Black tie wedding

weiland79

So I've been invited to a black tie wedding at the end of the month. My question is in regards to the tuxedo. I'm kind of loath to rent a tux at 70euros as i have a black suit at home.
Does anyone think it will get noticed if i throw on a dress shirt and bow tie, and if it is noticed, will anyone really care?

Sky King

Buy one. You'll have it for life - the style doesn't really change and even if it does no one will know or care.

aujopimur

I just wore a black suit, it's the bowtie that gives the effect.

Snowie

weiland79 wrote: »

So I've been invited to a black tie wedding at the end of the month. My question is in regards to the tuxedo. I'm kind of loath to rent a tux at 70euros as i have a black suit at home.
Does anyone think it will get noticed if i throw on a dress shirt and bow tie, and if it is noticed, will anyone really care?

Id rent a tux look the part or look half assed and feel self concuss for the night its 70 blips stop being a tight ass and get into to character!

If you make the effort the rewards are always worth it :cool::D

Pawwed Rig

Snowie wrote: »

Id rent a tux look the part or look half assed and feel self concuss for the night its 70 blips stop being a tight ass and get into to character!

€70 is robbery for a rental. I agree with the other poster that if you buy one you will get use out of it for years as the style never changes.
Otherwise I would go with the black suit with a bow tie.

What kind of Knob would put that kind of extra pressure and expense for guests at their wedding anyway?
Get a rental and reduce the value if their gift by €70:D

BigDuffman

If you're stuck for the cash for a rental, get into Dunnes or M&S. They have dress shirts and bowties. The jackets come off once the dinners started so most people won't notice. Or places like burton, black tie or Debenhams used to sell off rentals every year. They tend to be in good condition. So keep your eyes open and buy one.

As you'll save in the long run.

Sky King

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

What kind of Knob would put that kind of extra pressure and expense for guests at their wedding anyway?

I have often wondered that myself...

?Cee?view

BigDuffman wrote: »

The jackets come off once the dinners started so most people won't notice.

Only if people have appalling manners...and unfortunately it seems a lot of people these days do! You should never take off your jacket while seated at the table having a meal.

Agree re buying one. You'll have it for years and save yourself a lot of repeated cost and hassle.

Sky King

Indeed, only scobies take off their jacket and hang it on the chair. You should leave it on.

MagicMarker

OP, just give 70 quid to charity and stay at home that night, the people getting married must be a pair of pretentious twats.

barrybones_wx

I got a very nice dress suit for 125 euro from Aston Formalware on Aston Quay in Templebar recently, very good service and very good quality - mostly wool! well worth the money. i see a lot of people wearing dress suits at winter weddings whether they're officially black tie weddings or not which i think looks great. I'll have it for years and it'll definitely pay for itself with different balls and dinners that you might end up going to over time. I'm sure you'll get something similar in lots of other places around Dublin, but definitely worth buying it if you can stretch it.

SIRREX

if you're anywhere up north ASDA are worth a look at this time of the year. They sell their party wear and a tux came in at trouser for £10 and dinner jacket £25 last year, or if the wedding is after christmas they sell the party wear off, i got the full tux for £12.25 all in last Feb 1st! I didn't need one but at that price I couldn't leave it there

BigDuffman

churchview wrote: »

Only if people have appalling manners...and unfortunately it seems a lot of people these days do! You should never take off your jacket while seated at the table having a meal.

Agree re buying one. You'll have it for years and save yourself a lot of repeated cost and hassle.

Indeed. Personally I love black tie! Was at a black tie wedding last year, nothing pretensious about it IMO. Its the brides big day and she decides how she wants her night! Fair enough if people don't have the money, but if people want to be tight not to shell out €70 for a tux as they don't agree with it I find that a lot more distasteful than people requesting black tie.

But alas considering the decline in popularity of black tie no-one knows how to go formal these days and you get mish mash of jackets on (proper order) and open necked jackets off.

My personal pet peeve is how do little skangers in suits / tux walk around with the back of their shirt tucked out!? It looks ridiculous.

Victor Meldrew

Sky King wrote: »

Indeed, only scobies take off their jacket and hang it on the chair. You should leave it on.

ditto taking the dicky-bow/bow tie off...

was at a black tie party recently, many people just wear a black tie rather than a bow tie. it's a trendy compromise and can look really slick

or get a dress shirt if you are wearing a black suit to fudge the whole "dress-suit" issue.

generally a dress suit will look better and you will have it forever. no need to spend big.

also, your dress suit is the suit that WILL have beer / wine / food spilt on it. better that happen to a cheap suit.

barrybones_wx

+1 on the skinny black tie - very smart and might make you feel a little less like a penguin if you're not used to wearing a dickie.

Lustrum

-1 for the skinny black tie. You're just going to remind everyone of Jamie redknapp and annoy them.

Man up and get that bow tie on, when was the last time you saw James Bond in a skinny tie, and look at what it does for him! (Plenty O'Toole springs to mind)

barrybones_wx

D'oh! i never thought of that - I never think of Jamie Rednapp though, his wife on the other hand... maybe there is something to be said for the skinny tie now that I think of it

Frynge

go for the bolo tie if you want to be unique

warning: not everyone can pull it off

barrybones_wx

This is the way to do it - i withdraw previous remarks on skinny ties.

http://www.jimsformalwear.com/tuxedos_western.htm

The Corinthian

I would agree with the sentiment of buying rather than renting one as one can easily buy an inexpensive one for the equivalent of four rentals and if cared for properly it will last you for life - and even be passed on to your son.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_P7yWnAAd0

If you do so, I recommend you take into account the following:

• Buy it with lots of space to 'grow' around the waist. If you're under 30 - 35, you should take into account that you're not going to stay slim for the rest of your life. So look for trousers that can be adjusted easily to take into account a future belly and consider use of either a cummerbund or waistcoat to disguise any imperfect fit.
• Buy single, rather than a double breasted jacket. Other than being more forgiving in terms of expanding (or contracting) waistline, single breasted never really goes out of fashion, double does.
• Invest in a plastic cover for storage. You may have years between uses, or months, either way proper storage protecting it from moisture and/or insects is essential. Last thing you want to do is reach for your tux on the night you're going to use it and find it's full of mould or holes.
• Use a real bow tie. Seriously, it's not difficult to learn how to do and you'll set yourself apart from all the peasants using dickie-bows, when you eventually open it up.
• Accessorize Correctly. I've already mentioned bow ties, however there's more to formal wear than the suit. Don't use a shirt that looks like (or is) a white work shirt, it's obvious. Don't use the little black 'cuff-links' that come with shirts, they just look cheap and tasteless. Polish your shoes. Gold works well in terms of male jewellery with formal wear (cuff-links, watches, etc.), as long as it is reasonably understated.
• Don't buy too cheap. I'm sure you can find them for next to nothing out there, but as with suits, the danger is that they'll start to look cheap after a few years. You don't have to break the bank when you buy one, but don't waste pounds in the pursuit of saving pennies either.