Groom's Choice: Wearing a Suit or a Traditional Ao Dai

Grooms Choosing Between a Suit and an Ao Dai

Most grooms choose to wear a suit, which is both comfortable and elegant, but many also love the traditional ao dai and turban.

Grooms who shy away from the ao dai

While many brides wear an ao dai for the bride-welcoming ceremony and even on the wedding day itself, many grooms are lukewarm about the traditional ao dai for men. Out of 10 engagement ceremonies (or weddings), most grooms do not choose the ao dai. This indifference means that wedding shops do not invest much in men's ao dai. Rental shops carry only a few very traditional ao dai-and-turban styles, mainly in two colors: yellow and a slightly deep blue. The patterns on the ao dai are monotonous too, just a stylized "happiness" character.

Many grooms explain that the traditional ao dai and turban often do not suit their build. Heavier men look even rounder in it, and it feels unfamiliar to the eye. Men with a less-than-ideal figure or a modest height feel less confident and awkward in an ao dai.

The owner of an ao dai shop on Kim Mã Street (Hanoi) says: "Really, it is mostly the grooms' mindset. They worry it will not look as good and elegant as a suit. If it is made to order to the groom's exact measurements, it looks very well fitted, with no fear of being baggy or looking short. When the colors are coordinated with the bride's ao dai, the groom becomes a truly striking focal point of the wedding."

Most grooms choose a suit

Today, around 80% of grooms choose Western dress (a suit) for the engagement and wedding days, while most brides wear an ao dai on the engagement day and even on the wedding day. Some have two suits made so they can change between the wedding photos and the bride-welcoming ceremony. The reason is that a suit is practical, looks better and can be worn again after the wedding.

Buying or having a suit made is not very difficult either, and costs less than a traditional ao dai. Both Hanoi and Saigon have many well-known tailors and suit shops. Imported products also come in a wide range of styles and quality. On the wedding day, walking beside the bride in her flowing white gown, a groom in a suit looks more harmonious and fitting than one in an ao dai and turban.

Choose the outfit that fits your taste

Whether the groom chooses an ao dai and turban or a suit, the first question is whether the outfit makes him look better and suits the bride. You can choose the outfit according to the main tone of the wedding, the couple's own ideas, or the wearer's personal taste, as long as it gives the groom confidence on his wedding day.