Weddingbee Blog

You know one thing I don’t really care about? Men’s fashion.

Okay, okay, I suppose I do care that Mr. CA doesn’t leave our house dressed like a slob. But, I don’t really need to worry about it—I know he would never do that. Let’s be honest, he has way more style than I do. And because I bought him a subscription to GQ (you’re welcome, Mr. CA!) and he wears a suit every day for work, he knows what looks good, both on him and on other people. Well, I like to think so, anyway. Since I trusted him to do a good job with the boys’ suits, I happily handed over the reins for the groomsmen’s and groom’s outfits to Mr. CA.

Well, let’s be honest—I maintained right of refusal because at this point we all know how much of a control-freak I am, yes? Yes. But still. Trust.

We both knew going into the process that we didn’t want tuxes:

• The ones we actually liked were way too formal for our wedding
• The black tuxes would clash and look a bit stark with our slightly more muted palette
• We didn’t like any of the grey tuxes we encountered during our brief research

Three strikes, and tuxes were out. That was easy! Moving on…

At first, I had wanted to go with vests for the groomsmen, with Mr. CA wearing a matching, or similar, suit. However, that idea was quickly nixed—Mr. CA was not a huge fan of the look, and thought it would be too informal for our wedding. He also was worried that it would look too dated in, say, 37 years.

{Photography by Lizelle Lotter, via Ruffled Blog}

I think they look sharp, but, alas, I had relinquished control of the men’s attire. So, we moved on to suits. And by we, I mean Mr. CA. (But really, I mean we.) Beautiful, beautiful suits. Slim-fit, light-grey, sharp-looking suits.

Honestly, I think Mr. CA and I had been on the same page all along regarding attire for the men, and there wasn’t really a question of what the men would wear—we both thought that suits looked sharp and sleek, but weren’t too formal, that light grey would work best with the soft lavender of the bridesmaid dresses, and the color could also be versatile enough that the boys could wear the suits again. Because, as much as I love a good seersucker or tan suit, they just didn’t fit with our wedding vibe, and the boys couldn’t exactly wear them to work.

{Photography by Chad Cress, via Ruffled Blog}

Mr. CA scoured the internet for nice, cheap-ish men’s suits. This was the tricky part! We made many, many visits to Macy’s, and other menswear stores, in search of the perfect suit. He didn’t want the boys to spend a lot of money on the suits, but he also wanted the suits to look good, fit well, and be well-made. For some of the men, this would be their only suit! So, while he didn’t want them to break the bank, he still wanted a suit that they could wear again. More easily said than done.

{Photography by He and She Photography, via Style Me Pretty}

And believe me, we spent a long time searching for that perfect suit. A looooong time. As in, I was getting worried that the boys would be walking down the aisle in boxers and tees on the big day. But, since I had relinquished control of the whole she-bang to Mr. CA, I just let it roll off me, and let him handle it.

Luckily, during one of our many visits to Macy’s to check out suits, we were informed of an awesome, super sale that was coming up. Coincidentally, that same visit, we found the perfect suit for the groomsmen! It was slim-fitting, looked nice, and was the perfect color. And the best part? Super sale.

{Alfani RED Suit Separates, Grey Sharkskin Slim Fit, via Macy’s}

So, Mr. CA sent out a mass email, the guys all went out to Macy’s and were fitted, and, just like that, the men were set! Well, except for Mr. CA, who will be wearing a slightly different suit. More on that to come!

Mr. CA and I are happy because the groomsmen’s suit is exactly what we were looking for. The groomsmen are happy because they shelled out just a bit more than they would have for a tux rental, but they get a nice new suit out of it. Win win, right?

Did you have a long-winded, but fairly simple, search for groomsmen suits? Did you let your significant other handle the attire for their bridal party, or did you maintain control of it?

For the boys in your wedding party, are you going with something a bit untraditional, like vests, suspenders, or just a plain button-up? Or, are you going the more classic route with tuxes? I am seriously digging all of the options out there for men these days!