Wedding Blog
Mr. Taffy bought a tuxedo a week after we got engaged. We had a black tie charity event to attend that month, and he figured that he could get the most out of his tux if he bought one right away. Here’s the tux:
He did a great job choosing; I love it! Mr. Taffy spent a lot of time looking into the other details—the shirt, collar, tie, etc. All was going well. He went with one of his groomsmen to have him try on a similar style this past weekend, and the subject of shirt color came up.
Now, Mr. T has no idea about my dress style.
He told this to the salesperson, and they asked if my dress was white or ivory. He was sure that I had picked out a white dress, and was pretty surprised to find out that I will be wearing ivory.
I am a picky color designer with the “color curse”, as I call it. On one hand, it seems that a white tux shirt would look odd with an ivory dress. On the other hand, I don’t want Mr. T’s shirt to look (for lack of a more subtle word) dingy. I just worry that the contrast next to the black will be weird and make the ivory shirt appear darker or more yellow than it actually is. You see, an ivory dress looks white on me because my skin is so ridiculously pale. But ivory against a black tux…
I should mention that he will be wearing a black bow tie. He or the groomsmen will only be wearing black and white or ivory, no accent colors.
I may be asking this prematurely, as I was not there and haven’t seen the color of the shirts in person, but here is my question for the hive:
If you wore (or are planning to wear) an ivory dress, did your groom wear an ivory shirt or a white shirt under his tux?
Your input is greatly appreciated! 
P.S.- GQ just posted their guide to buying a tuxedo. See it here. Mr. Taffy’s style is there! I’ll have to give him a high five tonight. 
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Share this post: Groom Shirt Color - Help Needed!!!
My dress was “ivory with a champagne overlay”
The hubs wore a white shirt, tie and vest. It looked wonderful with my dress. I think it all depends on how IVORY your dress is. My dress was NOT a yellow ivory. It just wasn’t WHITE WHITE. I would not choose ivory shirts. No offence to anyone that did, but I think they look dingy for the most part
my man is wearing ivory…it’s very subtle, and I think there was a board post w/ pics on this topic recently…to be fair, though, his tux is chocolate
My dress was “ivory” but I find that bridal ivory nowadays is more of a muted white… not the true ivory that many people think of when you hear the color name. We looked at ivory shirts for my husband, but you are right they totally look dingy. In the end, he wore a white shirt, tie, and vest and it looked great with the ivory dress.
My dress was ivory and my Husband wore an ivory shirt. I think it looked okay. (Look at my blog for photographic evidence to make your own conclusion!)
my husband wore a white shirt and i had an ivory dress. i’m pretty pale too. but the ivory shirt just seemed dirty. :/
I totally disagree that ivory shirts look dingy!!!
My dress was ivory as well, and my groom wore and ivory shirt and vest (with his black tux.) It didn’t look dingy at all, was very complementary and it looked fabulous in our photos!!! I’d be happy to send you a picture if you’re interested in seeing how it looked!
Like you said in your post, on me, my dress basically looked white, and likewise, my husbands shirt looked white as well. The groomsmen also wore ivory shirts, with sage green vests and tie.
Mine was ivory and my groom and the groomsmen wore brown vests with black tux. It all looked great. I was concerned about dingy but it wasn’t a problem.
My dress was ivory (as others have said, a very white shade of ivory), and my groom wore a white (a very white) tuxedo. I thought it looked pretty snazzy!
Granted, a white tuxedo undoubtedly stands on its own next to an ivory dress. But I think with a black bowtie, enough of your man’s shirt will be showing that the white will be fine.
My dress was ivory, and my husband wore an ivory shirt, tie and vest with a black tux. The tux place warned that if he wore whit it would make my dress look dirty. I don’t think it made a difference. In the picture you can’t tell my dress is “ivory” as opposed to “white” or “diamond white”.
Perhaps he should try on both color shirts and just pick what looks best on him.
i always heard it was better to go with white for the groom rather than try to match the ivory of the dress… unmatching ivories will look dingy while white technically can go with anything! so when in doubt~…
My dress was called “antique gold” so it was creamier than what ivory is…i had the groom and all the guys wear ivory shirts…..I was afraid to that it would look dirty….it actually looks white until you put it next to the white one. You notice just how bright the white is and the ivory is just a softer white. No one could tell the shirt was ivory…I even started to yell at the grrom the the tux shop gave him a white shirt and vest…he had to remind me of the similarites…..I picked ivory because i didn’t like the bright look of a white shirt and vest when the grrom removes the jacket. You may want to just go to the tux shop just to see the colors yourself, the ivory i picked was not dingy more of a soft white. i loved the look and would recomend it.
It’s more a matter of personal preference, but I think a white shirt is fine (and looks better) with a black tux and and ivory dress. From what I’ve seen in bridal gowns, there are so many variations of ivory used, but with men’s shirts, the ivory color is basically a standard shade (a true, darker ivory that isn’t as common a shade in bridal gowns) It’s harder to match with the dress, which is one of the reasons why I like white shirts. In my opinion, it’s better to be brighter and whiter and darker and dingier. Although, regardless of what you choose, you’ll probably be the only one who notices.
I had an ivory dress, and my husband wore an ivory shirt and vest - and all his groomsmen wore ivory shirts and black vests. And I have to disagree with everyone about the “dingy” or “dirty” look of ivory. It looked very classy, and next to my light ivory gown, it matched perfectly. I personally wouldn’t do an ivory gown and a white shirt. You’ll notice the ivory/white a LOT more if you’re each wearing different colors.
My dress was “diamond white,” which is basically a cream color. Not yellow-ish, like actual ivory. My husband wore a white shirt, and it looked great. He does own several ivory dress shirts, and they were all much yellower in tone than my dress, and would have looked quite bad with it (IMO). So again, it completely depends on the actual shade of your dress and the actual shade of the shirt. I second that you should look at the ivory shirt before your decide.
a. Mr. Taffy picked a great tux!
b. My husband and his groomsmen wore ivory shirts (which were rented). I wore an ivory dress, which looked white against my oh-so-pale skin. Because all the guys were wearing the same color, I don’t think anyone could even tell that the shirts were ivory. I was seriously afraid of the dingy look, but didn’t have to worry, as it was more of a warmer white than yellow ivory. I think you could check the actual color of the shirt to verify its non-jaundiced look.
c. If you’d like to see pictures, I’d be happy to share.
I remember reading/hearing emphatically somewhere that this situation comes up all the time and the groom should wear white. The logic was that, with the tux on, you only see a small portion of the groom’s shirt and it will look dingy in ivory and different than a full dress in ivory does. Also, the shirt is often a darker true ivory.
My husband wore white and my dress was that light ivory… it looked like we were wearing the same color in all the pictures and in person and the crispy white popped a lot better with the black than I think any ivory would.
Our groomsmen wore ivory shirts with their black tuxes (black vest and tie). I thought they looked really nice, even though I was worried they would look dingy. However, my husband was in uniform and had on white pants, while I was wearing an ivory dress. While it was a noticeable difference next to each other, the pictures still look great. I am too pale for a white dress, so I opted for the slight mismatched look with my husband instead of a washed-out bride Long story short, I would not worry about matching your fiance’s shirt to your dress, and go with the white shirt, since a fair amount of the shirt will show with just the bow-tie with the tux.
So much feedback, thanks so much ladies! I will definitely take a look at Mr. T in both shirts, with the tux, before deciding. I wish I could take a swatch of my dress, but I don’t think that’s possible.
@kpenn: @Natalie: @Lisa: @Jo: @Suzanno: @nowmrswhite: My dress is really light ivory, not very yellow, as you all described. I will definitely take a look at the shirt to see if it is a darker ivory before deciding.
@Bean: Thanks, I will go take a look now!
@Lisa: @nowmrswhite: Pictures would be great, thanks!
My dress was a dark ivory, actually kind of a creamy mocha tint actually and we absolutely went with the ivory shirt. Next to my dress it looked white, if he had gone with a white shirt my dress would have been the one that looked dingy or dirty.
If its a lighter ivory you’ll be fine, but I’d be worried about how it will make your dress look if his shirt is too white. No one will be able to tell that its ivory instead of white.
Tuxedo store tips:
Ok, so here’s what a tux professional would say on this. When the Bride is not wearing white but an “off white” color it is best to go with the ivory shirts. The people in the shops always take into account the fact that the lighting may not always be perfect in photos and we are trying to avoid the “dirty dress” look at all costs.
When the ivory is layered under the black of the coat it difuses any “yellowing” that may happen.
Also, most ivory shirts in the rental stores that are on display have been sitting there for God knows how long and have discolored more often than not, so they aren’t a good gauge for how your shirts would actually look. You need to ask them if they have any of the shirts in their backroom to see the actual real color. If all they have is the floor displays or a lamenated catalog I would go to another store. Because on the off chance your order is incorrect they will not be able to correct the problem very quickly.
An ivory shirt will look dingy. A white shirt will not clash with your ivory gown. Good luck ;o)
I actually wore white, but a couple of my girlfriends wore ivory dresses, and their grooms all wore ivory shirts and it looked great! Esp. if you are wearing ivory.. I think white will look strange next to you. I know you say that the dress looks white next to your skin tone, but it may only look that way to you.. not to everyone else. And everyone else is who will be looking at you (unless you are planning on being in the mirror all day :^P). Anyway, I think you will be happier with an ivory shirt. Good luck!
Hey Taffy-
Mr. Blush and I went through the same thing. My dress is ivory as well, and Mr. Blush is wearing a white shirt, black bowtie, black tux. Personally, I think white looks cleaner and …brighter. Good Luck!
I too am waffling about this decision (the men’s shirts), and hope that my first fitting in a few weeks will help me to decide. The store is a rental shop too, though our groomsmen will be wearing or buying their own shirts. Anyway, this post http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/08/18/the-not-so-white-wedding-dress/ helped me a bit. The topic also has been on the boards a few times.
O0 Oo Oo…this exact question was answered here:
http://www.weddingbee.com/2007/06/19/corn-a-question-for-the-hive/
In the end, we went with white and it was beautiful
Pics here (so you can see the white next to the cream):
http://www.weddingbee.com/2007/11/08/brids-and-groomclambake-pro-pics/
Ivory men’s shirts tend to look yellow, instead of the soft off-white of dresses. They’re nasty.
@Mrs. Corn: Thanks, Mrs. Corn! I was sure that this had been brought up before, but couldn’t find it in my panic. I’ll show the pictures to Mr. Taffy!
@Miss Blush: Thanks, Miss Blush! I’m glad to hear that you went with white. After looking at pictures, I think the ivory does not look bad, but agree that the white looks cleaner and is more classic.
[...] Groom Shirt Color - Help Needed!!! by Miss Taffy [...]
If you’re still having trouble deciding, take his tux jacket and both shirts over to the dress shop, and maybe a camera too, to see them next to your dress to help you decide.
@Lexie MOH: That’s a great idea! Mr. T said he wants to buy a white tux shirt to have anyway, so I’ll take that in with his jacket and see how it looks. If it’s weird, he’ll look into buying an ivory shirt. Miss you!!!
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Mrs. Taffy, Ann Arbor
Age and Occupation: 28, Color and Materials Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Automotive Designer
Engagement Date: May 9, 2008
Wedding Date: May 2009
Blogging Since: September 14, 2008
Venue: University of Michigan Union
About Me: I’m a girl who is crazy about Mr. Taffy, sewing, dancing, almost all types of sweets, and our cute pet canaries. I dislike touching fuzzy fabric of any kind, eating somewhat squishy food, and Michigan winters. Mr. Taffy and I are having a blast planning our Ann Arbor wedding, and cannot wait to share our day with friends and family.
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