Formalwear Options

Selecting the Perfect Formalwear

A beautifully dressed bride requires a handsomely suited groom. Formal wear should be selected based on formality of the wedding. When choosing a tux, keep in mind the time of day and the season in which the wedding will take place. A morning wedding with a brunch reception will require much less formal attire than a late evening ceremony and formal sit-down dinner. Keep in mind the style and formality of the bride and her attendants’ attire to choose formalwear that corresponds appropriately. An experienced formal wear shop can guide you successfully through all these choices.

The basic elements of a groom’s outfit may include any of the following: a jacket, pants, shirt, bow tie or ascot, cumberbund or vest, suspenders, pocket-handkerchief, socks and shoes. Special shoes are often worn with tuxedos and can be found at formalwear shops for purchase or rental.

Traditionally, every man in the wedding party dresses alike. However, the groom may dress differently to distinguish himself from the other men in the wedding party. These days, there are numerous options to fill out the groom’s attire for his special day. In additions to all the new types of styling and fabrics for today’s tuxedos, there are also great new high-fashion accessories including ties, suspenders, cumberbunds, shirts that preclude bow ties, cuff links and shirt studs in almost any style you can imagine. Choose designs and accessories that suit your own personal style and express your personality. And remember, if you prefer to play it safe, a traditional black and white tuxedo ensemble never goes out of style, giving you the added confidence that you will look your best on your wedding day.

As with the dresses for the bridal party, bridal magazines and fashion shows always include the latest in men’s formal wear. Keep this in mind while flipping through them and don’t hesitate to bring a copy to your local formalwear shop.

How a Tuxedo Should Fit:

• The coat’s armholes must allow free movement of the arms and should not feel snug.
• The coat sleeve should reveal 1/2 inch of the shirt cuff.
• The hem of the coat reaches to the curl of the fingers when arms are held down at the sides.
• The coat lays smoothly across the back.
• The trousers are hemmed evenly with the top of the heel of the shoes in back. In front, they should barely break, resting on the top of the shoes.

Stay on TimeVisit the formal wear shop about three months before the wedding. Bring along swatches of the bridesmaids’ gowns if you plan to coordinate the groomsmen’s tuxes. While formal wear shops will provide you with measurement forms for out-of-town grooms and attendants to fill out, this is often not preferred as it is easy to confuse measurements or mismeasure. For the best fit possible, get the groom and his men into the shop to be measured in person. The groom and his attendants usually pick up the tuxes a few days before the wedding. Most formal wear stores ask that the garments be returned the next business day. Since the groom may be on his honeymooning by then, the best man or other reliable family member is given this responsibility.

Returning FormalwearMost formal wear must be returned to the formal wear shop on the Monday or Tuesday after the wedding. Make sure all the men in the wedding party know the return date and where to make the return.

Have one person - father of the groom, the best man, or a trusted friend - collect all tuxedos following the wedding and return them all at one time. This facilitates tuxedo return for out of town members of the wedding party.