The Tuxedo Hunt

This past weekend was my future husband's dream - we went out to look at tuxedos.


Don't let me confuse you; the day was not without its issues. Friday night we talked about going and he suggested that we go to a men's store where you would purchase tuxedos, then worry about his groomsmen. I suggested that we go to a rental store to look for the groomsmen's attire, then find his tuxedo at the menswear store (OK - I know it doesn't make a lot of sense, but it did in my head), and he never said anything else about it. Which means, we both thought that we were going with our own plans.

We decided to go to Capra & Cavelli, as they had come highly recommended to my fiance via numerous menswear blogs on the internet. The store is smaller than I thought, but they had just the right selection of tuxedos, as my fiance had determined that a shawl collar dinner jacket would look best on his body type. I don't think it hurts that Casablanca is one of his favorite movies and Bogart wears a shawl collar. The tuxedos there were not that expensive, if you think about it. I think the least expensive was around $600, but the most was only around $1200, which means that it would pay for itself in about 5 events (at the low end).

Our salesperson, Casey, was great; he really understood what my fiance was looking for in a tuxedo. He found a book of reasonably priced accessories that even matched the colors of the wedding, if we decided to not go with a more neutral vest/cummerbund combination. Casey even advised my fiance that instead of buying the traditional patent leather tuxedo pumps, he could purchase a very nice pair of black shoes, and make sure they were shined well the day of the wedding.

The Groom's Attire

Oh my. I must admit, when I was a little girl, I didn't really "play wedding" all that much, but when I did, I certainly didn't think that much about what the groom was going to wear.

My groom, however, is putting quite a lot of thought into it. We had multiple discussion on appropriate attire. The timing of the wedding is the chief cause of concern. The ceremony will take place at two in the afternoon, but the reception won't start until six in the evening, meaning that it will be dark during the reception. If the ceremony and reception were both during the day (as my fiance has informed me), the choice would be simple: a morning coat. If both took place after sunset, a tuxedo would be more in order.

I think I may have finally convinced him that while a tuxedo would not be the traditional choice of garment, that most people, especially those attending our wedding, would find a tuxedo acceptable. Apparently, I have only just started a series of long discussion, as we must now discuss the appropriate collar, vest or cummerbund, and what the groomsmen will be wearing.