Cummerbund or vest? Open or closed collar? Real bow tie or clip-on?

With all the decisions to be made regarding the bridesmaid dresses (Did we want strapless? No. Did we want long? Yes.), I forgot about the other half of the wedding party: the groomsmen.

Luckily, Ron has it all taken care of.

Okay, not really. He’s needed help, and my bridezilla tendencies have kicked in. I’m thinking classic black tux, black vest, white shirt, and a black bow tie for the groomsmen. Maybe a white vest and a white bow tie for Ron?

First off, when the groom has groomsmen scattered up and down the Eastern Seaboard, coordinating the attire is not the easiest feat. There are few establishments that rent tuxedoes to begin with—aside from those cheesy prom franchises found in just about every shopping mall. Does anyone know of a decent place to rent tuxedos other than Men’s Wearhouse? I’ve heard both good and bad things about it. 

Second, choosing a tux is not the easiest decision. It seems like many rental places require you to make a decision based on a picture in a catalog; you can’t see the actual tux on the man you’re marrying. So far, tuxedo shopping is not nearly as fun as wedding-dress shopping.

Third, what do you do if your man already owns a tux (as Ron does), but you want him to look exactly the same as his groomsmen, who don’t own tuxes? Chances are he’ll look better in a tux that’s custom-altered for him versus a rental.

As of right now, it looks like we’re going to go with Men’s Wearhouse, but Ron has promised to do some additional research. We need to make a decision soon, though, because our wedding date is at the height of prom season and we don’t want a bunch of teens to take all the best tuxedoes.

Seriously, though, Men’s Wearhouse has a pretty convenient package. One price gets you the tux, shirt, vest, suspenders, and shoes. We’ll probably add the real bow ties (Ron hates the clip-ons) for an additional charge of about $20, but the groomsmen get to keep them. It’s convenient because Ron can go to one of the stores here in Philly and set up the package, and then his groomsmen can get measured and pick up their tuxes wherever they like.

Ron and I found one Calvin Klein tuxedo that seems to match the one he owns. It’s just so hard to tell from a catalog!

Eleni, a local bride-to-be, writes every Wednesday about planning her wedding, which will be in Washington in the spring. To follow her adventures from the beginning, click here.

If you like reading about Eleni, make sure to check out our other blogging bride-to-be, Lisa Marie, who writes every Friday. Follow her adventures here.