The Groom

The Groom and his attendants are as much a part of the wedding tableau as the bride and bridesmaids. The selection of what to wear will take the lead from the bride’s decision on a wedding dress and the overall style of the wedding. Remember, it’s an important day so don’t stay in the background… go with the latest style and make a statement.

To Tux or Not

Without a doubt, the tuxedo is the standby for a formal wedding. Though some people see a tuxedo as a uniform, it is one outfit that most men, regardless of height, width or shape, look good in. It does, however, immediately imply a level of formality that must suit the general theme of your wedding.

A tuxedo can be purchased or rented, the most frequent option, for what many men consider once-in-a-lifetime attire. As with a suit, tuxedo styles change so if you decide to purchase it, choose a basic style because you will have it for many years. Most suit manufacturers provide a line of tuxedos or you can purchase them from the same companies that provide rentals. The typical price to purchase a basic tuxedo is $500 – $850 but can be as much as $2,000 or more if you select a designer name. If you think you’ll wear it for more than a day, this may be a good investment.

The Process of Renting a Tux

Tuxedos are available for rent through men’s clothing stores and more recently, bridal shops that are adding this to their product lines. Renting your tuxedo makes sense because it can be matched to the rest of the wedding party who will probably choose to rent their outfits – not everyone will want to buy one. If you like the style, and think you’ll wear it again, you can purchase yours and the ushers can rent. Make your decision early, especially if you are getting married during the popular summer months.

The typical price to rent a tuxedo is $89-$139, which includes the jacket, pants, shirt, suspenders and tie. The cost for a vest is another $10. Shoes will add $25 to the overall outfit cost for a total of $135 – $200. Although the men all pay their own tuxedo rental fee, the groom commonly pays for ties or ascots and accessories. The best man usually picks up and returns all of the clothing

Some shops carry a wide variety of styles and others will rely principally on catalogues to help you make the selection. Stores always have a few samples so you can inspect the quality and style. It’s a good idea to take a catalogue home for a couple of nights and talk it over with the bride. Your selection has to complement her dress and the theme of the wedding so she will probably want some input.

The accessories such as vests, shirts and styles are listed in back of the catalogue. Styles are such that you can mix and match a jacket with any pant, shirt and vest. When making a decision on the tuxedo style and accessories, consider the groomsman and ushers. Some styles do not fit all body types. For example, a longer five-button style will tend to look like a trench coat on a man, that is short.

The vest has largely replaced the cummerbund and is the primary element of colour in the men’s outfits. Matching the colour of the vests to the bridesmaids’ dresses is the most common means by which to colour coordinate the wedding party. Patterns such as paisley are common and add pattern and texture to the outfit. It is advisable to take along a swatch of fabric matching the bridesmaid’s dresses if you have an unusual colour. Otherwise they will match on the relative colour range or select a neutral that doesn’t clash.

The groom’s outfit may be different but must coordinate with the groomsmen and the rest of the wedding party. The groom’s can match or contrast with the groomsmen. If the ushers are wearing a colour to match the bridesmaids’ dresses, the groom will commonly wear a black vest. Alternatively, the tie colour can differ – black tie for the groom and colour for the ushers or vice-versa.

Shirts come in two-standard styles, wingtip and lay-down with the latter currently being the most popular. Shirts come in a variety of colours although white is still the most popular. If the bride is wearing an off-white wedding dress, a shirt colour such as ivory, is suggested. In any case, you don’t see a lot of the shirt. Shirts can be plain or include decorative touches such as vertical rows of small pleats.

Pants are easily adjustable as they have an elastic waist and are held up by suspenders. This small adjustment to the fitting occurs when they come in to pick-up the outfit, usually 3-4 days before the wedding. Pants may have a satin or plain side-seam.

When you select the tuxedo, you will also be deciding on the shoes that go with it. They can be rented or you can purchase them separately. If the shoe colour is other than black, it is advisable to rent shoes as you will probably have little occasion to wear them in future. By far, the most popular shoe is still patent leather.

When all the decisions are made, place your order at least six to twelve weeks prior to the wedding date.

Getting a Good Fit

Rental tuxedos are designed to facilitate alterations because few men are an exact “off-the-rack” fit. If at all possible, groomsmen should be measured for size. Simply dropping off measurements and guessing the size is not advisable or you may have unpleasant surprises come the wedding day. We’ve all seen the shoes that look like patent leather snow skis, and have heard the stories about the man in the stapled-up suit.

For groomsmen and ushers that are out of town, they can go to a store in their area that rents tuxedos and tell them they have an “out-of-town measurement” which is offered at no charge. They will help to complete the standard rental form that can be sent to the store from which other tuxedos are being rented. Ushers in this situation should check the fit at least the day before the wedding so there is time to make last minute adjustments that may be required.

The following are some basic guidelines to assure a good fit

The jacket hem should be no longer than your middle finger when your hands are placed at your side.
The sleeve length should meet the top of your hand.
The shirt sleeve should extend no more than about 1/2 inch beyond the jacket sleeve.
The jacket should button comfortably at the front without the appearance of stretching.
If you raise or cross your arm there should be no indication of stretching across the back.
Trousers should skim the heel at the back and break just slightly at the front.
Tuxedos come in almost every possible size from the very large to special “junior” versions suitable for the ring bearer and other young members of your wedding party.

The Tux Alternative

If you have an aversion to tuxedos and you still want a formal look, then buy a new suit. The guidelines for selection are similar to those for selecting a tuxedo. Consider the style of the wedding, time of year and overall colour scheme. It’s hard to go wrong with a dark suit and there is a greater likelihood that groomsmen will have one of their own.

One simple way to generate unity in the men’s outfits is with the same tie and accessories. It is also advisable that the groom and his party wear a similar shirt colour and the same collar style. Get advice from a good clothier so you know what’s in style.
The groom, should arrange a dress rehearsal with just the groomsmen well before the wedding date.

Although all members of the party may have a dark suit, you must be sure that they are neither so much
out of style as to be dated and do
not have a worn-out or slept-in look. Suits should be professionally cleaned if they show signs of the last party they attended.
What’s appropriate wear for your wedding? Whatever you want as long as it is something you and bride can agree on. If the setting is a beach in midsummer, a black tux is going to seem out of place unless the setting has been made more formal. There’s nothing saying you can’t be dressed in Hawaiian shirts and shorts just make it consistent with the theme of the wedding.

Hair & Hands

Your wedding is not a time to radically change your appearance so suddenly dyeing that gray hair black or sporting a radical new haircut is not advised. Better to work with what you have. Get a haircut a couple of weeks before the ceremony to provide it with a little time to grow in.

As your hands will be seen and shaken many times throughout the day, consider a professional manicure a few days ahead.

Bringing it All Together
Here are some suggestions on how to complete your outfit and guidelines as to what’s in style.

Handkerchiefs are not worn with a boutonniere, and the ushers usually wear a flower on their jacket’s left lapel. The groom and his best man wear accessories and boutonnieres, a rose rather than a carnation, that differs from the ushers.
The wild pastel colours and flowered shirts of the 70’s are definitely out of style.
The one-button tuxedo jacket has been in style for many years and will continue to be for many more. The current style for tuxedos is a three-button, the same as is popular with suits.

Cummerbunds are not currently in style although they are still in use.
The vest has replaced the cummerbund and is a primary element of colour in the men’s outfits. Patterns such as paisley are common and add texture to the outfit.
Shoes are usually patent (high-gloss) and come in a couple of standard styles. The slightly heavier look with a rounded toe is more currently popular.

The current style is long ties as compared to bow ties. Ties can be the same pattern as the vest or may be in a plain satin. These styles can be mixed and matched.
The white jacket imparts a “forties” feel when they were very popular and is an alternative to the formality of the tuxedo. They’re more suited to warmer climates and appear little in Canada, even for summer weddings.

Tails is a jacket that is short in the front with two longer “tails” at the back. It imparts a very formal look but is not currently popular.