How to Match Your Prom Dress to Your Prom Date's Tux

When prom night arrives and your date shows up at your door, you don't want to be disappointed when you see that what he's wearing totally clashes with your dress. You'll spend a lot of time choosing a dress and accessories and getting ready for prom. Make sure that all of your prom photos are picture-perfect by taking the time to coordinate your dress with your date's tux or suit.

Keep Your Prom's Theme in Mind

If you aren't sure where to start when choosing a color scheme for your prom dress and your date's outfit, begin by thinking about your prom theme. Oftentimes certain colors are obvious matches for the theme of your prom. For instance, if the theme is Under the Sea, you and your date can choose from shades of blue and green. Or, if the theme is Casino Night, you may want to begin with a neutral palette of black and white and add red and gold accents.

Buy Your Dress First

If it's at all possible, you should try to buy your dress before your date chooses his tux or suit. Whether you decide on a color scheme beforehand or not, it will be much easier for him to match his outfit to yours after you've already chosen it. It's also much easier to match a suit to a dress than vice versa. There are thousands of prom dress options and far less suit and tuxedo styles, so plan ahead a bit and order your dress with plenty of time to spare. Shop dresses by color to find the perfect shade.

Match His Tux to Your Dress

If you want to make things as easy as possible, have your date choose a black tux or suit. Black matches almost anything and provides an excellent neutral backdrop for colorful accessories. If your date would prefer a color other than black keep in mind that some suit colors match certain dress colors much better than others. Gray suits are an excellent option when your dress is a light pastel color or a bright color. They go well with almost any shade of pink, yellow, blue and purple. Navy suits are a little bit trickier to match but they pair beautifully with metallic dresses as well as burgundy, dark green and blush rose dresses.

Match His Accessories to Your Dress

Keep your matching outfits classic by matching your date's tie to your dress. Just be sure to send him to the store with a photo of your dress so that he can match the color perfectly. If he only has a vague idea of the shade, he'll probably come back with a tie that doesn't match. Alternatives include a metallic tie or a neutral black or white tie when the right color isn't available. Other accessories that he can choose in a color that matches your dress are vests, cummerbunds and pocket squares. You can also coordinate the corsage and boutonniere to include accents in the same colors.

Tip: It's always easiest to have your date wear a neutral white shirt when you're matching his accessories to your dress. Too much color can be too loud and come off as tacky.

Matching Dresses for a Group

If you're going to prom in a group rather than with a date, it can still be tons of fun to choose matching dresses with your best girlfriends. An easy way to do this is to decide on a single color and have each girl choose a dress in a different style. If you want to make it a bit easier, have everyone choose different shades of the same color. This works especially well with pink, purple or blue dresses. Another option is to have everyone choose a dress in the same style, regardless of color. You can also have the group choose dresses in the same fabric, such as lace, satin or velvet.