When selecting the perfect wedding tux, it’s important to take into consideration how formal your wedding will be. And yes, all weddings tend to be more formal than other events in your life, but there are different levels of formal. And these are basically determined by how your fiancée has planned the wedding including the type of dress she’s wearing, the location of the ceremony and reception and the type of caterer she has picked.
Renting a wedding tux consists of carefully selecting several components including a jacket, shirt, pants, vest or cummerbund, shoes and tie. You may even want to rent cuff links and possibly socks to make sure you match perfectly. It’s important to make sure you put some thought into the selection of each of these if you want to look as handsome, classy and put together as possible. A sales associate at the tux shop can help you with this, but it’s always a good idea to enlist the help of your fiancée because it’s likely she already has an idea of how she would like you to look in your wedding tux on the special day.
Jackets can come in different styles as can shirts. Take a look at some wedding tux catalogs to get an idea of what’s available before you step into the store. You can also find some helpful images by doing a search for wedding tuxes online. This will give you and your bride an idea of what you both like and what would work well on that special day. It can also give the sales associate some guidance of what direction to take you.
Be aware that although a wedding tux may look great in a picture, it may not look so great once it gets on your body. Every person has a different body shape suited to different styles of clothing. So make sure you have a few ideas and aren’t set on just one wedding tux style.
While there’s quite a bit of variety in wedding tux jackets and shirts, the pants – also called trousers – are pretty basic. Basically, they have to match the jacket you’ve chosen and most jackets have one pair of pants that look the best with them. Wedding tux trousers tend to have a classic racing stripe down the leg.
The easiest way to make a personal statement with your tuxedo is with the vest or cummerbund. Cummerbunds are oversized patches of silk that look like belts and are worn above the tuxedo pants. A vest is like a sleeveless, collarless jacket made out of thinner fabric. While you have a choice of color and style in this area, exercise this freedom with caution. You can always play it safe with black or white. Groomsmen can have vests or cummerbunds that match the bridesmaids. Or you can go with silver or gold. For yourself, try to choose a vest or cummerbund that’s different from your groomsmen to help you stand apart from your attendants.
Vests tend to be classier, but if you insist on wearing a cummerbund, make sure the pleats are facing up like little pockets.