Tuxedo bootcamp

The groom may feel like a prop compared to his lovely bride, but he (and his groomsmen) has still got to dress the part. And while brides have it easy because they know from the start that their wedding dress will cost a fortune and be impossible to find, it's not easy for the groom to navigate cummerbunds, bowties, ascots, morning coats and all the other foreign words associated with wedding attire for men. So let's get into it.

What the groom and groomsmen wear to the wedding depends entirely on the occasion itself and what the bride wants the groom to wear. The good news is that the bride has been visualizing her wedding for a long time, be it an ultra-formal, ultra-traditional white tie event, a morning wedding or a beach wedding. Each of these types of weddings require different wedding wear for the groom and groomsmen. Our aim is to show you that not every wedding needs to be black tie, and that even if you're doing something very traditional, there's room for a bit of creativity within the bounds of that slightly itchy, chemically-treated, rental tuxedo you're contemplating.

Of course, we begin with one the groom's duties: get his groomsmen suited up for the wedding. It's a vastly more important task than figuring out the differences between a long tie, bow tie or ascot. Why? Because it's the groom who will have to deal with "Paul", his groomsman, who's habitually late for events, forgetful, and likely to forget to bring his rented bow tie. Sound familiar? The groom will be able to ease some his bride's anxieties by learning a bit about the ins and outs of wedding attire.

* How to get the groomsmen outfitted in tuxedos, painlessly
* An intro to formal wear for the groom:
o Tuxedo Jacket
o Pants
o Shirts
o Ties
o Cufflinks
o Shoes (and socks)
o What the hell is a cummerbund and do you need one?
o Boutonnieres (aka the only flowers a groom needs to think about)
* Morning coats
* Wearing a suit instead of a tuxedo
* Whether to buy or rent a tux
* If you're buying a tux, whether to get it custom-made or off the rack tuxedo
* Beach wedding attire (you lucky bastard!)