colors. You should also select a tailored jacket that hugs your hips without pulling too tightly across your shoulders. Avoid fitted shirts and horizontal stripes.
• Inverted triangle: Do you have the shoulders of a linebacker? If so, pay attention to your shoe selection, because it draws eyes to your feet, not your upper body. Go for straight-leg pants, and remember that horizontal stripes are your friends. Stay away from jackets with padding — you have natural shoulder pads. 
• Rectangle: If your hips, waist and shoulders are roughly equal, you have a ton of flexibility in your wardrobe choices. Try layers or accessories on top to make your upper body look broader. Stay away from vertical stripes and shapeless garb. 
• Oval: If you have narrow shoulders and hips but a thick waist, you have an oval body type. Go for vertical stripes to elongate your body and single-breasted jackets to avoid adding extra bulk. Stay away from tight clothing and large belts that draw the eye to your belly. 
• Trapezoid: This body type has relatively broad shoulders, a barrel chest and a narrow waist. If you fall into this category, consider other factors like your height. Taller men might want to avoid vertical stripes, while shorter guys should embrace them. Muscular fellows should avoid tight-fitting clothes that draw too much attention to bulging biceps — save the gun show for flexing in the gym. 

Ladies aren’t the only ones who want to conceal certain flaws with their clothes. While you don’t want to wear a burlap sack on your wedding day, making the right fashion choices can disguise a host of ills.

• If you’re short-waisted: Your pants should rise to your hips, not your waist, and your jacket should hang below your waist. 
• If you’re long-waisted: Wear your pants at your waist and choose a shirt in a contrasting color to your pants to break up the visual field. 
• If you have a flat butt: Wear straight-legged pants that are fitted at the waist and have a high inseam. 
• If you have more back than your baby:Does Sir Mix-a-Lot start singing when you walk in the room? You’re blessed — most ladies love a rounded derriere. However, if you want to conceal it, avoid pleated trousers and top your look with a three-quarter length jacket. 

Maybe you don’t want to go with a traditional wedding and the associated attire. Hey, it’s your big day, so if you plan to dress up as characters from your favorite movie or show, go for it.  

Of course, it’s better to be a bit more conservative in this area. You want your wedding to be a special, memorable day — and less a spectacle. But if you need a little extra height, a cowboy hat may do the trick.

Just like your bride-to-be, you want to bring your look together with accessories. Take care in selecting your belt or cummerbund. Where they sit on your waist and how wide they are can either draw eyes toward your midsection or break up a tall torso.

Unless you are going for a tuxedo and bow tie, your tie should not fall above or below your belt. You can use a tie clip to adjust the length slightly and make it fall at your waist. 

You want to look perfect on your wedding day. And by dressing for your body type, you can.