When it comes to wedding dress shopping, brides seem to get all the attention.
There's New York Bridal Fashion Week, a three-day extravaganza where brands showcase their latest designs. There is a reality TV series dedicated to dress shopping called “Say Yes to the Dress,” which has been airing since 2007 and has led to several spinoffs.
Major cities are full of bridal boutiques, and purchasing a bridal gown is often considered one of the first steps in the wedding planning process.
But what about men who get married?
“I can’t tell you how many calls I get in the weeks leading up to the wedding,” says Michael Andrews, who has been dressing grooms at his luxury clothing store, Michael Andrews Bespoke, in New York since 2006. He said. In October 2023, he opened Groom Shop, also in New York, dedicated solely to the groom's shopping experience.
Since the start of the pandemic, when comfortable clothing has dominated everyday fashion, Mr Andrews said that as multi-day celebrations became more popular and cross-dressing became more popular, more grooms were requesting looks throughout their wedding weekend. He said he noticed it was there. Between the ceremony and reception.
“People in everyday life often dress up, but whenever you find an excuse to get dressed up, you’re actually doing it right,” Mr Andrews said. “Men have realized that their wedding day is an opportunity to express their individuality.”
And many grooms are eschewing the traditional black tuxedo and working with designers to create custom looks.
Interior designer Travis London, who got married in Miami in November 2023, started planning his wedding dress as soon as he got engaged. He said he has a nostalgia for the weddings he grew up seeing and reading about in the magazine Martha Stewart Weddings, which is why he always knew he wanted an all-white outfit for his wedding, despite the fact that he loves color. (His Miami home, featured in Architectural Digest, is rich in shades of green, pink, orange, and blue.)
“I still wanted it to have a masculine feel, but I also wanted to have all the ideas of what the bride would wear,” London, 35, said.
“Men always look the same. “In a black tuxedo,” he added. “The women’s dresses were all so detailed, ornate, and beautiful.” Designer Jerome LaMaar is Mr. A sheer top with a buttoned train was custom made for London. He applied pearls and rough-cut Swarovski crystals to the top by hand. The outfit also included a custom-made crown by Soull Ogun, founder of jewelry brand L'Enchanteur.
The custom look took about three months to complete. “My destiny and calling is to create clothes with more flavor and to show men that they can play with colors, textures and shapes that feel good on them,” Mr. LaMaar said. “Today is their day too. Try to make sure the person you marry knows that fashion and style are equal parts conversation in a relationship.”
Drew Gehling, 41, chose a custom green velvet tuxedo by Michael Andrews Bespoke to match the natural aesthetic of her September 2023 summer camp-themed wedding. The actor Mr. Gehling frequently wears custom-made costumes in her Broadway shows. He knew he wanted to have fun with the fabrics and colors of his wedding tuxedo, and that he didn't want to wear it ready-to-wear.
“I understand how empowering it can be to wear clothes that are specifically made for your body at a particular time,” Ms. Gehling said. He added personal touches to his tuxedo, including embroidering his wife's initials on the sleeves.
Actor Nico Santos, who married in November 2023, completed a custom look by weaving together the two sides of his Filipino-American identity. He wore a barong, a traditional Filipino dress shirt, created by Filipino designer Veejay Floresca. Traditionally, barongs are shirt-length, but Santos, 44, wore a mid-calf length barong “to remind me of a priest,” he said. He matched the wide pants with the Dries Van Noten jacket worn by actor Jacob Elordi. Not traditionally worn with the barong, the jacket has bold, padded shoulders reminiscent of the traditional robes worn by Filipino women.
“You can do whatever you want,” Mr. Andrews said. “It’s an opportunity to throw the rules out the window if you want.”
So Andrés Cardona, who lives in Los Angeles and got married in Bogota, Colombia, in June 2023, briefly explained his desire to blur the lines between masculinity and femininity, and expressed this to the Colombian designers he followed. I gave it as a gift. Instagram: Jonathan Cortez of La Petite Morte.
Ms. Cardona, 33, was inspired by an outfit worn by Bad Bunny in a scene from the music video for his song “Titi me Preguntó.” In the scene, Bad Bunny is wearing a black maxi skirt and a white top that puffs out her shoulders as she prepares to get married. Mr. Cardona's briefing included photos of Bad Bunny from the music video, as well as Timothée Chalamet, Harry Styles, and Shawn Mendes in flowing pastel-colored suit pants and unconventional matching. An image wearing a top was also included.
Over Zoom, Ms. Cardona, a product marketer at TransUnion, and her now husband, Carlos Marin, 32, a product manager at Google, met with the designer over four months to discuss ideas for their looks.
Mr. Cardona's end result was an original eucalyptus green suit with pleated pants. Marin chose a reinterpreted version of the liqui liqui, a traditional Venezuelan costume consisting of a button-down jacket and trousers. Liquiliquy is usually boxy, but Mr. Marin wanted a shorter, tighter fit. He also wore a skirt-like garment tied around his waist.
“The most important thing for us was to create an authentic moment,” said Marin. “It’s about connecting with where we come from and who we are.”