What are the guys wearing?

So, this should be the first of several installments on clothes, cause who doesn't love dressing up -- or even better, dressing OTHER people up. Of course, the easiest decision was what the guys will be wearing.

Remember we're going for that old hollywood "rat pack" look. So here's the suit Erik and I unanimously agreed was closest to that vision:

Love it!

Black, classy, two-button, tie with no vest. We have yet to pick out the colors for the ties. I'm thinking champagne (light gold) colored for my groom and dark purple for the rest of the guys: namely the four groomsmen, my dad and his dad. What about the ushers, you ask? I'm asking them to simply come dressed in a white dress shirt and black pants. We'll supply them with coordianting ties.

But here's the big question: Pocket squares like those above or do-it-yourself ribbon boutonnieres like these? Why only these two options? I refuse to pay for fresh flower boutonnieres when there are plenty of other options out there. It's also a great way to save some money. Rest assured I will have fresh flowers, just not in the form of bouts or corsages, but that's for another post. Choosing pocket squares would give me one less DIY project, but begs another questions. Do we simply buy handkerchiefs for the guys to use as pocket squares or let them rent them with the suits for $7 (or so) apiece?

Where are the suits coming from? We thought about going through Men's Warehouse so all the men could order it at their own store. But after hearing awful things about the customer service at the Cedar Rapids store, I decided to go with the same shop where I got my wedding dress (to be discussed in another post). So, our grooms men and dads will have to go to a local shop to get measured and then phone those measurements into the shop here: Heart to Heart Bridal. As a bonus, suits seem to be cheaper here as well! I'm going in to finalize the details on Saturday. I figure/hope we can send someone to pick them up and have everyone try them on the day before.