Fashion Fever: Men’s Warehouse

Fashion Fever by Demi Bourous

Everyone knows on the day of the wedding all eyes are on the bride! But hey, what about the guy waiting for her at the end of the aisle?!  After all, he is half the reason why everyone gathers on such a momentous day. Standing next to a well dressed man will just maximize the brides’ beauty. But the question is where do you go to find a tuxedo for your personal James Bond? This is no 007 matter; solve the problem by checking out Men’s Wearhouse.

Men’s Wearhouse has suits and tuxedos for any occasion. Color, size or style, you name it, they have it. Men’s Wearhouse carries an array of brands from Michael Kors to Calvin Klein. This summer they purchased Joseph Abbound, their mens- wear designer clothing brand. This was a great buy for Men’s Wearhouse but it’s even better for all you men out there. While there are more great options to choose from, it also makes it a little bit harder for you to decide on a look.

The good news is, you can find these designer suits at a reasonable price, if your man wants to keep his tux.  Most men don’t want to purchase a tuxedo, so there is always the option to rent. Renting a tuxedo from Men’s Wearhouse is so simple; just go to their website under the rentals and select your preference from there. You even have the option to build a rental tux. This is completely controlled by you and you may even have fun doing it. Yes, ladies I did say fun, even your fiance will enjoy himself! In the build a tux you are able to customize the male figure from head to toe. You pick everything from his coat, shirt, shoes, tie, vest;  everything down to his accessories! It is interactive, affordable, and so much better than dragging him to a million stores. Enjoy the comfort of shopping with your man in your own home!

Plan B or C??

Diary of a Bride to be by Lauren Cooper

So it’s been a while since we’ve heard about my planning shenanigans.  This’ll be a long post.

This past weekend I had an absolute blast at my bachelorette party in Dewey Beach.  Shout out to my amazing sisters and friends that made it!  Before that though we had a minor crisis.  Last Tuesday I told my fiance to place a call to the tux shop and make sure we could pick up the tuxes that weekend.  Well, it’s a damn good thing he did because we almost didn’t have tuxedos.  Apparently, the gentleman who handled our order was very ill and passed away (condolences to his family and friends). However, the shop was left in disarray.  Keep in mind we placed our order back in February – they had NEVER PLACED OUR ORDER.  So my super awesome fiance came to the rescue, got all the money back (one groomsman was never even charged) and proceeded to go to a different tuxedo store.  I don’t have a clue what they look like on the guys but he got everything handled.  See why I love my man?  🙂

Then, after returning from a thoroughly relaxing and simultaneously exhausting weekend I discover that the floral we’ve had planned for the ceremony since OCTOBER are now not allowed at our venue. The plan was to have lanterns filled with florals hanging from shepherd’s hooks going down the aisle.  Apparently, we can’t pierce the grass any longer.  So I’m waiting to hear back from our venue coordinator to see if they can make an exception.  Seeing as how the tent company they so highly recommended sold our tent (rain plan C), our wedding is 10 days away, and we’ve paid a pretty penny for them to host our wedding, I think they can work with us.  After working with the venue for 15 months you would THINK that they would let us know about a policy change! I found out from my florist.  So back to my inspiration board I go to find more aisle decorations.  SO FREAKING ANGRY!

I know, I know I’m freaking out over something so minor.  But this has been planned for SO long and my florist really made my vision come to life so I’m more than a little disappointed.  I’m more disappointed in how the ceremony venue has handled us however.  Especially knowing that I’m a planner.  What happened to communication?

Updates to come!  10 days to go!

Check, Check!

Diary of a Bride to be by Lauren Cooper

I love three day weekends.  I think we should have them every week –  not only did I get a significant amount of wedding things accomplished this weekend, I also had time to do nothing and watch football.  Perfect. 

It started on Friday when I freaked out about my dress.  I made the mistake of taking a peek at some of the Spring 2012 bridal collections and nearly had a melt down.  I called my sister and thought I chose the wrong dress; showed her a picture of one I found and even went as far as calling local bridal salons to see if they had it in stock.  Thankfully, she talked me down off my ledge (thanks, Sis!) and I realized that I was being ridiculous.  A friend, whose wedding we attended last year, also confirmed that she thought the same thing several times and that I’m not verifiably crazy.  Hooray.

Saturday, FH and I bundled up and ventured about and about to look at rings and tuxedos.  We found a great tuxedo shop a couple of weeks ago but wanted to check out other places before making a decision.  We pretty much walked in and out of this one; since they told us to pick out of a catalog.  What?  No.  On to the ring store! 

We went to the jeweler that helped design my engagement ring since we know and trust them.  FH had his ring picked out in, oh, 30 seconds.  Mine, however, not so.  The jeweler drew something up for me that would match my ring and then they kept my engagement ring to make a mold of it, which will ensure that the wedding band will sit flush to it.  So I’ve been walking around without my engagement ring for two days and I feel SO naked.  I keep going for my ring finger to adjust it and it’s not there!  Thankfully, it should be returned to me this evening. Wedding bands, Check!

Finally, we went back to the original tuxedo store yesterday, where FH was able to try things on and make a decision.  Let me just say that our guys will look, SO sharp.  I’m so happy with what we chose and FH looks incredibly handsome.  🙂  And, if you’re looking for great tuxedos in the New York area?  Go to Coleman’s Tuxedos in Short Hills, NJ.  They have fantastic service, amazing suits and will work with you even if you have out of towners in your bridal party.  Tuxedos, check!  Whoo!

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PS Diary of a Bride to Be has moved to Tuesday posted, so stay tuned!

Garb for the Groom

Diary of a Bride to be by Lauren Cooper

This past week I’ve been thinking about tuxes for the Groom and his men.  This is something that I need to get a move on with because I need to have them picked out by the middle of January.  But with the holidays, it’s been impossible to drag out my future husband to try things on. 

I really love the idea of a sleek gray tux but I’m worried about if it’s too casual.  My wedding planner says it would look really great but this is one of those things where I just have to see it on someone…like FH.  So I keep going back and forth between gray tux and traditional tux with bow tie.  We’ve said our wedding is Black Tie Optional, so I feel like the guys in the wedding party should set a standard of formality.  I also think they should stand out a little bit from the rest of the gentlemen at the wedding…but at the same time, the ceremony is outside…in summer…and I don’t want to be cruel.  See my dilemma?  The more I think about it, the more I want to go tux shopping right now, but it’s the week of Christmas and the chances of that happening are about the same as a 70 degree day in December…in Vermont.  So in the meantime, here are a couple  looks I like…this week at least.

Men’s Style- Tuxedos and Suits

Stiles on Style- By Rachel Stiles

Who knows the difference between custom, made-to-measure, and off-the-rack suits for your fiancé? I do not know as much as I should about men’s fashion so this is an opportunity for all of us to learn more!

Calvin Klein Two-Button Peak Lapel Tuxedo at Men's Warehouse

Custom– A great company that does custom clothes for men is Joseph’s Custom Clothiers. This is where the whole tuxedo/suit is custom made for his body type and is made to fit him best. This is a more costly route but he can wear the tuxedo/suit again for other events and nothing is better than a great fit. Also Joseph’s creates wonderful handmade formal wear including two and three-piece tuxedos. He works with many famous athletes and is known for having a “manly oasis” in his retail space. Some of his popular clients include Adrian Peterson, Jay Glazer, Michael Strahan, John Lynch, and Justin Tuck.
Made-to-measure– This type of suit is in between custom and off-the-rack. It does not take as much time as creating a custom suit and is not as expensive but it is more expensive than off-the-rack. There are many positives why your fiancé should think about a made-to-measure suit for your wedding day! These types of suits are made with certain components that are custom but the whole suit or tuxedo was not made specifically for him.
Off-the-rack– This is your least expensive option and probably the quickest way to get your fiancé in a suit or tuxedo. Men’s Warehouse is a great example of one of these retailers. When shopping there is a smaller selection of suits so it may be easier to narrow down which one he will want. There are locations all over the US and they can do alterations in store while you wait!