Dapper Dudes

I am fortunate to be marrying one of the most stylish men I know.  In fact, he could be more stylish than I am.  Probably not, but he is a close second.  Mr. B knows more about cuffs and collars and tie knots than I do about shoes.  Seriously!  Anyway, I knew it was going to be interesting when he had to decide what he wanted his handsome groomsmen to wear but I wanted to give him (almost) complete control.  I think the current options are all very good and do-able, and also hopefully re-wearable.

Shoes
Mr. B wants everyone in brown shoes, preferably ones that tie.  He does not plan on asking everyone to buy the same shoe, he just wants them to look like this:

Image via Johnston & Murphy

Socks
OK, Mr. B has no opinion here but I think this could be an interesting way to add some character.  He wants tan socks to match the slacks.  I want....  Argyle?  Fleurs de lis?  Something - anything - other than tan?

Pants
Mr. B wants tan flat-front pants and he wants them all to match.  This is one of a very few items that he wants everyone to buy so they are all the same.  This is his current inspiration:

Image via Macy's

Shirt
Mr. B wants a light blue shirt, given the fact that white tends to wash people out (especially when paired with khakis) and he wants a good neutral.  We are currently debating between cuffed and not cuffed, but generally he wants it to look like the shirt below.  The spread collar here is quite formal and is sharp.  He has yet to decide how important it is for everyone to match so they may be able to wear shirts they already own.

Image via Paul Frederick





Blazer
No.  Gold.  Buttons.  That's pretty much the only requirement.  Mr. B is going to tell his groomsmen to wear a jacket they already have for a navy suit, considering most navy blazers (jackets not for a suit) have gold buttons.  If they don't already have something that fits the bill he will recommend:

Image via Bluefly

Tie
This one is important.  And difficult.  This will pretty much set the tone for the men but it has been more difficult than I expected to find what we want.  Can't we just get Vineyard Vines to design something special for us and then sell it at a super reasonable price?  Too much to ask?  OK :(
So we know we want fleurs de lis and I want navy.  Geoffrey is more flexible on the color as long as it isn't yellow.  This is what we are currently considering:

Image via Vincenzo Boretti

Cuff Links
If we end up doing cuffed shirts then we will obviously need cuff links!  Mr. B wears cuffed shirts more than most but we still think this is a nice option for his groomsmen, plus it gives us a really great option for a groomsmen gift!  We know we want them to be a fleur de list but it is tough to find something just right.  Current inspiration:

Image via Cuff-Daddy

Will these blend too much with the blue shirt?  I think the silver border will make them stand out - hopefully!  A lot of the options out there are tacky, making it difficult to pick something that works with our personalities.

So that is the current plan for the wonderful gentlemen that will be standing with us on our wedding day.  How much is common to ask men to pay for their portion of the outfit?  It isn't just a single dress - it is a lot of items!  What is normal here?