Did you know that the bow tie, the platinum standard in elegant wedding attire, has its origins in the Thirty Years War as nothing more than a means for Croat mercenaries to close the necks of their shirts?
In the 18th century the bow tie, or cravat, was adopted by the French who turned into a high fashion accessory.
August 28, 2017 is National Bow Tie Day. So today’s post is all about helping the well dressed wedding guest determine which tie is appropriate to wear to which wedding. Today bow tie options are plentiful, but the following advice from The Genlemanual will help you choose the right bow tie for the wedding that you’re attending.
1. The White Tie Wedding
The white tie wedding is the alpha and omega of wedding elegance. It requires a black dress coat with tails and black patent leather shoes. A white bow tie is a must for the white tie wedding. White or black dress gloves are optional.
2. Black Tie Weddings
Black tie weddings are generally fancy evening affairs. The dress code calls for a formal black tux and a black bow tie
3. Formal Weddings
For a formal wedding a dark suit can be worn instead of a tux and the bow tie can be replaced by a regular neck tie.
4. Semi-formal:
Again either a bow tie or neck tie is acceptable. The appropriate choice of suit color is dependent upon the time of day; lighter colors for daytime affairs and darker colors for evening affairs.
5. Casual or Business Casual
For this type of wedding, you may choose to forego a suit and tie altogether. You wouldn’t even be amiss to wear a nice pair of clean, pressed khakis and a polo shirt.
All photos from The Gentlemanual
