Tuxedos: Check
Yesterday afternoon Sweetie and I went off in search of tuxedos for the big event. The men standing up for us will not look like Pips, Tops or Commodores, but will look darn good.
To make the list of potential tuxedo rental location there was only one criteria you had to meet: locations in Seattle, Portland and Phoenix (the locations of all the tuxedo wearers for the day). Two places made the list.
We started at shop #1 because it was close to the condo. They had a book of the different tuxedo options to flip through. The guy helping us wasn't much help at commenting on what styles might look good or what popular options were, but he was very good at trying to get us to commit to the expensive tux at the front of the book, so we wouldn't go farther on in the book to find the less expensive models. We put together a potential look based on the pictures available. At one point we asked it if would be possible for the groom to try on a particular coat, to see if it would be as flattering as we thought it might be. Apparently this shop does not actually carry any of the tuxes in-house because it would be impossible to carry every style in every size and that's just not fair. We spent an hour there, and I think about 45 minutes of that time was spent flipping back and forth in the damn book deciding which lapels matched better. At the time we thought the groom would wear a different coat from the others, but at least wanted the others to somehow match.
Shop #2 is exclusively tuxedos. It's at the local mall, and come prom season there will be a line of teenage boys spewing out the door preparing for their prom. The upside of this location was that you could actually try on the coats to see what you liked best. It helps if you're a 40 regular, but even as a 41 extra long the groom was able to get an idea of what the style might look like on him. He tried on the coat that, based on the pictures, he liked the best. Not so hot anymore. But then we found the perfect coat for him. And we were able to hold vest samples up to the coat samples to see what they might look like as well.
To top it all off, there was a moment in the store that reinforced to me why Sweetie and I are having such a kick-ass time planning this wedding. Sweetie was back in the changing room, trying on some pants to get fully measured. There was another couple in the store going through a similar process (not sure if it was for their wedding or what, but he was wearing the tux and his girl was sitting there watching him). The man was wearing the tux pants down around his hips. The shop worker suggested that most men tend to wear tux pants higher, and did he really want to wear them there, because wherever he was wearing them now is where they would be hemmed to, so just make sure that's how you want them. The man assured the tux shop worker that was how he wanted to wear his pants. Then his girl stepped in and suggested he didn't really want to wear his pants there. I'm not sure what transpired after that, because I was back where the changing rooms are promising Sweetie I will never tell him how to wear his pants. I just am not capable of being that big of a control freak.
So all the gentlemen in the wedding party will be wearing a three-button shawl-collared tuxedos with vests and bow ties. The groom will be in a platinum vest, the others in black. The fathers will be asked to wear a tuxedo of their choosing (my dad already owns his own), with a vest and bow tie. We're not committed on color there, but are considering saying they should complement the mom's styles. That will mix things up a bit and keep everyone looking sharp.
To make the list of potential tuxedo rental location there was only one criteria you had to meet: locations in Seattle, Portland and Phoenix (the locations of all the tuxedo wearers for the day). Two places made the list.
We started at shop #1 because it was close to the condo. They had a book of the different tuxedo options to flip through. The guy helping us wasn't much help at commenting on what styles might look good or what popular options were, but he was very good at trying to get us to commit to the expensive tux at the front of the book, so we wouldn't go farther on in the book to find the less expensive models. We put together a potential look based on the pictures available. At one point we asked it if would be possible for the groom to try on a particular coat, to see if it would be as flattering as we thought it might be. Apparently this shop does not actually carry any of the tuxes in-house because it would be impossible to carry every style in every size and that's just not fair. We spent an hour there, and I think about 45 minutes of that time was spent flipping back and forth in the damn book deciding which lapels matched better. At the time we thought the groom would wear a different coat from the others, but at least wanted the others to somehow match.
Shop #2 is exclusively tuxedos. It's at the local mall, and come prom season there will be a line of teenage boys spewing out the door preparing for their prom. The upside of this location was that you could actually try on the coats to see what you liked best. It helps if you're a 40 regular, but even as a 41 extra long the groom was able to get an idea of what the style might look like on him. He tried on the coat that, based on the pictures, he liked the best. Not so hot anymore. But then we found the perfect coat for him. And we were able to hold vest samples up to the coat samples to see what they might look like as well.
To top it all off, there was a moment in the store that reinforced to me why Sweetie and I are having such a kick-ass time planning this wedding. Sweetie was back in the changing room, trying on some pants to get fully measured. There was another couple in the store going through a similar process (not sure if it was for their wedding or what, but he was wearing the tux and his girl was sitting there watching him). The man was wearing the tux pants down around his hips. The shop worker suggested that most men tend to wear tux pants higher, and did he really want to wear them there, because wherever he was wearing them now is where they would be hemmed to, so just make sure that's how you want them. The man assured the tux shop worker that was how he wanted to wear his pants. Then his girl stepped in and suggested he didn't really want to wear his pants there. I'm not sure what transpired after that, because I was back where the changing rooms are promising Sweetie I will never tell him how to wear his pants. I just am not capable of being that big of a control freak.
So all the gentlemen in the wedding party will be wearing a three-button shawl-collared tuxedos with vests and bow ties. The groom will be in a platinum vest, the others in black. The fathers will be asked to wear a tuxedo of their choosing (my dad already owns his own), with a vest and bow tie. We're not committed on color there, but are considering saying they should complement the mom's styles. That will mix things up a bit and keep everyone looking sharp.
posted by Swankette at 4:07 PM
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