[berliebear]

Help! I am struggling with what the groom and best man should wear for my wedding. It's an evening garden wedding in February. My dress is lace with a champagne sash. I'm trying to stay away from a tux but do I have another choice? Thanks!

[Panache by Erin]

Typically an evening wedding is considered formal, so tuxes are traditional.

[Etiquette Now]

Agreed, if your wedding is formal. But, if yours is a semi-formal wedding, the men could wear suits.

There are a number of elements that determine formality. One is the venue; yours is a garden (not sure where though). A garden wedding is usually less formal than one held indoors--usually. Secondly, evening weddings tend to be more formal than daytime weddings--usually. And thirdly, the number of guests invited is part of the equation. Typically, the more guests attending, the more formal the event. Finally, we dress according to the formality of the event based on all these elements.

Semi-formal is the most wishy-washy of dress codes and a bit difficult to decode at times. But, basically it means cocktail dresses for ladies and suits for men. The wedding couple would dress more formally than their guests. But, this still means that the men in the bridal party would wear suits.

Hopefully you can determine how formal your wedding is based on the information above.