Yes, we’re covering two topics in one post. I’m a multi-tasker that way.
Before I get to either of these topics, however, I gotta backtrack a little bit and tell you how we got to making decisions on what Mr. A will be wearing and where we’ll be spending our wedding night…because we’re getting both for a STEAL.
At the beginning of February, Mr. A and I (along with my parents) attended our city’s annual charity ball, held every year in our reception venue. Proof of our attendance, you ask? Sure, no prob:
BM Mascara, Mama Dillo, and me all gussied up! The theme was “The Black and White Ball.”
Mama Dillo photobombing Mr. A. She was doing this all night long after I told her what it was called.
Papa Dillo hamming it up for the camera
My classy parents. They’re good lookin’ people, I tell ya.
A decent shot of Mr. A and me. They increasingly got worse as the night went on…
10:00 PM…
Midnight…
1:00 AM. Clearly we’re just a couple of lightweights. 
OK, OK, I’ll stop with the pictures. And this post has a point, I promise!! Every year at the charity ball, businesses and establishments around town donate items for the silent auction. Up for bid that night was a “night on the town” package, which included a tuxedo rental for up to $150 at the local tux shop plus a one-night stay in a king suite at the local Hampton Inn. This was easily a $275 value, and we ended up winning the package for $105! I know you’re not supposed to go into a silent auction with getting a deal in mind, but ours worked out that way, and I couldn’t have been more psyched by the end of the night. The even better deal is that all proceeds from the silent auction went to foster growth in organizations and institutions in our community like our public library, Boys and Girls Club, children’s museum, and pregnancy center. Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than supporting your community WHILE saving money on your wedding.
As for the tuxedo Mr. A chose for himself and his groomsmen? Well, that would be the Jean Yves Steel Grey Tuxedo with the matching flat-front pants and matching vest, which will go fabulously with his snazzy purple tie we’re getting from Dessy that matches our bridesmaid dresses:
Image via Jim’s Formal Wear
And remember how I talked about getting mismatched ties for his groomsmen? We ordered those, too. Here are the ones we ended up with:
Ties via The Tie Bar / Compiled by Miss Armadillo
As far as wedding-night accommodations go, we already used our certificate we won at the silent auction to book a swanky king suite at the Hampton Inn for after we leave our reception. The only kinda bizarre thing is that our photographer, my grandparents, and other family are also staying at the Hampton Inn that night…it would be kind of weird to run into them, but then again, I doubt it’ll be a problem. Eeek, I’m so excited! Eighteen days left until we say “I do”!
So, hive, what about you? Any of you win a wedding-related item in a contest, sweepstakes, or auction? Anyone end up saving money in unconventional ways?
Ohh that’s a great deal! And I love the tie colors, they make me so happy – your wedding is going to be so colorful and pretty! Also, Hampton Inn has the bestttt hot breakfasts 
Love the ties! Bright green just makes me happy Glad you found a great deal!
That is a fabulous deal! Also – I love the ties. I may need to steal that idea!
What an awesome deal made even better by going to a good cause! I’m also in love with those green ties, what a nice compliment to the grey tuxes!
i love your mismatched ties! tie bar was where we got our stuff too.
and i love the tux – that will look great with the shot of purple. the image is pretty awesome – what event are those two going to?
Whoaaa now I’m obsessed with the tie website you linked to. I have been looking for a tie for Mr. Lemur and I’m pretty sure I found it there! You’re the best!
And congrats on the awesome deal plus giving money to a great cause!
Plus one to Mrs. Wallaby. The Hampton Inn has amazing breakfast! I believe me and my girls are sharing a room at the Hampton Inn the night before the wedding. 2 of them live an hour and a half away and I live 25 minutes from the venue, so it’s easier just to stay in town than drive back after the rehearsal and again the next morning. And of course, we want the breakfast!
What a deal!
My husband wore that tux just last month. The boys kept the matching vest he went with a pewter. They all had striped bow ties. His a bit lighter than theirs in greys, blacks, whites and silver. They looked good! So yeah, nice choice! Haha.
http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/post-the-most-recent-photo-of-you-and-your-so/page/2#axzz2LpNIS1SP there is a photo in this post of us maybe a 1/3 of the way down if you are interested in seeing it.
That is so awesome! You can’t really get any better than that! And it makes more sense now of why you’d be combining two seemingly-unrelated topics into one post.
Just as an aside, I don’t think it’d be *too* weird to run into guests and/or family members at the hotel. In my (very limited, mind you) experience, most newlyweds stay at the same hotel as all of the guests at the wedding, family and friends alike. Par for the course!
This is an AWESOME deal, btw, and I think it’s great you were able to support local organizations at the same time. Super win.
That is super awesome!! I agress with Miss Palm Tree, it shouldn’t be too weird, we plan on staying at the same place as our hotel block since we get a free room with 10 reservations.
What a fantastic deal!! And don’t be freaked out in regards to running into your family–most of our guests are staying at the same hotel as us. In fact, at all the weddings I’ve been to so far that required spending a night in a hotel, the bride and groom have stayed in one of the room-blocked hotels.
Wow, I love the idea of doing different patterned ties! Kind of like doing different styles of dresses for BMs, but more subtle.
OMG the look on that model’s face is AWESOME. Totally made my day…thank you for that
And on another note – a bunch of my family stayed at our wedding night hotel. We ran into them the next morning at breakfast and it wasn’t awkward at all – our flight for our honeymoon left really early the day after the wedding, so it was the only chance we got to see our guests (after the wedding) before we left, and I really enjoyed having an extra couple minutes to chat.
@new york bride 13: I thought it was a great way to let the guys be different like the girls while still looking cohesive. I hope they like their ties! We’re surprising them with them at the rehearsal dinner.
@Mrs. Gray Wolf: Bahaha, don’t they look classy? Obviously they’re going to a Fabio convention…
@Miss Lemur: The Tie Bar is awesome! The ties got here so fast and they were packaged really well, too. I definitely recommend them!
@DEBeachGirl: Thank you so much for the picture! I’ve been scouring the net looking for real photos of the tux but couldn’t find any at all. They look so nice IRL…your husband looked so dapper on your wedding day, love it!
@Blonde17Jess: See? I wasn’t losing my mind throwing those two together, honest! 
@iwinatcookie: Exactly! Our BMs are wearing different styles of dresses in the same fabric and color and I wanted our groomsmen to stand out from each other a little bit, too. No cookie cutter people in my wedding!
@lisaelanna: Hahahaha, isn’t he like the sexiest thing you’ve ever seen? Those tux company people sure know what they’re doing when they pick their models…
@Miss Armadillo I just had to tell you that you have the most BEAUTIFUL skin!!!
@alicatinthehat01: You are so sweet! Thank you! I’ve been taking a lot better care of it leading up to the wedding.
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Mrs. Armadillo, Houston, Texas Age and Occupation: 23, Graduate Student Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Armed Security Officer Engagement Date: September 28, 2011 Wedding Date: March 2013 Venue: First Presbyterian Church/Bay City Civic Center About Me: I’m an oldies-loving, board game-playing, coffee addicted fine arts junkie from Southeast Texas in pursuit of her master’s degree in communication studies who met the goofy, strong, artistic, and unexpected love of her life in the beautiful piney woods of East Texas. Serendipity threw us together again and again (and again) on our college campus before we eventually stuck, but when we finally did submit to destiny, we hit the ground running and never looked back! We’re planning a religious, small town, budget-friendly, DIY-infused “winter becomes springtime” ceremony and reception to celebrate the beginning of our lives together with the people we love the most, and are pouring our hearts and souls into making sure our wedding represents us as a couple down to the nitty gritty details and balances tradition with the quirky individuality that is uniquely and unequivocally “us”!
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