Groomsmen Attire For a Rustic Wedding
Defining your wedding aesthetic is one of the first and most important parts of the wedding planning process. This means that before deciding on rustic groomsmen attire, you need to ensure that the rest of your wedding also fits within this rustic theme.
But can’t you pick things you like and call it a day?
You certainly could, but there’s a strong likelihood that the pieces won’t go together and your wedding will end up feeling uncoordinated and disjointed. Unless you’re intentionally going for an eclectic wedding, this is something that is best avoided.
And so, before deciding on your rustic groomsmen attire, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about rustic weddings and what they entail.
What is a rustic wedding?
Rustic weddings are a wedding style that makes use of natural and organic elements. They tend to be more simple than your traditional church wedding, and you will likely notice a romantic and whimsical theme shown throughout.
Rustic weddings can also be broken down further depending on the venue for the wedding. For instance, on one hand, a rustic wedding can take place in a beautiful barn, but a rustic wedding can also take place in the middle of a lush forest.
There will be some differences in how these rustic weddings are styled, but in general, if you’re incorporating a lot of natural elements, your groomsmen should fit within the rustic wedding style guidelines.
Other strong indicators of a rustic wedding include mountain top weddings, lace, a muted color palette, farm weddings, flower crown hairpieces, mismatched glassware, burlap, wildflower bouquets, and plenty of greenery.
There will be different levels of how rustic your wedding is, but if you think you fit anywhere on the rustic wedding spectrum, follow these tips when getting your groomsmen ready for the big day.
How should groomsmen dress for a rustic wedding?
Because rustic weddings tend to be more relaxed and casual than your traditional wedding, you have a lot of room to get creative and show off your personal style when coming up with the look for your groomsmen.
Having said that, there are some general tips and tricks you might want to keep in mind that will help you pull off that rustic aesthetic.
1. Balance formality with rustic
Just because we’ve said rustic is more “casual” does not mean we should ignore the general guidelines for wedding style.As a groom, you will still need to wear a suit. Or, at the very least, a pair of trousers and a tailored blazer.
If you need more inspiration on how to strike this balance between casual and formal, don’t forget to check out our full guide on casual groomsmen attire.
2. Incorporate accessories
If you do opt-out of a suit, this is a great opportunity to bring some accessories into your look.
Accessories help bring more visual interest to your outfit, and they can also help with adding your own personal style to the big day.
Some accessories we recommend for a rustic wedding include suspenders, wildflower boutonnieres, cowboy boots, wood cufflinks, and even a cowboy hat if you’re really embracing the rustic/farm aesthetic.
For more accessory ideas, check out this article all about unique groomsmen accessories.
3. Texture
A rustic wedding may feel more casual and relaxed in general, but when it comes to the decor and aesthetic, this does not mean minimalist. Instead, rustic weddings tend to incorporate a lot of visually interesting pieces, including mismatched decor, elaborate floral arrangements, and yes, plenty of texture (i.e. lace, burlap, intricate glassware, etc.)
In terms of groomsmen, you can incorporate this texture with a tweed suit, a pair of leather suspenders, a velvet blazer, a textured tie, or even a linen shirt if you’re having a summer wedding.
The more texture, the better.
4. Light-colored suits
A light-colored suit is not a prerequisite for a rustic wedding, but if you’ve been debating whether or not you can pull off a light suit for your rustic wedding, the answer is yes.
Light suits not only fit within the casual and light-hearted feel of a rustic wedding but muted color palettes also tend to be popular with the rustic decor aesthetic, making light-colored suits the perfect addition to your rustic wedding.
Keep in mind that wearing a light-colored suit is a great way to keep the look more rustic but still traditional and formal, as shown above.
Rustic groomsmen attire ideas
Taking these ideas and defining your perfect groomsmen style might feel overwhelming, so rather than leave you on your own, we picked out our favorite groomsmen attire ideas to help give you inspiration when coming up with your look.
Take these ideas, adapt them to your own style/wedding aesthetic, and we have no doubts that your groomsmen will fit perfectly with your rustic wedding aesthetic:
1. Leather Suspenders
When in doubt about how to give your groomsmen a more rustic feeling, leather suspenders will never fail you.
Suspenders automatically have a rustic-inspired feeling that can work in a variety of situations including boho weddings, forest weddings, barn weddings, and yes, even western-inspired weddings.
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And, if leather doesn’t work for you, don’t forget that JJ Suspenders carries a variety of fabric suspenders as well so you can get the perfect look for your wedding.
2. Suspenders + vests
We love the idea of the groom having a special look that defines the groom from the rest of the groomsmen.
With rustic weddings, one of our favorite ways to do this is by dressing the groomsmen in suspenders and having the groom wear a vest.
Not only do you get the more casual look of skipping on suit jackets, but you also have vests and suspenders, which are two quintessential rustic style pieces.
Bonus points if you opt for a textured vest and leather suspenders, as shown here:
3. Blue Jeans
While blue jeans probably don’t feel like appropriate wedding attire, when executed intentionally, this can end up being the perfect groomsmen look for a rustic wedding.
In order to pull this look off, your wedding should have a distinct farm/barn/cowboy-inspired feel. You will also want to pair your denim with a more formal look on top, like the addition of a vest, as shown below.
4. Rock some loafers
If you’re tired of the traditional groomsmen look, switch it up with stylish loafers.
Loafers are the perfect way to get a casual feel without totally letting go of the formality of a wedding.
Add bow ties and cool shades as shown above, and you’ve got the perfect cool contemporary look for a rustic wedding.
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If you’re tired of the traditional groomsmen look, switch it up with stylish loafers.
Loafers are the perfect way to get a casual feel without totally letting go of the formality of a wedding.
Add bow ties and cool shades as shown above, and you’ve got the perfect cool contemporary look for a rustic wedding.
5. Try a Plaid Suit
When it comes to a rustic wedding, you’ll never feel trapped in wearing a traditional black suit. You can get creative with your suiting during a rustic wedding, and one of our favorite ways to do so is with plaid.
As shown below, the groom is decked out in a full plaid suit, giving the look a nostalgic and playful feel.
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If the full plaid suit is too much, incorporate plaid more subtly. Perhaps with just a plaid suit jacket, or maybe even a plaid pocket square. Choose what feels most authentic to you and your style.
6. What about velvet?
While velvet does tend to have a more luxe feeling that might not feel in line with the rustic aesthetic, it’s still a great option to consider, especially if you’re having a forest wedding.
Velvet adds an almost whimsical charm to a suit, which is ideal for that magical fairytale forest aesthetic.
Assuming everything else about the wedding is still traditionally rustic, we think velvet suiting could be the look for you.
7. Play with color
While we’ve already mentioned light-colored suiting, we also wanted to give you inspiration to play with color when picking your suit for a rustic wedding.
While colored suiting might fit more within the boho aesthetic, don’t forget that boho fits within the overarching rustic theme.
Go with a colored suit and be prepared to capture some seriously stunning pictures.
8. Wear a hat
That’s right, wearing a hat is something you can get away with when having a rustic wedding. Just be sure that your wedding decor style is very intentionally rustic with some boho flair mixed in. Otherwise, your hat might feel out of place.
9. Three-piece suit
While the more minimal look tends to be well associated with rustic suiting, you can also go with the opposite look and still achieve a rustic look. In particular, try working with a three-piece suit.
While you’ll want to avoid the traditional black suit, if you play with rich color, texture, and mismatched styles as shown below, you can end up with the perfect rustic suit.
10. Mismatched groomsmen
Who says your groomsmen have to all perfectly match? Certainly not us.
Becoming more and more popular, wedding parties are shaking it up by experimenting with mismatched styles.
This means one groomsman can wear suspenders, another can wear his jacket, and another can wear a tie.
While we would suggest sticking within a similar color palette, or tying all the looks together with something (i.e. suspenders), if you want a wedding aesthetic that feels different than what you’re used to typically seeing, this is a great way to accomplish your goal.
What will you wear for your rustic wedding?
As you have likely already determined for yourself, there is no one clear-cut way to dress for a rustic wedding.A rustic wedding can look very different depending on your decor, venue, colors, and floral arrangements.
Because of this, it’s important to not get stuck in a box when picking your rustic attire. Instead, follow some of the basic guidelines we mentioned, play with the inspiration that speaks to you, and don’t be afraid to break tradition.
Do these three things, and we’ve got a feeling you’ll be one step closer to nailing your perfect rustic groomsmen look.
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