Official Wedding Attire Question/Answer/Picture Thread

[MrDaniels]

I agree, Number 2.

 

[pasoguava]

Edit: Moved from wrong thread.

Warning: Wall of Text Incoming

So here is yet another what-to-wear-to-my-nuptials thread. Many thanks in advance to those who feel inclined to offer input.

The Details:

When: September 14th of this year
Time of Day: 6:00 PM
Where: Outdoors on the enclosed grounds of a 1920's estate (the area is well shaded)
Reception: Indoors in a banquet hall on the grounds
Region: Bucks County, PA
Budget for full attire: $1,000-1,500

Attire options:

1.)

Navy three piece suit (most likely supplied by Kent Wang)
Tartan tie in my family's tartan as seen here:

White French cuffed shirt
Sterling links (in Scottish side's crest)
Black balmorals

2.)

Tuxedo, also most likely supplied by Kent Wang
My preference would be midnight blue as it will look good in natural light for photos (and I've wanted one ever since I saw a friend of my father's in one in 1976).
I would be wearing black accessories, of course, not ones done in the tartan.

Other factors:
1.) I wear a tux every five years or so.
2.) I wear a suit primarily socially and occasionally for work. Probably twice a month or so.
3.) The Scottish side is no longer living, so it would mean something to me to honor it by wearing the tartan, though the links could take care of that, as well.
4.) A nice tux will look fantastic because they simply do. Yet I'm not sure just how nice a tux I can acquire given my budget.
5.) Regarding future use, I suppose I could simply decide to put a tux into rotation more often. I could throw it on for a nice meal in Manhattan (where I reside), for example, but the actual odds of my doing so at this point in time are. . . indeterminate.


For those who understandably couldn't be bothered:

TLDR: For my wedding. . . tux (preferably midnight blue) from Kent Wang or three piece navy suit from Kent Wang?

Again, many sincere thanks in advance for any help.

 

[aravenel]

Well... You'll get a lot more use out of the navy suit than the tux, so take that into account. Either would be tasteful however.

 

[MrDaniels]

Is there a way you could wear a tartan sash instead of a tie? I bet a navy three-piece with a white shirt and a silver tie with a well-placed tartan sash going across the chest could be really cool.

 

[pasoguava]

Interesting idea, MrDaniels. Very intrigued, thank you. I'll definitely check that out and see if there's some sort of precedent.

 

[pasoguava]

Looked into it. Unfortunately, such a thing would entail my essentially wearing an enormous 90"x90" folded blanket over my shoulder. As it will be September, this could get toasty. Also, the tradition is generally reserved for chieftains of a clan.

Thanks for the thought, MrDaniels. Much appreciated.

 

[MrDaniels]

OK...then how about wearing the outfit as I described for the ceremony and then switching to a tartan vest for the reception?

 

[zeero3]

Both options sound like they would work. The only thing I want to note is, if you go the 3 piece navy suit route, do not wear the vest. Look formal, not businessey. If you are intent on wearing a vest, I'd suggest an odd vest in a pale color: dove gray, powder blue, buff, etc.

 

[MrDaniels]

I think a solid navy three-piece looks formal...a navy pinstripe looks like business.

 

[aravenel]



I think a solid navy three-piece looks formal...a navy pinstripe looks like business.

Definitely no pinstripes. Pinstripes are 100% business. Sorry if I missed that in OP.

 

[unbelragazzo]

Either 3-pc or odd vest are great. There's nothing too "businessy" about a 3-pc IMHO (they make 3-pces in tweed too ya know). What will everyone else wear? If it were me I'd love to wear a tux but I wouldn't want to be dressed too differently from everyone else.

 

[MrDaniels]



Looked into it. Unfortunately, such a thing would entail my essentially wearing an enormous 90"x90" folded blanket over my shoulder. As it will be September, this could get toasty. Also, the tradition is generally reserved for chieftains of a clan.

Thanks for the thought, MrDaniels. Much appreciated.

I think I know the over-the-shoulder thing you are referring to. But I was thinking about having someone make a sash, maybe four inches wide for you to wear over the vest and under the coat, going diagonally from your right shoulder to your left hip.

 

[PiCcolocV]

A charcoal tuxedo is a sort of bastardization of traditional (and frankly, pretty much defunct) morning dress, and an evening suit. It's a silly looking thing, but it is what it is. Are you guys (the OP) doing rentals or are you buying. If you are buying, even the worst suit can be made much better with the help of a good tailor. Make sure that the shoulder fits well. Everything else can be salvaged. I went onto the MW site (I'm now officially beyond saving), and there are a lot of grey and charcoal options. Maybe if you could give us a link, painful though it might be. For ties, something that has more black might work better, or something that is lighter, perhaps with some cream, depending on how dark is the actual suit.

You're not working with the best cards, but you can get things to work.

Sorry for the delay - essentially here is the current reality that I have to work with:

• This is the infamous "charcoal tuxedo" that was selected for the men in the wedding party, groom included
• I have convinced everyone to wear their own black dress shoes instead of the rentals
• The groomsmen will be in the standard charcoal waist-coat as seen in the picture on the website I linked to above
• The groom will have a light lilac with very faint floral patterning waist coat instead of charcoal
• Father of the groom will be in the same charcoal tuxedo, and wants to do a colored waistcoat as well
• Groom is 6'8" and can't be more than 165 soaking wet - very tall and slender (he did get fitted for the tux/suit already and it fortunately looks good)
• All will be wearing white tuxedo shirts, tie type/color/pattern TBD
• The wedding is a mid-day wedding Memorial day weekend, with pictures happening outside and then the reception starting mid/late-afternoon going into the night. No opportunity to change in between wedding and reception, and couple of the groomsmen wouldn't want to even if we could

So my questions are really:

• How should we approach the ties - all long? all bow? Bow for groom only, or vice versa? Color/pattern considering the rest of the outfit and when it will be worn?
• Is there a place to rent the ties you will recommend, or am I resigned to having to have the party purchase them?
• This may sound silly, but is there a place to rent a standard black dress shoe? One of my friends does not own a pair, and refuses to buy his own, so I have to come up with a solution.
• Any other guidance on ways to make the best out of what little I have to work with?

Thanks again for the help.

 

[MrDaniels]

If your friend is THAT destitute that he won't buy a pair of black shoes then get him a pair from Payless!

I would go with long ties instead of bow ties...this way the grey tuxes can look like a Morning Suit hybrid. It's the best you can do with what you are working with.

 

[unbelragazzo]

You can't rent ties. If you want to spend little, try tie bar. Shoes - buy crappy ones new or try to buy something used. I'd go long ties. Just pretend the satin stripe doesn't exist. In that same spirit, wear regular white dress shirts, not tuxedo shirts.