Tux rentals are the norm these days, and in most cases it’s rightfully so. Places like Men’s Wearhouse and Savvi formal wear have perfected the art of getting a group of men all into the same outfit during the same time with little effort needed on the guy’s part – and if you live with or grew up with a man you know that’s a feat ;)
It shouldn’t be surprising that Jason and I were convinced
we would also be going down this route when we first started wedding planning.
Not only did it sound like the easiest route, but many tux rental companies
spend lots of money advertising “specials,” and “deals” to help convince you
that this is the most budget-friendly option as well.
But the more research Jason and I did the more we couldn’t
help but feel that maybe (while remaining budget-conscious) we wanted to go a
different route. The idea of tuxes just felt stuffy, and I was less than
impressed with the way run of the mill tuxedos (and especially the vests
included) looked on my shorter, broad-shouldered fiancée…
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One afternoon in September, two of my girlfriends and I
filled empty Arizona Tea bottles with prosecco and orange juice, and waltzed
our way into one of Georgia’s many bridal shows held at a local convention
center. I came guarded, knowing that this bridal show was more for the laughs
and free cake than actually signing my name on any dotted lines. I threw entry
cards into a few honeymoon sweepstake boxes and we made a bee-line to the back
of the room where all 3 of us could see the big cake table calling our names. But
before we could make it to said cake table, we were stopped by a barrage of
very enthusiastic, and insistent, men in suits representing one of the many
tuxedo rental companies present for the show. While being friendly, these men
made it clear that we weren’t making it to the cake until we saw what they had
to offer…
Yes, this tux company pulled out all the gimmicky stops and
managed to include a giant money booth in their display. I for one was not
interested, but after a little nudging, my amazing friend Aimee decided to give
the money booth a whirl.
The guys were surprisingly helpful in trying to motion
different techniques to her through the walls of how to collect the most money,
etc. And by the end of it I was truly impressed at her skills – managing to
collect $123 all in single dollar bills, that’s skills people!
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A few weekends later, Jason and I waltzed into the tux
rental store to bring in our savings sheet and see how great of a deal we had
scored. After a long explanation of all that the rental would get us, and an
elaborate walk-through of our “massive savings” we were presented with a
number. Let’s just say that somehow all of those “massive savings” seemed to disappear
once the final total was handed to us.
Even though we were already disheartened, it was our first
trip to a tux store for our wedding, so for kicks I allowed the salesman to put
Jason in their idea of a “modern cut” tux (which was my 1 request in regards to
the guy’s attire) and was, again, less than impressed.
Me being the stubborn deal-finder that I am quickly told the
man in the store that we weren’t ready to sign our name to anything, but would
happily call back a little closer to our wedding date to get the process
started…we never called.
Fast forward to three weekends ago and this time Jason and I
decided to go to one of our tried and true stores, Men’s Wearhouse. Jason has
rented at least 3 tuxedos through them for other weddings, and has always
enjoyed the customer service he receives when shopping there. While I was
hoping for a better experience, I still came armed with a firm budget and
expectations to present to the lucky salesman who walked our way.
We immediately were surprised at how relaxed, understanding
and accommodating the staff was to our needs. After walking in and talking for
a while we realized two things that made their sales approach stand out:
- While Men’s Wearhouse rents tuxedos for events, they obviously make a large percentage of their profits on suit sales – which leads them to a more flexible sales approach
- They are also one of the few stores that LOUDLY advertises their buy 1 get 1 free sales (along with whatever special they’re running at the time) – and from our own experience, they are MORE than happy to help you find what you want, put something on hold, and then have you come back when a special is running so that you can really get the best deal for the item you’re interested in
We went into the store thinking that we would more than
likely buy Jason’s suit (have it tailored to fit him perfectly, and be able to
be super picky about what we wanted) and then find a tux that the groomsmen
could rent (to help them save some money). But our salesman offered us an even
better option!
In 4 days, the store’s next Buy 1 Get 1 free special began (running
for 4 months). If we wanted to pick out a suit we loved for Jason, we could
then use that special to get his suit, and all of the groomsmen their own suits
for half price! We could also use the special and apply it to the dress shirts
and ties for the big day. This means when you crunch the numbers, that all of
our groomsmen are buying $350 designer suits (plus the dress shirt and tie) for
almost the same as it would cost them to rent a tuxedo for one day!
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Men’s Wearhouse Tuxedo Rental
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Buying components during B1G1 Free special
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Suit
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$225
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$187
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Dress Shirt
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Included
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$20
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Tie
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Included
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$30
|
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Alternations
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None provided
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Optional; up to $30
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Total
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$225
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$240 - $270
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I know that this option isn’t realistic for all couples.
That $15 - $45 difference in renting and buying can break some people’s monthly
budgets at our age, but for all the men involved in our wedding it made sense.
They are all young professionals/students who will benefit from having a suit
they look sharp in (and this was something we cleared with each of them before
going forward with our plan). We also don’t have to scramble down from Rome, GA
to get all of our tuxes returned in a specific time frame which the guys will
appreciate that morning after the wedding.
Just to top it all off, because of all the rentals and
purchases Jason has had to make through Men’s Wearhouse so far, they gave him a
$50 gift certificate to use for any future purchase (which we will gladly be
using for his tie, dress shirt and/or shoes however the remaining expenses add
up).
If buying a suit is a viable option for you and your groom, I
highly recommend it. Every man feels on top of the world in a tailored suit,
and this will be a really sentimental thing for Jason to have in his closet for
years to come. So do your research, be open to a few options, and give yourself
to find an awesome deal like we did! Then your groom can feel as great on your
big day as you do J
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