Waistcoats and weddings - a groom's primer

Whether you are wearing morning dress for your wedding or are opting for a lounge suit, the waistcoat decision remains the same (whether to wear one is not is not even in doubt!). And it's an important one too, because it's the single biggest item of colour that you will wear on your big day and thus the thing that people will notice first and remember forever (ill-chosen waistcoats have a knack of etching themselves into the memory, a feat which at weddings is always obligingly immortalised by the photographer's camera shutter).

So with that said, here are the considerations that ever groom needs to make well before his big day rolls around:

Single-breasted or double?

This largely comes down to personal preference, body shape and type of wedding. For the formal wedding with morning dress, the double-breasted style is widely considered the smarter, more traditional option, but do bear in mind that the squared off front can be quite unflattering if you are quite portly. The single-breasted style is style perfectly smart and the uniformity of the single row of buttons looks excellent with a morning suit. When wearing a lounge suit, the decision relies more upon personal preference - are you a double-breasted or single-breasted kind of guy? Only you can answer that!

PARADE SKY DOUBLE BREASTED WAISTCOAT

VICTORIA CHAMPAGNE WAISTCOAT

TEAL HALTON SILK DOUBLE BREASTED  SHAWL LAPEL WAISTCOAT

Plain or pattern?

This question will directly influence whether you opt for a single-breasted waistcoat or a double. That's because the symmetry of the single-breasted holds pattern a lot better than the asymmetry of the double-breasted. So if you prefer a more flamboyant look when it comes to your waistcoat, we would point you in the direction of single-breasted styles. As far as the pattern goes, the world is your embroidered oyster. Geometric patterns are the easiest to pull off and make your tie and pocket square decisions that little bit easier, but don't fear more ornate and abstract patterns as one only ever sees a sliver of them until you remove your morning coat of suit jacket.

IVORY DAVENPORT SILK SINGLE BREASTED WAISTCOAT

DUSK HALTON SILK DOUBLE BREASTED SHAWL LAPEL PIPED WAISTCOAT

NAVY BELVOIR COTTON SINGLE BREASTED  WAISTCOAT

Colours - solid or pastel?

Pastel tones are the safe option. They are still striking and eye-catching but tend to be in keeping with the aesthetic of most weddings (soft tonal flower arrangements etc). That said, a bold flash of colour peeping from beneath a black morning coat can be especially striking without being garish. One shouldn't feel that neutral colours are boring either - a muted grey or olive green can be brilliant canvasses against which to set a bolder tie for example.

BUTTERSCOTCH WOOL DOUBLE-BREASTED SHAWL LAPEL WAISTCOAT

DARK CREAM LINEN SINGLE-BREASTED PIPED WAISTCOAT

BURGUNDY IKAT SILK SINGLE-BREASTED  PIPED WAISTCOAT

As ever, we wholly suggest would-be grooms drop into our waistcoat boutique in the Piccadilly Arcade or our flagship store on Pall Mall to run through the many styles we have to offer. There's no better way to perfect your wedding day look.

Click here to shop the extensive collection of Favourbrook waistcoats.