Dressing the Dudes…Part 1

One thing I’ve been continually putting off is the issue of dressing up the guys. You’d think this would be a rather simple decision…and I suppose it could be. Just throw them in some tuxedos, right?

Mmmm not so much! I think a tuxedo is very nice, but it really doesn’t go with the overall look for the wedding. We want everything to be semi-formal. So…it looks like we’re going to have to opt for some suiting!

I think that having the groomsmen purchase a suit has many advantages! If we time their purchase correctly and get a good sale, it could cost approximately the same price as a tuxedo rental (yeah those babies are not cheap!!!). Although, unlike the tuxedo, the guys will get to keep them, and potentially wear them again. Both of Justin’s brothers wear suits (or at least nice trousers, shirt, and tie) for work, so we are confident that at least two of them will put a suit to good use after the wedding is said and done.

So, we hit the ‘net, and started to search high and low for some reasonably priced options!

J Crew

Well, if money were no object (and believe me, I wish that were the case…), without a doubt, the dudes would be dressed in the Aldridge suit in charcoal pinstripe. Yum. But, a $365 coat and $175 pants are quite an investment…and that doesn’t include a shirt and tie! Single tear…moving on…

I’ll save the gory details of the countless sites we investigated and get to the point! Surprisingly, Justin managed to get into the suit hunt, and stumbled upon Jos. A. Banks. There were a ton of options on the site, and luckily, we have one right down the road from us! So, we headed over to the store to see the suits in person.

One thing we knew for sure from the start: Justin needs a tailored/slimmer fit suit. He has broad shoulders and a small waist, so sometimes with regular suit coats, they can look boxy on him. Thankfully, Jos. A. Banks just came out with a new suit style: the Traveler Tailored Fit suit. We like that it is wrinkle resistant, stain resistant, and it is wool (nice quality!). It comes in a plethora of colors/textures, but we decided that we love the gray microcheck…it is softer than black, but it is still a very nice dark suit, and I love me some texture in clothing!

Jos. A. Banks

And, you want to know what is amazing about this??? They informed us that Jos. A. Banks typically holds “buy 1 suit, get 2 free” sales pretty often. What?!?! That…is…amazing! Although it would take some coordination between the guys, if we purchased the suits together, we could score the suits at around $233 a piece!

So, there you have it…decision is made (for now)! We are planning on purchasing the groomsmen’s shirts and ties as a gift, so I’m going to be on the lookout for some fun combinations soon!

What are you dressing the guys in? Did you opt for a traditional tuxedo, or decide on something different?