Should You Buy or Rent Your Wedding Tuxedo?

It might seem like an excessive expensive now, but investing in buying a tuxedo is a good idea before one's wedding. It is one of those items that makes a man's life so much easier than a woman's in that any formal event is likely best met with a tuxedo, whereas a woman has endless details to decide of what is too formal, too informal, too stuffy, too revealing, too old, too young, and too attention grabbing, never mind how it fits or feels when wearing it. But for the guy it is simple - the tuxedo is generally the answer for formal events. While there is always a slight risk of overdressing for an event, does James Bond ever look stupid? No, and that is in part because he got himself a GOOD, quality tuxedo. And he is English.

If you buy your own tuxedo instead of renting, the fit will be tailored to you instead of the more generic fit of a rented tuxedo. This will make you look taller and in better shape than the rented models often do. This is also an option with a good fitting suit. Investing this money in a suit that fits your body well, is made for your height and body shape might serve you better than a tuxedo that is not well fitted. A woman almost always notices a man in a well tailored suit - no matter how fat, short, bald, or unattractive he is, he just looks better, smarter and wealthier and more powerful to those around him. So a well tailored suit or tuxedo is a good option over the rented tuxedo.

Now a tuxedo is more expensive than renting - but if you take care of it and don't yo-yo diet, you should just need to ever buy the one since a classic never goes out of style. If you have occasion to wear it more than three times (like when all your other friends or family members get married) than it is cheaper to buy than to rent. Brooks Brothers makes an excellent tuxedo at a reasonable price, especially if you can find a Brooks Brothers outlet store near you. Of course, if all your other friends are already married, you can still get three uses out of a Tuxedo: consider it for your proposal or other formal wedding related event, possibly for your engagement photos if the bride is going to dress up, the Wedding itself, and a formal dinner on your honeymoon. It is likely you will have some wedding or other formal occasion that a tuxedo will serve you well no matter how informal your friends and general lifestyle is. If you find that you really are not having a use for it, a well cared for tuxedo can always be sold on eBay or given to a charity and the tax deduction will be close to the price you paid for it in the first place since it is a classic.

If you are honeymooning on a cruise or any honeymoon where formal attire is needed, the tuxedo probable meets all your formal attire needs - which is easier and cheaper than renting it for those additional honeymoon days. Get extra shirts for each day you will wear it on the honeymoon. It is worth picking up a spare shirt for the actual wedding in case you get food or other stains on yourself (such as aunt's hugging you and getting orange lipstick on your collar before your wedding photos.)
A tuxedo probably will make you look to best advantage. It is important to stick with actual classic colors not the trends. The purple tuxes of proms today will be the blue chiffon shirt of tomorrow, which only Ted Nugent and Brad Pitt in Ocean's Eleven can pull off and even they look off. The best option is likely the single breasted model with a notch lapel. This looks the most like a regular suit, so in the event that you are overdressed, you will feel the least self conscious. Another option is the shawl collar, it is dressier, but there is more likelihood of being mistaken for the waiter with this style. Stick with high quality wool but that is lightweight enough to wear year round. Ralph Lauren also makes stylish and comfortable tuxedos that look classic. Remember that if you are overdressed that you can always take off your tie, undo your tie or take off your jacket. You cannot however dress up a suit or pants and a blazer that is underdressed.

Now the extras: your choices of shirt can change, but you can choose a lay down collar or a wing tip for the fancier occasions, and wear the cummerbund with the folds facing upwards, like they are little pockets. The bride will likely want to coordinate the cumberbund to the wedding colors, so unless you want to wear the same one for the other events, get a second black one for the rest of the times you wear the tux. You do not need to rent shoes, but your shoes should be new looking, at least as black as the tuxedo is, and preferably not a flat dull black but higher grade leather or patent. If you have an office job, those shoes likely do not count.

However, some men barely have use for a suit much less a tuxedo hanging in their closet. If your friends and family are all married, you do not see any holiday or event in your future that you have the least interest in dressing up for, and formal for you and your friends is putting on the sweatpants without the holes in it, or if you truly think this is the one time you might need any fancy occasion clothes, then an investment in a good tailored suit might be a better bet for you since it will likely feel like a more formal version of yourself, and you probably will have some use for it at some time - a job interview or some else's wedding or a funeral. But before you make this decision, at least go to a store that sells tuxedos and try one on - this might be your one chance to dress like James Bond.