Mrs. Macarons, TampaAge and Occupation: 26, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Renaissance ManEngagement Date: September 12, 2009Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Lange FarmAbout Me: I'm creative at heart and a graphic designer with an unhealthy obsession with type. I love roller coasters, spicy foods, and a good glass of Crianza. We’re planning a soft and lovely vintage-meets-modern wedding in a state that’s known for its beaches, glitz and glam. I have a ton of DIY projects and lots of little details I’m dying to share and can't wait to celebrate with our closest friends and family.
In my head, I wanted Mac and the rest of the groomsmen to stand out. Not only are black suits too harsh for the soft and romantic look we’re trying to achieve, but I’m fairly certain it’s what more than a few of our male guests will opt to wear. (We don’t know many brown or navy blue suit kinda people.) A gray suit or tux was the clear winner. What’s not to love?
Mrs. Ladyfingers, Saint Petersburg, FLAge and Occupation: 30, Marketing ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Sports WriterEngagement Date: December 24, 2010Wedding Date: November 2011Venue: Palma Sola Botanical ParkAbout Me: I hail from Oklahoma, he was born and raised in Long Island. Fate brought us together, and now we live in a cute little rental house with our nutty dog, and our aloof cat. We both love to read, watch movies, explore our town, and laugh like hyenas. When I’m not obsessively wedding crafting, I enjoy stalking style and decorating blogs, making collages and painting, napping, thrifting, rearranging our bookshelves, and being a total weirdo with my friends. Hi!
One of the few areas where I relinquished control over every piece of fabric, doodad, color, and sheet of paper was in the menswear. Mr. Ladyfingers and his men, along with our dads, are free to wear whatever Mr. Ladyfingers feels they should wear. (I also let him handle the rehearsal-dinner arrangements, and I’m letting my BMs handle the shower and bachelorette-party stuff. And that pretty much sums up the extent of my “handing it over to somebody else”-edness.)
I won’t tell you a ridiculous, baldfaced lie, though, and say:
I had no opinion whatsoever.
I didn’t nag one bit.
Of course this is false. I told you all about it last week. But hey, the *incident* last Tuesday resulted in FI making an appointment at Men’s Wearhouse to try on a few tuxes and make his decision. Not that I’m pleased with how I handled the situation, but it’s nice to have it done!
I initially really liked the suit idea, especially the gray flannel numbers I was seeing crop up all over the spring and summer wedding events. Our wedding, while in November, is outdoors and in Florida. Our vibe is casual, as in, “dress nice, but don’t be afraid to cut loose.” So I really liked suits for their un-stuffiness and also their sophistication.
Mrs. Macarons, TampaAge and Occupation: 26, Graphic DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 34, Renaissance ManEngagement Date: September 12, 2009Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Lange FarmAbout Me: I'm creative at heart and a graphic designer with an unhealthy obsession with type. I love roller coasters, spicy foods, and a good glass of Crianza. We’re planning a soft and lovely vintage-meets-modern wedding in a state that’s known for its beaches, glitz and glam. I have a ton of DIY projects and lots of little details I’m dying to share and can't wait to celebrate with our closest friends and family.
Macs has always been a french cuff kind of guy. It was one of the few stipulations he had about his attire. Macs owns several pairs of cufflinks already, but I wanted to get him something special just for the wedding. Since his boutonnière turned out amazing, I thought a matching pair of cufflinks would be perfect.
But the blog post in which I saw them was dated back in 2009 and the store they linked to no longer had them. I was so bummed, I looked through pages upon pages of search results before finally finding them in stock in a store in the UK.
I quickly placed my order with them, and according to their site I should have them within 7-10 business days. Well, ten days passed and then another ten. The cufflinks went MIA and the tracking perpetually said ‘processing’. I contacted customer service and they said I had to wait another 5 business days before reporting them lost. Read more…
Miss Sweet Cream, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 26, Public Relations Account ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Outside SalesEngagement Date: July 4, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church / Rosebank WineryAbout Me: Born in the ‘burbs of Philly, it took some time living in the Big Apple to realize that I’m a girl who likes her roots. That’s why the mister and I bought a 1950s house on a charming street not too far from our childhood stompin’ grounds. This could also be the reason why our hometown is the scene where we are planning our super sweet, totally charming, BBQ-for-supper wedding that I never knew I always wanted. I DIE over DIY projects and live for vintage, heartfelt inspiration. I obsess over all things mid-century (from forks to furniture). Love is… cartoons and flea markets, and I am known to whip up a mean banana cream pie. I met the Mr. in grade school and after that boy took me for a spin on the handle bars of his BMX, I knew that things would never be the same again. Besides lovin’ my Mr., I also love to plan, sew and create, and that’s just what I’m doing as I navigate through the details, creating a laid-back day that oozes charm; one that will go down in (at least our) history as the Best. Day. Of all time.
So dear hive, I’ve shared with you about some accessories that are a must for me on the big day. But what about my, sweet, sweet Mister?
I told you that we nailed down a general idea of just what he and his guys will show up in on the big day… but I forgot to mention one thing. Well, Mr. Sweets…he likes his accessories manly!
Mr. Sweets is a sucker for watches, cologne, sunglasses, (baseball) hats (that he collects like a kid collects baseball cards!), Nikes, Phillies t-shirts, retro sports jerseys… OK, well maybe some of those aren’t accessories, although they are manly, manly things—but you get the idea.
So, Mr. Sweets has yet to decide on his exact attire for the big day (except that it will be a charcoal grey suit of some kind). But like me, he also loves accessorizing finding things to go with his clothes.
So he thought that these cuff links were pretty darn cool, and just like that, we ordered them!
Miss Sweet Cream, PhiladelphiaAge and Occupation: 26, Public Relations Account ManagerFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Outside SalesEngagement Date: July 4, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church / Rosebank WineryAbout Me: Born in the ‘burbs of Philly, it took some time living in the Big Apple to realize that I’m a girl who likes her roots. That’s why the mister and I bought a 1950s house on a charming street not too far from our childhood stompin’ grounds. This could also be the reason why our hometown is the scene where we are planning our super sweet, totally charming, BBQ-for-supper wedding that I never knew I always wanted. I DIE over DIY projects and live for vintage, heartfelt inspiration. I obsess over all things mid-century (from forks to furniture). Love is… cartoons and flea markets, and I am known to whip up a mean banana cream pie. I met the Mr. in grade school and after that boy took me for a spin on the handle bars of his BMX, I knew that things would never be the same again. Besides lovin’ my Mr., I also love to plan, sew and create, and that’s just what I’m doing as I navigate through the details, creating a laid-back day that oozes charm; one that will go down in (at least our) history as the Best. Day. Of all time.
I scoured the internet looking for inspiration for the most-important-thing-I-will-ever-wear (AKA: The Wedding Dress), ordered it, and crossed it off the list. (OK. Maybe it wasn’t that simple. But it is crossed off!)
But what about the Mister?!
Let me start off by saying that Mr. Sweet Cream isn’t the type of guy who needs help in the dressing-himself department. He is not a guy who will show up all wrinkly in ripped clothing to a family party, and he actually does get excited when we have a little cash to treat ourselves to some new duds.
So I was super excited that he was on the same page as me when it came down to wearing gray on our wedding day. (Mr. Sweet Cream can be very decisive about his wardrobe choices, so I surely thought that he would insist on an all black look for whatever reason.) Specifically, Mr. Sweets wants to wear “charcoal gray.” (I told you he’s decisive!)
He also liked the idea of forgoing the tux and having a very cool suit instead. I mean, do BBQ and fancy tuxedos go together? Well, I guess they can if we wanted them to. It’s our day, right?
But Mr. Sweets likes the suit idea (phew!)…so here are some of the ones that he’s been digging:
Lauren by Ralph Lauren Black & White Portly Suit / Image via Men’s Warehouse
Mrs. Candy Apple, Princeton Junction, NJ/ Seattle, WAAge and Occupation: 26, Project EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, AttorneyEngagement Date: May 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: St. Joseph's Parish, Seattle Tennis ClubAbout Me: I am a Pacific Northwesterner, born and bred. I have lived in many cities---Santa Clara, Durham (England); Florence; Boston; Princeton Junction---but my heart will always be nestled up near the Cascades and Olympics, which is why we are holding our wedding there. I am a bookworm and a History nerd: I love that my life consists of books, books, and more books, since I work in Publishing! Recently, all waking time not consumed by work and my daily commute has been overtaken by wedding planning. Well, that, and watching Premier-League soccer. There is nothing I love more than a good Tana French mystery, traveling to new places, Anthropologie shopping sprees, Iittala dishware, Kate Spade shoes, impeccable typefaces (think: Archer), and a nice English ale (hellooo, Old Speckled Hen!). Oh, and did I mention my obsession with wedding blogs? Yeah, there’s that too. Join Mr. Candy Apple and me as we prep for our wedding, and, more importantly, our marriage!
Around the same time that he picked out the suits for the groomsmen, Mr. CA also found a suit for himself. He knew that he wanted to wear a slim-fit, light grey suit, sort of like this one, but a bit lighter. He also wanted to make sure he looked similar enough to the groomsmen. Mr. CA was also willing to shell out a bit more for his suit, because, duh, it is his wedding, and, since he wears suits every day, he was in need of a nice grey suit anyway.
Mrs. Candy Apple, Princeton Junction, NJ/ Seattle, WAAge and Occupation: 26, Project EditorFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, AttorneyEngagement Date: May 9, 2010Wedding Date: August 2011Venue: St. Joseph's Parish, Seattle Tennis ClubAbout Me: I am a Pacific Northwesterner, born and bred. I have lived in many cities---Santa Clara, Durham (England); Florence; Boston; Princeton Junction---but my heart will always be nestled up near the Cascades and Olympics, which is why we are holding our wedding there. I am a bookworm and a History nerd: I love that my life consists of books, books, and more books, since I work in Publishing! Recently, all waking time not consumed by work and my daily commute has been overtaken by wedding planning. Well, that, and watching Premier-League soccer. There is nothing I love more than a good Tana French mystery, traveling to new places, Anthropologie shopping sprees, Iittala dishware, Kate Spade shoes, impeccable typefaces (think: Archer), and a nice English ale (hellooo, Old Speckled Hen!). Oh, and did I mention my obsession with wedding blogs? Yeah, there’s that too. Join Mr. Candy Apple and me as we prep for our wedding, and, more importantly, our marriage!
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:
Mrs. Marmalade, Norwalk, CT/Raleigh, NCAge and Occupation: 27, Administrative AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Army OfficerEngagement Date: December 31, 2009Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Old Cadet Chapel/Highlands Country ClubAbout Me: I'm a Tri-State area "lady," through and through. A big chunk of my life has been split between NYC and Connecticut, and I'm finally heading down south to live with Mr. Marmalade. Our long distance relationship has been one adventure after the next, we've spent time in Texas, Louisiana, Florida,and Georgia, thanks to his military career. Next to Mr. Marmalade, my loves include live music, useless trivia, shoes, design, and my crazy half-tiger kitty, Oliver. I have a passion for food and wine, and I've been known to travel long distances to get my hands on the best meals. I come from a tight-knit big fat Greek Ecuadorian family---we're loud, we talk with our hands, and we spend hours talking loudly with our hands over large meals. I'm going to miss them so much as I pack up and begin my life, far away from home. But with Mr. Marmalade by my side, I'm ready to take on whatever may come. Next up: our wedding!
All corny (and sad) jokes aside, boutonnieres are cool. No, not cool. Beautiful. And masculine. Right? I’m trying to sell this to the mister here. What I’m trying to say is that I see boutonnieres as an opportunity to get creative with flowers. And I love flowers.
Just look at these gorgeous, cool, beautiful, yet masculine bouts:
Mrs. Marmalade, Norwalk, CT/Raleigh, NCAge and Occupation: 27, Administrative AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Army OfficerEngagement Date: December 31, 2009Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Old Cadet Chapel/Highlands Country ClubAbout Me: I'm a Tri-State area "lady," through and through. A big chunk of my life has been split between NYC and Connecticut, and I'm finally heading down south to live with Mr. Marmalade. Our long distance relationship has been one adventure after the next, we've spent time in Texas, Louisiana, Florida,and Georgia, thanks to his military career. Next to Mr. Marmalade, my loves include live music, useless trivia, shoes, design, and my crazy half-tiger kitty, Oliver. I have a passion for food and wine, and I've been known to travel long distances to get my hands on the best meals. I come from a tight-knit big fat Greek Ecuadorian family---we're loud, we talk with our hands, and we spend hours talking loudly with our hands over large meals. I'm going to miss them so much as I pack up and begin my life, far away from home. But with Mr. Marmalade by my side, I'm ready to take on whatever may come. Next up: our wedding!
Mrs. Bunting, Grand Rapids, MIAge and Occupation: 24, freelance illustrator & print productionFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, graduate of historyEngagement Date: December 3, 2009Wedding Date: June 2011Venue: Spring Grove Park & St. George Banquet CenterAbout Me: I am a freelance illustrator and designer with a love of nature and a taste for adventure. Textures and color fuel my world, along with apple cider and noodles. I'll try anything once, especially if it involves heights or food. I've hiked the Grand Canyon, gone sky diving, cuddled a baby wolf, and now my latest venture consists of designing and planning a large wedding involving color, DIY details, love, and marrying my best friend.
Tuxedos never really fit in with the outdoor ceremony we’ve been planning, and though I was slightly sad I wouldn’t see Mr. Bunting all dressed up in one, I’ve never regretted our decision to avoid the tux. They do look snazzy, but there were several factors that turned us away from them and, honestly, they never stood a chance. (We really wanted to embrace the atmosphere of our park, and tuxedos were just too formal. We also had to consider the potential summer heat.)
In the beginning, I had told Mr. Bunting that he could choose what he and the groomsmen wanted to wear aside from a tux (unless he reeeeally wanted them). If they wanted to wear suit jackets, they could wear suit jackets. If they didn’t want to (and I was secretly hoping they wouldn’t), then they wouldn’t have to. Of course they didn’t want to wear jackets for an outdoor June wedding, so it was a win-win situation!
I stayed true to my decision of putting Mr. Bunting in charge of the groomsmen. I let him mull it over. He mulled it over a lot (or perhaps too little). I casually reminded him that we needed to start making decisions for their attire. He mulled it over some more. I began to wonder if he really was thinking about it, or if he even cared, so I started probing him more for ideas and answers. I thought maybe if I showed him some ideas, he’d find something he liked. So I started focusing my Google and blog searches on groomsmen attire.
Mrs. Sparkler, ChicagoAge and Occupation: 27, Communications AficionadoFiance's Age and Occupation: 26, PublisherEngagement Date: July 21, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Chicago Illuminating CompanyAbout Me: I’m a Southern lady living in the big city of Chicago. Well, lady may be a stretch, but I’m working hard to keep some Virginia charm in our sleek, urban, wedding-palooza! I’m addicted to marathons, not-so-famous bands, Chicago restaurants, and Mark Twain. I cry during SPCA commercials, and I think LOST was the best show to ever hit television. Mr. S and I met at a classy college mixer and, 7 years later, he’s still by my side. He’s the only child, laid back, free spirit... I’m the oldest of five kids, type-A, organizer. It doesn’t work on paper, but we’ve never paid attention to that stuff anyway. Somehow it works. And like they say, sometimes when you know…you just know.
So Sparks needs a suit. His groomsmen need suits. All of the men involved in the wedding need suits. And yet… not a single decision has been made on color, cut, or kind. And that’s fine. I will not freak out about this. After months of prodding (and sometimes begging) Sparks to make a decision, this is the answer I got:
Sparks: Well, it’s just that I don’t know what I want to wear yet.
Me: You don’t have to know what you want to wear. You just need to tell the groomsmen what to wear.
Sparks: Don’t we wear the same thing?
Sparks thought it was required that they all wear the exact same suit. No, no, no, Sparks… you can wear whatever you want! You’re super special that day. Silly.
But since that’s settled, we can move on to picking an outfit for our 7 handsome groomsmen. The way I see it, we have 3 options:
1. We ask the groomsmen to purchase a suit that we select.
This was my original idea. Yeah… until I realized how much a freakin’ suit costs. Wowwww guys. Seriously?
Mrs. Funnel Cake, Zürich, Switzerland/Columbus, OhioAge and Occupation: 24, Visual Communication DesignerFiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Application EngineerEngagement Date: May 30, 2010Wedding Date: October 2011Venue: Catholic church followed by a botanical conservatoryAbout Me: I'm an American designer who moved to Switzerland for love after a fairytale beginning at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I love travel, photography, museums, learning German so I can speak with my mother-in-law, cooking (eating), cuddling, and I'm not afraid to try something new even if it terrifies me. My Swiss/Brazilian man and I are both down to earth people planning a traditional Catholic wedding in my hometown with some quirky cultural exceptions to reflect our different backgrounds. We look forward to celebrating with friends and family from all over the world in a classic, sophisticated fusion of heritage and love.
Upon hearing the news that I had completed my wedding ensemble (unless I do find a nice bolero/jacket) with the purchase of my red shoes, Mr. Funnel Cake admitted that he needs to start thinking about his own duds for the wedding. He hasn’t acquired anything yet! Obviously someone is not as excited as I was about picking out his wedding outfit.
Over the weekend, we visited his parents for his mother’s birthday, and Brother Funnel Cake quizzed us on his responsibilities for the wedding. (Cute!) Everyone was talking about what Mr. Funnel Cake and Brother Funnel Cake should wear, when the idea came up about Mr. FC wearing his military uniform.
Circa 2008: FC actually claims this is one of the ooonly photos he likes of himself.
Mrs. High Wire, DallasAge and Occupation: 23, Legal AssistantFiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Director of CommunicationsEngagement Date: October 9, 2010Wedding Date: September 2011Venue: Clark GardensAbout Me: My loves include yoga, anything spicy, our eccentric cat, our rambunctious dog, and Mr. High Wire, of course! Like the steadiness act of the tightrope walker, this gal is busy balancing life while planning a wedding to the man of her dreams. We’re hosting a laid-back, vintage-inspired, bird themed wedding with heavy doses of love, good eats (did someone say tacos and margaritas?), and endless Texas charm. Mr. High Wire and I are so happy to have you along for the walk across the tight rope.
Mrs. Hyena, College Station, TXAge and Occupation: 23, Marketing SpecialistFiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Aerospace Engineering Grad StudentEngagement Date: January 8, 2010Wedding Date: May 2011Venue: Downtown 202About Me: I'm a Texas girl who met my future hubby in high school, then headed up to Oklahoma for a college education (BOOMER SOONER!) before moving back to the Lone Star State to be with him. I love reading and recycling, Photoshop and reality TV, making lame jokes and then laughing at them, quoting movies, and Mr. Hyena most of all. I'm perpetually early and I like to get things accomplished. When my cat meows at me, I meow back. We're planning a laid-back, unintentionally DIY wedding with a cocktail-party vibe, and can't wait to celebrate our nuptials with our nearest and dearest!
Like the hilarious Miss Biscuit, what the men wore was of little consequence to me. Mr. Hyena wanted to wear a tuxedo to the wedding, and I agreed that sounded like a good idea (he looks real gooood in a tux). So I put him in charge of what he, the dads, and the dudes were going to wear.
This is the look we were going for. I’m not sure if this is actually what Mr. Hyena picked, because I have little to no knowledge on dude-wear, but it looks close to me.
Ms. Gazelle, Calgary/VancouverAge and Occupation: 32, EngineerFiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Technology AnalystEngagement Date: September 3, 2010Wedding Date: July 2011Venue: Brock House Restaurant, VancouverAbout Me: I am a marathon runner, cyclist, Ironman triathlete and beautiful shoe fiend who also loves kicking back and watching Glee. I grew up a bit of a nomad as I traveled around the world with my family, living everywhere from Australia to England to South America and Indonesia. I finally settled in Calgary a few years ago and met Mr. Gazelle who loves me even though we cheer for different hockey teams. We are planning a bit of a destination wedding in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia and we can’t wait to share the day with our close family and friends.
So I put him in charge of what he, the dads, and the dudes were going to wear.
