“Hi this is Classic Tuxedos. You won our raffle…”
I almost hung up the phone and said I wasn’t interested. Not only was I grumpy with Adam at the moment, but these raffle prizes turned out to be a scam every time. But I took their number and said I’d call back when I was ready to rent a tux, and when the guy said “I said you won, are you happy?” I kind of laughed to myself. The least I could do was to check the place out and learn more about what’s available.
So as I did when shopping for wedding dresses, I looked at some of the tuxes on the Classic Tuxedos website. I got a good idea of the look I wanted before I went in to rent a tux. Since I’m going for traditional and elegant they’ll be black, and I think the 2 buttoned jackets look more structured than the 1 button, and have a nicer cut than the 3 buttons. I also learned that what I consider a traditional style is called a "notch lapel."
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I knew (from the bridal shows) that the shirt was supposed to be off white like my dress so my dress won’t look dingier by comparison. Otherwise, no frills, just very classic. I wasn’t sure if Adam wanted a purple handkerchief or something; he didn’t have any requests when I told him I was going, all I got was a, “Good luck.” I’m sure he was just happy I was willing to rent a tux for him so he didn’t have to try to handle it from across the ocean. And I could guess that he didn't want anything that stands out as being very "different" looking.
So I went in to Classic Tuxedos find out what this “deal” was. I was prepared for this to be another sale masked as a prize, but learned that I had actually won one rental for free, plus the rest of the tuxedo rentals were 50% off.
Score!
The next hurdle was the fact that I didn’t have a date yet. But the guy said that was perfectly fine! Of course he wanted to put a date into the computer, but I just need to call to move it once we set the date.
My next worry was getting the right sizes and fits. The guy said that they could go to any tailor in the U.S. get fitted, and send in the sizes, so if they don’t live nearby, no problem.
“Except they live in England.” I waited for him to balk.
“Oh wow. Okay, no problem, you can convert the sizes and send them in…”
No date no problem, overseas no problem, and over half off. I LIKE this guy.
He helped me choose a style once I told him about the buttons and lapel and the fact that it’s going to be in the summer, he helped me choose a style. It’s an AMAZING style. As much as I love my wedding dress, I think Adam might end up showing me up on our wedding day.
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I picked out shoes (I didn’t know shoes, shirt, socks, vest, and tie were all going to come included at Classic Tuxedos!) I learned that the groom’s tie and vest would be ivory and the others would be black. That was fine with me. The only other thing that I was unsure about was the style of tie. He confirmed the same thing as a coworker told me: bow ties are out. That’s fine with me. But he told me, “Since your fiancé is European, you might want to go with an ascot. That’s more the done thing over there.” I took a look, and I just wasn’t that impressed. Since he said I could change anything as long as it was three months before the wedding, I went with regular ties. Later when I asked Adam what he prefers, he told me he didn’t know what an ascot was. I guess it’s not that common in Europe then!
So that was another big CHECK on the bridal to do list. It feels a little weird doing everything in the “wrong” order. I got the dress, then rented tuxedos, and then later on we’ll set a date. It sounds crazy, but I just get scared that once Adam DOES get a visa, we’ll be pressed for time. So why NOT get our attire now? Better to do it way in advance than to scramble and have to compromise on style and cost if I leave it until later.
So that was another big CHECK on the bridal to do list. It feels a little weird doing everything in the “wrong” order. I got the dress, then rented tuxedos, and then later on we’ll set a date. It sounds crazy, but I just get scared that once Adam DOES get a visa, we’ll be pressed for time. So why NOT get our attire now? Better to do it way in advance than to scramble and have to compromise on style and cost if I leave it until later.
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