The Elusive “Tan Suit”
November 13th, 2006 @ 2:48 pm by Mrs. Hibiscus
It’s quite common in this day and age for brides to stray from the classic black tux. Now brides are opting for alternatives - from suits in every color imaginable to even linen pants and a white button down shirt in destination weddings.
Since we’re getting married on the beach, I looked at every source of inspiration I could find. When I told my fiance I wasn’t fond of a black tux on on the beach, he was actually excited to wear a tan suit. His dream: a light tan Hugo Boss suit retailing at $800. I didn’t want to rain on his parade, but that is a whole lotta money to spend on the groom’s attire. It just isn’t in our budget. I did however find that Jim’s Formal Wear rents out tan suits specifically targeting the growing Destination Bride population.
The problem was temporarily solved… until it dawned on me that I wanted my groom to stand out a little bit from his groomsmen. So the plan became to rent groomsmen suits from Jim’s Formal Wear and find a lighter tan suit for Mr Hibiscus.
I searched far and wide for alternatives for my groom: Banana Republic, J Crew, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Men’s Wearhouse and 3 Day Suit Broker. The only problem is there are very few tan suits period, and my fiance is a size 42L which apparently doesn’t have very many options. We ended up purchasing a casual tan suit from Macy’s. It was nice… but something didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like “the one.”
The next day we went to Nordstrom Rack to search for a white tie (a whole other story) and decided to check out the suits. Of course there was nothing in 42L. We headed for the ties but Mr. Hibiscus wanted to search one last time and accidentally found a HUGO BOSS tan suit in 42L mistakenly put in the 44R rack. Hooray! The greatest thing is it was only $320!
When he tried it on (it was the cutest thing) he looked in the mirror and said, “I feel like a million bucks! This is THE ONE! This is what I want to wear when I marry you.” A girl standing beside me waiting for her boyfriend squealed, “Awwwwww!” haha. Now to find the even more elusive striped white tie!
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15 Responses to “The Elusive “Tan Suit””
I was quite amused to read this post. “It’s quite common for BRIDES to stray from the classic black tux”? Who is wearing this suit? Not the bride, right? Does the groom get any say in what he’s wearing in most weddings? From the way you phrased it, it doesn’t sound like it! We have barely begun to plan our wedding but my fiance is going to be quite involved in the planning, and he will certainly choose his attire! We’ve already decided our level of formality (not at all) and I wouldn’t dream of telling my darling man what he has to wear. He’s a grownup, he can choose. He picks out his clothes all by himself the rest of the time, too. 
so happy that he found THE suit! and at such a great price.. (and he can definitely wear it again and again after the wedding, which is something that us brides can’t say about our dresses..)
Awww…what a cute story!
That’s adorable! I’m glad he found “the ONE.” 
And Pencils, I do think it’s quite common for brides to choose the attire of the groom. I agree that my FI is a grownup and is perfectly capable of choosing his own attire, and so he is. However, an astonishing number of my married friends have dictated what their grooms wore, so I know it DOES in fact happen. To each their own.
I would have bought him the suit even if it was $800 (of course a discount is always better).. but by chance, there was no discount.. The groom is just as important as the bride.. the bride can spend over $1000 on a white gown that she will only wear ONCE, and the groom’s suit costing maybe $800 is too much? i think that’s a bit unfair.. the groom’s suit will probably be worn more than once, making it much more rational a buy economically than a Bride’s gown.. i’m just saying..
i agree with pencils. one might assume the groom gets no say ever. im sorry to say it, but i found the comment about the original cost of the suit to be, well.. a little bridezillaish. dont get me wrong, im really glad your fiance was able to find the suit he really wanted at a price less than half the price, but why is 800 too much for grooms attire? maybe that is an expensive suit but isnt the grooms’ attire just as much a priority in the budget as the brides dress is? if it were me i would have reworked the budget to fit it in… its a suit that he would wear many times over and he loves. in comparison, no matter how beautiful and how perfect the bride’s wedding dress is, the cost is almost never ever justified w/ regards to practicality. and not to mention often times significantly more expensive..
Maybe Hugo Boss suits in a tan color are more expensive? My DH bought his Hugo Boss charcoal gray suit at around $600+ with alterations included during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. He doesn’t have any suits and figured it was a good opportunity to buy a good versatile one that would last him a long time.
I do agree with ck that the cost of wedding dress is never justified in terms of practicality but there are tons of brides out there who buy Reems (or some other really expensive designer dress) and their FIs rent from After Hours or similar. So it definitely happens a lot. Probably due to the hype of weddings and dresses and how everyone’s attention is on the bride on a wedding day!
that story is just too cute! i’m glad you found such a great deal!
sometimes i forget that the guys have dreams about the weddings just like us. this is a totally cute story. i love it
i thought of u when i saw this drink:
awww that is just such a cute story!
heehee I didn’t mean to stir controversy on the boards. hehehe Of course grooms should get a say in what they wear!! Mr. Hibiscus is very involved and I value his opinion SOOO much…maybe a little too much. Also, most grooms rent a tux so we didn’t figure buying a suit into the budget….(my dress cost less than the original Hugo Boss suit). So…. sorry if I offended anybody. I’m really not a Bridezilla
It’s OK, Miss Hibiscus, I wasn’t offended, I was amused. It IS kind of funny, when you think of it. Considering how much the average bridal gown costs, and it will be worn once, spending $800 on a man’s suit that can be worn many times afterward seems like a reasonable expense–not even a wedding expense, necessarily. But, then, I think spending thousands of dollars on a dress if you’re not independently wealthy is a bit ridiculous. Even if it is your wedding day. I can’t imagine spending more than $600-700 for mine, and, yes, I have a couple in mind (mostly Watters from Netbride). I just have other things to do with that money, no matter how beautiful Jenny Packham’s dresses are! This is only my opinion, however. YMMV.
And I don’t think you’re a Bridezilla, far from it. I’ve enjoyed your posts. However, this is the sort of thing in modern weddings that has led to the Bridezilla stereotype–that the bride must control every aspect of “her” day down to the font choice on the personalized napkins. The groom isn’t just something else to be decorated and personalized in the bride’s chosen color scheme of blush and bashful, he’s half of the reason for the occasion. I think so many brides have internalized this sort of thing that now it’s a normal part of weddings. Well, not in mine.
I was a tan suite guy myself, and its never how much you pay - it just right when its right. I was a broke art student, but I still found the threads that made me feel like James bond in greece. And since i still wear the suite for summer occaisons, it still gives me ( and my wife ) warm fuzzies on those summer evening dates.
And Boss does make the nicest lightweight suiting out there - superb choice my man!
Mrs. Hibiscus, Orange County
Age and Occupation in 06: 25, Eyebal Doc
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Commerical Underwriter
Engagement Date: September 26, 2004
Wedding Date: July 7, 2007
Venue: Laguna Beach on the beach, reception on a yacht in Newport Beach
About Me: I'm an eyeball doc. Normal is boring. I'm a hat person and a cat person. I'm in love (so very very in love). I'm a dreamer. I want to change the world. Superheroes are my friends. Kindness is contagious. Music is in my heart. Carpe diem.
Whoa that’s awesome! Talk about fate