Tuesday, December 29, 2009

You Won: Classic Tuxedos


Adam was visiting over Christmas break.  Of course we had a great time overall, but as all couples inevitably do, we had a little fight.  And in the middle of it, the phone rang.

“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.
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Photos courtesy of:
Aaron                                      kent wang                      jscatty                 ben + sam
PetroleumJellife            louis ian riley             jscatty


13 comments:

  1. Hi, Thanks for following my blog!

    Score on the tuxedos! The style you picked out is really nice - classic. Can't wait to hear more about your wedding!

    Feel free to leave me a comment if you're ever over visiting my blog again.

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  2. Thanks, I'm thrilled with them too :)

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  3. Nice. That is a huge score and check mark on your todo list!

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  4. Thanks for the blog visit.
    The similarities between us are too weird. LOL.
    My fiance is also British and he lives in London, and me in the States. We decided to buy suits at Zara since that's their style in general so we are good there
    Congrats on winning the tux deal. I love the look you picked!

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  5. Oh wow, really? I didn't realize that when I came across your blog :) Who's going to be moving then, you or him?

    And thanks, I'm so happy that I was able to "upgrade" since I got that deal :D

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  6. Great score on the tuxes. I am your newest follower. Feel free to visit and follow my blog if you like.

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  7. Congrats on the deal! Always nice to cross something off the list. We were moving to London after the wedding (hence replanning the whole thing). All these English connections!

    Thanks for entering and good luck on the garter giveaway!

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  8. @ JEM: Thanks for stopping by! I'm following you now. Though you won't like my answer to your survey, I'm afraid.

    @ Chic: All the cool couples are transatlantic couples ;)

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  9. Awesome score on the tuxes!!!! I know how you feel though about the "winning scam" i went to a bridal show and won about 10 different prizes, but all forced me to spend money in order to get the prize......I'm pretty sure they just tell everyone they are winners :)

    and it takes away from when you really win prizes!!!!

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  10. That's awesome! We won something similar, but ended up not using it, as we wanted our guys to buy their suits.

    And, nothing better than a classic tux!

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  11. loving your blog. You commented on mine recently about the program fans that fold up. They are NOT sturdy. They are making me crazy. so I went and looked at the ones that you can buy in a kit - and they are floppy too! So I didn't feel like such a failure. LOL

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  12. Awesome deal with the tuxes !!!

    Just started following your blog.

    ~lilian~

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  13. @ Amy: Oh dear, thanks for the heads up. Do you know what pound paper you used? Maybe Staples or Kinkos could print them on heavier paper?

    @ NuFlaiir: Thanks for following :)

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I love comments, so please let me know what you think of my finds, or if you have any additional wedding tips for me!

Readers, what is your relationship status?