Everything You Always Wanted To Know About The Tuxedo...
...but were afraid to ask

The bride and bridesmaids have chosen their gowns and now it is time for the men in the wedding to choose their special attire for the wedding. It is important that the groom stands out on his wedding day, while coordinating with the other men in the wedding party. A nice way to distinguish the groom, groomsman, ushers and fathers from each other is through their ties and vests/cummerbunds.

One suggestion is to have the groom in a white or ivory tie and vest/cummerbund with tails, the groomsman with ties and vests/cummerbunds matching the bridesmaids colors with tails. Another is to have the ushers with ties and vests/cummerbunds matching their tuxedos with tails and the fathers with matching ties and vests/cummerbunds matching their tuxedos with no tails.

The tuxedo shop you choose to go with will be able to help you decide on the look you would like to have. Every year the tuxedo factories create new and different styles. The most important thing is that you choose a tuxedo that is comfortable and suits your style. Tuxedo hops will allow you to try on the tux you wish to order. As with the bridesmaids trying on their dresses, formalwear may look different on than in the picture. It is also important to consider and inform your tuxedo consultant the size and shapes of your attendants when choosing the formalwear. This will ensure a proper fitting tuxedo for all the attendants.

The process of ordering tuxedos is fairly simple. It is important to have the name, address, and phone numbers of the attendants. You will need to complete an order form at the formal shop. Most formalwear shops require a 50% deposit to order each tuxedo. When the attendant is measured or sends his measurements, they should also pay the deposit. This will eliminate last minute hounding and phone calls for the money.

You should begin looking for the formalwear at least six months before the wedding and have the order completed at least one month before the wedding. This will allow the tuxedo shop enough time to place the order and confirm it with you. The tuxedos will generally arrive in the shop the Thursday before the wedding. I would suggest to immediately try on the tuxedos because if there are any changes that need to be made, the consultant may have the exchanges for you on Friday. The tuxedos are usually required to be returned on Sunday or Monday. If the returns are late, their may be penalty fees added to each tuxedo. Most tuxedo shops will be able to correct long pants or sleeves on premises, however, they may need to re-order the pieces from the factory. In the event of having to replace an attendant at the last minute, many tuxedo shops will be able to accommodate your needs.

It will relax the groom and bride at the rehearsal if they know all formalwear is complete and ready for the wedding day. Most weddings involve a couple of attendants from out-of-town, in this case, these attendants may have to wait until the last minute to finalize their fittings. For this reason, it is important to have all in-town attendants taken care of as soon as possible.

When the wedding is over and you are done with the tuxedo, assemble it back onto the hanger and place all the accessories back into the bag. If you are not able to return your tuxedo because you need to leave town, ask another attendant to return your rental. In this case, I would suggest you place all the rental items together and place your name on the tuxedo. This will ensure that you will not be charged for any missing items from your order. Most tuxedo factories scan their merchandise and they know which person has rented it, however, mistakes may be made. Therefore, all rental items from tuxedos to accessories must be returned or the company will charge you for the missing pieces. It is considered retail theft if rental merchandise is not returned.

By choosing the right tuxedo shop and sales consultant, your attire will be a piece of cake. Your sales consultant should be able to tell you about the stores policies as well as offering you fashion ideas. The following information will allow you to be informed about your decision concerning your formalwear.

The Jacket:  Most jackets may appear to be the same, but they actually have many differences.
These differences begin with the lapels, pockets and style.

Lapels - pieces of fabric that extend from the collar and lay folded back on the chest

Peaked - a cut in the lapel that points upward and adds a broad V-line look

Notched - a triangular piece in the lapel is cut at the collar and points outward

Shawl - a rounded collar with a smooth look

Pockets - may be flapped or have a decorative border design at the top. A nice accent to the pockets is the addition of the pocket square. You may coordinate the pocket square with the wedding colors to match the ties and vests/cummerbunds.

There are four types of folding for the pocket squares.

Multipronged - this elegant fold looks like three points

Pouf - this is more of an informal fold which looks like it is softly stuffed into the pocket

Square-ended - this is the most common fold in which it is a square neatly placed into the pocket

Triangle - like the square, this shape is neatly folded into a triangle and placed into the pocket.

And then there are the different looks.

Single-Breasted - a coat with one vertical row of buttons that close in the front

Double-Breasted - a coat with two rows of vertical buttons one will close in the front

Tails - a formal coat that is cut up in the front and has two extended pieces of fabric in the back

Cutaway/Morning Coat - a long coat that tapers from the waistline to one large tail in the back

Stroller - a semiformal coat that is worn in the daytime

Spencer - an open coat that is cut right at the waistline

Dinner Jacket - a tuxedo coat in white, ivory or colors and usually with black pants.

Most tuxedo shirts are white or ivory, however, some tuxedo companies now have printed, black and denim shirts.
All shirts have buttons and they may be enhanced with the addition of studs and cufflinks.
Studs replace the buttons and are usually pearl or black with gold or silver backing.
Cufflinks detail the cuffs of the shirts and match the studs.
Studs and Cufflinks are often referred to as the "jewelry" of the accessories.

Pleated Shirt - wide or narrow pleats with your choice of a collar

Wing - collar has downward points

Spread - collar like a business shirt

Mandarin - collarless shirt that requires to have a button cover to dress it up

Double-pleated - two pleats in front of pant with a satin stripe on the side

Peg Leg - cut wide at the thighs and taper at the ankle for a narrow look

Bow tie - resembles a bow fairly standard wedding tie

Four-in-Hand - resembles a business tie

Ascot - broad neck scarf fastened with a stick pin usually worn with a cutaway coat

Bolo - thin woven leather piece with a decorative medallion on it

Cross - small piece of short fabric that crosses over at the neck and snaps

Each tuxedo shop will have many choices of shoes. It is your choice to choose which ones you would like to have.
All shoes tend to fit the same way. However, the more decorative you get, the more of an increase in price they will have.

Slip on loafers - shiny pattern leather resembling loafers

Tie - lace up

Cummerbund - coordinates with a bowtie in color wraps around the waist

Vest - coordinates with bowtie covers majority of the chest

Hat - cowboy or top hat

Cane - matches the color of the tuxedo

Gloves - matches the color of the tuxedo

Suspenders - adds novelty to the tuxedo

Socks - matches the shoes

The following suggestions are only guidelines for the grooms attire.

Informal Wedding - Business Suit or Single/Double Breasted Tuxedo

Semi-Formal - Formal Tuxedo (day) or Dinner Jacket and matching pants (night)

Formal - Cutaway or Stroller Jacket (day) or Full Dress Black (night)

Very Formal - Cutaway with Ascot and Gloves (day) or Black Cutaway with striped pants, Ascot and Gloves

This article originally appeared here.

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