Getting Married? Here are the Do's and Don'ts

We dressed 530 grooms and brides last year. Just last year. Like, just 2022. In over 8 years of being in business, we venture to guess over 1600 engaged folks have come through the shop. We’ve listened to all of them. We’ve guided them, dressed them and well, we’ve learned from them. Here’s some of that wisdom:

Don’t overthink it.

In the last few months, we’ve been asking people: “When was the last time you went to a wedding where you were not in the bridal party? Can you remember what the groom wore at that wedding?” Most people answer “no,” believe it or not. And if they do remember, they can’t remember the color of the tie or the style of shoes or what flower was used for the boutonniere. Guests remember when the outfit doesn’t, well, fit. Be selfish with the details, because you’re the only one who will remember.

• Do be conscientious of time: planning a wedding is stressful and the months go by fast. Work and life throw different things at you and can cause you to slow down on completing tasks. Do be prepared for curveballs (we’ve heard all sorts of stories, but sadly family members getting sick or passing away tends to be the biggest curveball people face). Your vendors are likely busy too, so be empathetic of their workloads. Make sure and take care of your outfit at least 10 weeks out from the wedding.

• Having a budget is best: we’re regularly the last thing engaged couples do for the wedding. Everything else has been solidified; venue, dj/band, guest list, catering etc. The thing people nervously joke about most is that their budget is shot. Do use a spreadsheet and communicate with your partner.

• Risks, know when to take them: people are obligated to compliment you on your wedding day. If you care about getting more, you can go the trendy route of a burgundy, forest, beige or perhaps a light blue assemble. Classic is a black tuxedo, or a navy or medium grey suit. There are exceptions to these rules (for example, a beige suit for a beach wedding is more classic than trendy), but ask yourself how much of a risk you want to take. Also, ask yourself what you want to look like in your pictures when you look back on them years from now.

Organize your shit.

For a wedding day, you have to worry about more than just the tux or suit. Socks, shoes, underwear, belt, suspenders, studs, cufflinks, neck tie, bow tie, pocket square, watch, ring etc. Put it all in one place. Make a note on your phone. And if you’re getting married outside of the town in which you live, know that you can’t send a friend back to your place to pick anything up. For what its worth, we get a lot of people who lose the very nice hanger we provide as they don’t have a plan for how to get things from the venue back to the hotel (this is a great thing to delegate to a groomsmen or usher). Don’t lose our hanger.

• Stay within 15 pounds of your current weight: this is a hot topic. Almost every time someones tells us they’re going to lose weight…they don’t. There’s always a few folks who gain 15+ pounds before their wedding and there’s always a couple who lose a ton of weight. Most everyone stays the same. If you’re planning to run a marathon around your wedding? Don’t. If you’re planning on getting to a certain weight before your wedding? Do it 6 months before. Also, yes it bothers us when people gain all the weight back right after the wedding and we have to let out the suit.

• Enjoy it: if every part of wedding planning gets you down, figure out a way to have fun. If there’s one or two parts you’re excited for, milk them for what they’re worth. Make it a little more special for yourself. Or tell your fiancé/best man/maid of honor/family what you’re most looking forward to and ask if they’ll help sweeten it. The whole thing is a forest, and if you look at the tasks as trees, you can tackle the whole project a little more efficiently. That should allow you to have a better time doing it.