Wedding Tips

How To Tie The Perfect Tie – Four-In-Hand Knot

After months of balancing work, life and wedding planning, it is all too easy to overlook some the little details that may pop up on your wedding day and today’s topic is a very common one!  More often than not I arrive the morning of to find the groom with all of his groomsmen nose deep in every online tutorial they can find frantically trying to figure out which knot to use and how to properly tie it.  It usually ends up being a 30+ minute process, when it should only take about a minute.  If this is you and you’re going on your 8th tutorial, my hope is this is simple enough to be your last so you can get out of that hotel room and make it to your ceremony on time!

For the rest of you, I highly encourage you to decide ahead of time which knot you’d like to use and practice, practice, practice BEFOREHAND so you don’t have to think about it come the morning of your wedding day!

Next week we will cover the “Windsor Knot” and the following week the “Bow Tie”!  For now, here is how to tie the basic “Four-In-Hand Knot”, which is a great all-around knot for any occasion.

How to Tie the Perfect Tie pt. 1

How To Tie The Perfect Tie - Four-In-Hand Knot step 1

1)  Start with the wide end of the tie on the right and the small end on the left (it doesn’t matter which side is on which, but for the purpose of this tutorial – we’ll stick with the above for simplicity’s sake). Start with the tip of the small end 2-3 inches above your belly-button (this will vary depending on your height and the length & thickness of your tie). The small side of the tie will remain in place for steps 2-7.

Man crossing over black and grey tie

2)  Bring the wide end over the small end to the left.

3)  Under the small end and to the right.

Groom shaping black and blue striped tie

4)  Back over the small end to the left.

Man adjusting striped tie on wedding day

5)  You can use two fingers to help keep the knot open in the front (or just hold the small end down in front) while bringing the wide end up into the neck loop from underneath.

Groom folding tie through loop

6)  Bring the wide end down through the loop you’ve just created in the front (the one your fingers were helping to keep open).

7)  Tighten the knot by pulling down on the wide end. Here is where you will adjust and create the perfect “triangle shape”. DO NOT pull or move the wide end once you have created the triangle/knot shape.

Groom wearing perfect four in hand knot tie on wedding day

8)  From here you will hold the top of the knot lightly in one hand (be sure not to pull on it, you will undo the shape you created in step 7) and with your other hand you will pull down on the small end while you very lightly slide the knot up to tighten around your neck.

9)  The tip of the tie should end around the middle of your belt. If not, restart and adjust where the small end of the tie starts to allow for a shorter or longer tie.

And that’s it – I hope this helped!

(A huge shout out to my sister’s lovely boyfriend, Bardia, who oh-so kindly agreed to model for me last minute!)

Paragraph

Let's connect

Want your once-in-a-lifetime memories captured like this?

Let's chat!

+ SHOW COMMENTS

- Hide Comments

add a comment

  1. Jesi says:

    I love this!! I learned how to tie a tie when I was a kid and I use that knowledge frequently :)

  2. Joanna says:

    Thanks for sharing. Groomsmen are always looking for this type of stuff on wedding morning!

  3. Holly says:

    Oh my goodness, I just love that you did a tie tutorial for your grooms. I can’t wait to see the next ones!

  4. You made that so doable and easy!! I love this!!

  5. What a great post idea! I was just telling my sister I needed to learn how to tie a tie and fold pocket squares before this wedding season.

  6. Mindy says:

    Such a great idea! I’ll bookmark this one for my grooms.

  7. Stella says:

    Love this post! So easy to follow :)

  8. Misty says:

    Awesome post!!! I don’t know how many times i’ve shown up to a wedding and the groom doesn’t know how to tie his tie!

  9. Great tutorial on how to tie ties!

  10. Brittani says:

    This is gold!! This is one of the questions that occurs most on a wedding day – can anyone tie a tie?! Next up how to tie a bow tie, right? :))

  11. Jill says:

    What a GREAT post for guys!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Dallas Venues

Browse some of the best wedding venues in Dallas here!

Top Blog Categories

Weddings

View more weddings from Dallas TX to around the world!

Portraits

View engagements, bridals, family and senior sessions here!

Wedding Tips

Let me help you with your wedding planning here!

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
TO PORTRAIT
SESSION LOCATIONS
IN DFW

Snag this!

The Ultimate Guide to
Dallas Photoshoot Locations

Searching for the perfect location for your next portrait session? 
Let me help!  I've compiled 50 of my favorite portrait locations in North Texas into a free guide for you.  Download it below!

And this too!

My FREE
Wedding Planning Tool

Searching for a free and versatile digital wedding planning tool?  One that offers a roadmap from engagement through after the wedding?  One that can be completely customized to you, is accessible from anywhere, by anyone you want, via website or desktop/mobile app? Then this is for you!  Download this free resource below!  (Download also includes an instructional video to walk you through the basics of Trello + how to best use your new wedding planning board!  All free!) 

© Stefani Ciotti Photography 2024  |  All rights reserved 

Serving Dallas texas and beyond  |  682-350-3844

terms & conditions  |

|  PRIVACY POLICY