40 Grooms Who Were Tragically Underdressed For Their Big Day

Your wedding is meant to be one of the happiest days of your life. Although you have to be somewhat realistic with your expectations, you still want to make the celebration as meaningful, beautiful, and authentic as you can. That also includes showing off the best possible version of yourself through what you choose to wear.

However, the reality is that some people can’t be bothered to put in the effort, even when it’s their own wedding. Our team at Bored Panda has collected pictures of the most underdressed grooms that guests have ever seen. This goes beyond embracing an easygoing wardrobe or opting for a slightly more casual tone. Scroll down to see some fashion disasters and how drearily shorts, crocs, and T-shirts look next to gorgeous dresses. Just remember, the point isn’t to make fun of anyone—it’s a reminder that many of us could stand to brush up our fashion sense and self-awareness a bit.

Before we get into it, here’s a quick reminder that you should do what makes you and your partner happy at your wedding. If you want a small and intimate ceremony, go for it. If you want to invite all of your friends, family, and neighbors, go do that. If you want a specific theme for the reception or a particular dress code, embrace it and have fun. Make sure that you and your partner are happy and that your guests are entertained, and you’ll have a great time.

That being said, let’s not ignore the elephant in the room: if your partner dresses up very nicely for your wedding but you saunter in wearing dusty crocs, torn shorts, and an icky T-shirt, something’s gone incredibly wrong somewhere. And generally, we don’t like to judge—but some fashion choices merit at least a dash of healthy criticism. It’s your wedding day: you want to look polished, not sloppy.

According to Stephan Detwiler, Brooks Brothers’ Vice President of men’s merchandising, there are some things that grooms should “never, ever wear.”

He told ‘Brides’ magazine that they should most definitely avoid wearing jeans or T-shirts, as well as ripped, torn, or overly tired-looking articles of clothing. 

Detwiler urges grooms to try to look their best for their wedding and get their clothes tailored so that they fit them perfectly. “The bride spends so much effort and energy on what she’s wearing. You should put in a similar amount of effort to make sure you look your best, as well,” he told ‘Brides.’

This matches up with our personal experience, too. Tailored clothes are a whole other level of quality.

If you don’t want to wear a tuxedo or suit, you can always decide to dress more casually. However, Detwiler notes that casual wedding garb does not mean dressing sloppily.

“Don’t show up in a wrinkled T-shirt and jeans. You don’t want to be the most casually dressed person there.” According to him, a navy blazer, non-iron shirt, cotton-linen chinos, and boat shoes are a good idea, as is cashmere knitwear (e.g., polos or turtlenecks). He adds that you can even wear a good pair of sneakers, depending on the context. 

Let’s be real here for a moment—you and your partner need to be on the same page when it comes to the wedding.

You’re getting married, after all. So, it would be ironic if you started your marriage with a disagreement about dress codes, style choices, and whether or not low-quality and ill-fitting clothes are appropriate for evening wear. It makes sense to speak about all of this before the Big Day.

If your partner is fine with you dressing super casual as though you’re heading to a bar with your pals, so be it. More power to you. But we have a sneaking suspicion that they’d prefer it if you matched their level of fanciness.

Showing that you care is important. It’s also a good sign that you show you’re willing to look for compromises instead of being stubborn about wearing your fave T-shirt that’s been through a hundred washes.

The issue that lies at the core of most of these photos is that they demonstrate a fundamental level of miscommunication between the grooms and their brides. Of course, nobody can tell whether a relationship is going to be healthy and happy from just a few wedding photos.

However, not dressing in a tux/suit/something nice and opting for overly casual clothes sends a somewhat confusing message to the bride, as well as the guests.

It’s as though the grooms are treating the entire ceremony as a prank. Something casual. Nothing overly serious. Just another random day. If both partners are in on the joke, that’s great.

Humor and playfulness are incredibly important parts of long-term relationships, sure. However, there are some sacred and serious moments in our lives when we could all stand to focus on their magnitude.

There are times when we should be more serious and show our commitment through how we act, how we speak, and how we dress. No, the fashion police won’t arrest you for failing to put some effort into your outfit. But looking at your wedding photos, you and your partner might feel some regret that you didn’t dress up for such a momentous day.

Though, to be fair, you might both end up laughing aloud and asking each other what you were thinking. That’s always a possibility!

We’d like to hear your thoughts about wedding clothes, Pandas. What did you think of the grooms in these photos? Do you think they were ‘criminally’ underdressed, or do you personally like a much more casual wardrobe? What did you and your partner wear for your wedding? Tell us all about it in the comments!