What Shall the Groom Wear?

From the very beginning of the planning process, Mr. C was very outspoken about what he wanted to wear on our wedding day. This came as no surprise to me, as we have attended two proms together (both of our senior high school proms) and he had a very hands-on approach to picking out his attire for each one. A little trip down memory lane, shall we?

For M's senior prom (circa 2010), he went with a standard black tuxedo with a grey vest and tie.

His haircut, though. My goodness, how glad I am that his hairstyle has evolved in the last 5 years!

Oh how I wish I could be my high school "fat" again. 

For my prom (2011), he went with a grey tux and a navy vest and tie. Straight stylin'.

Fun fact: this prom dress was actually an Alfred Angela bridesmaids dress I found on the racks at Goodwill for $15. It's since been worn by my cousin for her senior prom. Sisterhood of the traveling bridesmaids dress, anyone?

After looking back on pictures from both our proms, both Mr. C and I decided that we liked the look of the grey tux more. The light color wasn't as harsh against his vampire-pale skin and blonde hair, and the black tux felt a little too formal for our outdoor wedding. 

After settling on grey, the next decision to make was whether to rent a tux or just buy a suit. Since Mr. C's on the smaller side (5ft7'' with lean muscle after years of playing soccer) finding a suit that fit him well off the rack was going to be a challenge. On the other side, paying so much money for an outfit you have to give back at the end of the day didn't make much sense, either. 

Mr. C opted to try and find a suit off the rack, and our quest for that suit began. Before we started looking around, we also had to nail down a specific vision of what we were both thinking in regards to what his entire "look" would be. I presented Mr. C with the following pictures of seriously stylish grooms and let him pick his favorite outfit. I was also pleasantly surprised that there are so many possibilities for grooms attire...

1) Suit pants, button down, suspenders, and a bow tie. No suit jacket for this look. 

Via Wedding Chicks / Photo by Jessica Charles Photography

2) Suit pants, tie, button down, and vest. No jacket for this look, either.

Via Style Me Pretty / Photo by Leo Patrone Photography

3) Suit pants and jacket, suspenders, button down, and bow tie.

Via Style Me Pretty / Photo by Smitten Photography

Out of all the inspiration photos, Mr. C liked the last option the best. He would still get to wear a bow tie and suspenders but would also get to wear a suit jacket (at least for the ceremony section of the evening). Truth be told, I'm glad he picked this option cause I love me a man in a bow tie. Mmm.

So with our inspiration photos in our minds and a pretty clear-cut vision of what Mr. C wanted to wear, we set out to find him the perfect (including both stylish and inexpensive!) wedding suit...