You have a wedding coming up. You might be a friend or family member. You might be a groomsman or bridesmaid. You might even be the bride or groom. You are smashing through your long wedding to-do list but then you have a panic... what wedding watch and watch strap am I going to wear on the big day?
In this article, we will identify the type of watch you should wear, how to ensure your watch strap matches your other accessories and how to best wear your watch on the big day.
It's hard enough living in the fear that you dress exactly like the bridesmaids or the mother of the bride/groom. What you don't need is the fear of your watch accessory hitting the wrong notes hanging over you too. Heck, some traditions say you shouldn't even wear a watch to a wedding. Will this complexity never end?!
Finding the right wedding watch is therefore an important part of the decision-making process. Irrespective of the theme, you want to dress and accessorize appropriately, and having the right watch really can make a difference.
But how do you make sure to pick a great watch and accompanying watch strap? It’s all a matter of considering what styles of watches are appropriate and, as importantly, what watches are potentially not. In today's article we will give you all the tips you need to get your wedding watch and watch strap right!
So, let's find out more.
WHAT TYPE OF WATCH SHOULD I WEAR TO THE WEDDING?
When you attend a wedding, the focus has to be on the bride and groom. You don’t want to be the person who overshadows the bride or groom by wearing the most extravagant watch – they’ll never forgive you! We're joking of course. But the watch shouldn’t be too complex, instead it’s a good idea to focus on simplicity. Go with a simple, minimalist wedding watch.
For the groom, if he is dressing traditionally, his watch is potentially one of his key accessories and he may choose to wear something that makes him stand out. But if you are a guest, even if you are the best man or one of the groomspeople, keep it simple, maybe with a single colour.
Quick tip - white or black watch dials are great for weddings. Avoid the multicolour dive watches or overly complicated chronographs. Instead, pick a simpler, elegant watch - you’re sure to make a much better impression.
IS IT CRITICAL THAT MY WATCH STRAP MATCHES MY OTHER ACCESSORIES?
You always want to focus on attention to detail when you pick your watch and watch strap combination for the wedding.
Aside from having a simplistic wedding watch, for the gents, if you are going to wear a leather strap make sure that you match the watch strap with your shoe colour. You don’t need to match the exact tone and shade, but sticking to the same colour is a great idea to keep on trend. Similar to the recommended rules for your belt. It is these little details that show you care.
For the ladies, either go for a neutral coloured strap or compliment the colour of your dress and accessories with your watch strap. The strap should blend in with your overall outfit. However, it shouldn’t be a statement piece, if it can be avoided.
A simple metal watch strap is absolutely fine too. Just make sure that you don’t go too bold. In summary, just be wary of brightly coloured or multi-coloured watch straps.
DO THE BRIDE AND GROOM NEED TO WEAR WATCHES AT THE WEDDING?
If we’re going to look at tradition, actually for a very long time it was deemed more common practice for the bride not to wear a wedding watch at all, but these days things are a bit different. There’s definitely more leeway.
For example, it’s quite common for the couple to wear a similar style watch strap to one another to match, however of course they could choose to go with a different watch style all together, depending on their preferences.
It’s their day – they can do what they want!
WHICH WATCH SHOULD I PICK WHEN I HAVE A FEW GREAT OPTIONS?
Weddings are not an everyday occurrence and therefore they are all about style and presenting yourself at your highest level.
That’s why if you own a number of watches, you may want to make an even greater impression with one of your most exquisite pieces. Just don’t forget the recommendations we have made already above.
Don’t wear a luxury watch just because of its name if it doesn’t suit the rest of your wedding attire and/or the occasion. It shouldn’t be underestimated how a luxury brand accessory can also boost your confidence - great for when you’re having to make small talk with a distant relative of the wedding couple!
HOW SHOULD I WEAR MY WEDDING WATCH?
Whenever you want to pick or buy a new wedding watch, another tip is it’s often a good idea to choose a watch that’s as thin as possible so that, if you’re wearing a shirt, a blouse or a long sleeved dress, you can tuck your watch under your sleeve. That’s also the reason why a sports watch is maybe not the ideal choice for a wedding.
The idea here is to show up in style and with class - you don’t want to be a walking advertisement for your watch! Your focus has to be on the wedding itself, but at the same time you also want to be elegant yet considerate, and this approach certainly helps.
Now, if you are the couple lucky enough to be getting married, it’s also commonplace for the husband and wife to gift each other something special before the wedding. A great idea for these gift ideas is - yes you’ve guessed it - his and hers watches. Since they are a memorable gift that will stand the test of time, there is something extremely special about having something you can both continue to enjoy after the big event.
Something else you may want to consider is getting 2 watch straps - one for the wedding (and for future special events) and one to be worn afterwards more regularly.
SUMMARY OF OUR TOP TIPS
As you can see, wearing the right wedding watch can be extremely important to you depending on the etiquette of the wedding, however, please don’t forget the most important rule - wear what you love and what you feel comfortable in.
But in summary, below are our tips for the wedding watch:
- Keep it simple
- White or black dial watches are a great option
- If you're stuck between 2 options go for the higher luxury brand
- Thinner watches are better
- It's not mandatory to wear a watch!
And our tips for the complementary watch strap:
- Match the strap to your shoe colour
- Go for a neutral coloured watch strap
- Stainless steel or leather watch straps are generally best
- Avoid bold or multi-coloured watch straps
We therefore recommend taking your time to find the best watch for your own personal style, and then customise it with the watch strap you want and that matches the occasion and the outfit you’re going to wear.
WHERE CAN I FIND A SUITABLE WEDDING WATCH STRAP?
Oh, ok… you’ve twisted our arm!
Here at The Thrifty Gentleman we stock a range of affordable watch straps for all styles, watch sizes and occasions. For wedding attire, as per our article, we would probably recommend something slightly more understated from either our leather or stainless steel metal collection - sophisticated, simple but extremely elegant.
We have picked out 4 watch strap options below that we think could elevate your watch to wedding attire spectacular!
Milanese Mesh - light and comfortable with a hint of Italian flair - £9.99
Super Soft Calfskin Leather in Black - extremely soft and elegant - a delightful wedding watch accessory - £12.99
Buffalo Grain Leather in Light Brown - exquisite textured strap that retains a subtle flair - £13.99
Super Soft Calfskin Leather in Pink - beautiful pastel pink to elegantly add a touch of individualism - £12.99
We hope you have enjoyed reading our article and have taken some useful tips away with you. There's just one more thing for us to add - enjoy the big day!