Wedding planning - June 2012

[fluter]

Is it not as hot as the hubs of Hades in southern CA in June?

You may have been thinking of southern Carolina, which is about the same latitude but 7 or 8 times the humidity (on a good day).

However, you raise an excellent point. For a garden wedding, I'd be looking for linen or cotton blend jackets. this one is cut down from an unstructured cotton blazer:

Easter2011 by arcturus1997, on Flickr

[Droid]

I've been looking at rental places online and have found the places here in the US only give one or two options for jackets... a PC or Argyle. I am looking for tweed. I found one place in the UK so far that I like:
http://www.macgregorandmacduff.co.uk...orchy-hire.htm

Does anyone know of somewhere here in the US (to save on shipping time and rates) that will rent(hire) an outfit like the one form the link I just posted?

[theborderer]

If you stand next to the Bride, I think that will differenciate you from the others.

[Droid]

If you stand next to the Bride, I think that will differenciate you from the others.

Yes, the differences will be subtle between me and the other guys.

Recently I saw a very nice looking tweed outfit. Now I just need to find a place that will rent out tweed for my groomsmen. Again, I will be buying my outfit, so I wont be renting anything but, the other guys will to. I might end up with a different color tweed jacket/waistcoat depending on the selection of the rental place. I plan on picking a color that looks good on me and compliments my kilt. They will be at the mercy of what's in stock.

There is something about the PC and Argyle jackets that I don't like, I think it's the studs, I've never been a fan of metal studs on my clothing.

[MacLowlife]

I am truly surprised. The best advice is to ask the Bride what she wants.

Beyond that, I'm with Fluter. Go with linen or raw silk. Today I wore a silk herringbone sport jacket with my trousers and, as I do every time I wear it, I thought how it is cut mighty short and the patch pockets could come right off and move up, etc, to make a fine kilt jacket. It has the look of an ancient and honorable wool tweed, but it is much much cooler.

You have some time. Find out what sizes your men are and go to work looking for summer weight jackets that can be bought and converted for less than renting. It can be done. And make sure your tailor understands the process by practicing on everyone else's before going into yours. You have time. watch the catalogues for unstructured jackets on sale at the end of this summer. I vote for navy. What doesn't match navy?

If you are all small and medium-ish guys, you might consider this from the Sportsman's Guide. I know it says "warm" but if it's the one I'm thinking of, it is a single thickness of worsted fabric and very versatile as it comes out of the box.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=759130

You can take advantage of the opportunity to avoid the rent it all look by , um, NOT renting it all....


THIS JACKET IS MADE FROM THE SAME SILK HERRINGBONE. I AM NOT SUGGESTING THAT YOU SHOULD SPEND $200. I FORGET HOW MUCH LESS MINE WAS, BUT I AM CERTAIN IT WAS MUCH LESS.

(sorry about the caps lock...)

http://cgi.ebay.com/POLO-RALPH-LAURE...item231178e3ad


m'll

[OC Richard]

About the Groom being dressed differently from the rest, the suggestion of this can be found in an old source:

The Scottish National Dress
Fifth Edition

A Handbook for Everyone Interested in Highland Dress

Wm Anderson & Sons LTD
Edinburgh & Glasgow

By Appointment to His Late Majesty King George V

Highland Dress for Weddings and Courts

There is frequently some doubt as to what constitutes correct Highland Dress for use at Weddings and other Full Dress functions, and the following notes may be of assistance.

The bridegroom should be in full dress, consisting of a buttoned up coat, kilt, sporran, hose, buckled brogues, belted or short plaid, birk belt and dirk. A typical outfit of this kind is illustrated. (The illustration shows a Kenmore doublet, lace jabot, castellated hose, ghillies with buckles, etc etc.)
It should be used by the bridegroom and the best man whenever the bride is in full bridal array. Incidentally, it is readily adaptable for evening wear afterwards.

An alternative permissible, especially when the wedding is in the country, is that a jacket of the ordinary day shape should be worn, but that this be made of dark grey or black material. This latter dress is also the correct one for a guest at a wedding. Except when the bride is in ordinary dress and the male guests in lounge suits, a tweed jacket is not strictly correct, though sometimes worn.

Thus is the opinion of a Highland Dress maker in the 1930s.

[OC Richard]

There is something about the PC and Argyle jackets that I don't like, I think it's the studs, I've never been a fan of metal studs on my clothing.

There aren't any metal studs on Argyll or Prince Charlie jackets. You probably mean the square silver buttons.

Charcoal grey Argyll jackets are very nice and you might want to have a look at them. They usually have horn buttons. I'm wearing one in my avatar.

For whatever reason, men around here tend to be overdressed (in my opinion) at weddings. I did that too, when I was married back in the 1980s.

I pipe at a load of weddings here and typically the groom wears a Prince Charlie and the groomsmen either in Prince Charlies or in black Argyll jackets. Ditto with the wedding guests.

I just played at a wedding a week ago, an outdoor daytime wedding with the sun a-blazing, and there were dozens of men in kilts there. I was the only one wearing anything other than a black Prince Charlie or black Argyll, save for one guy who had no jacket or waistcoat at all. (I wore green tweed.) Halfway through the reception a guy showed up in a charcoal grey Argyll, making three men total not wearing black jackets.