Recaps Part Two...

The Guys Get Ready!

The cuff links that I gave Charles as a gift the day of the wedding. He loves guns so I knew he would love them. They were a huge hit with the guys!

Playing pool waiting for me to get better so we can get the show on the road!

My man checking out his wedding day duds.

The ties and socks I bought for the guys.

Chess anyone?

Time to get ready!

My mom pinning on his boutonniere.

Love them!

Charles with his God-Daughter Maggie who was our flower girl.

Stay tuned for more recaps and a Giveaway post!

Solution?

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I think I may have found a solution to the S&K Menswear saga!

There's a company called Jim's Formal Wear that carries the EXACT SAME suit that we were wanting from S&K! They don't have their own stores, instead they have authorized retailers. I did a search for retailers and was floored when my bridal salon A Joyous Occasion was listed as a retailer! Woo hoo!

Now, I still have to call and get some information and make sure they do rentals with the suits and stuff but I'm so glad I've already found the suit somewhere else! Oh and it's not just the suit, they have the shirt and the shoes we want as well! Score! So this afternoon I will be calling Joyous to get the details!

Oh and I have other good news regarding my Not Enough Time post! Much to my astonishment, yesterday while Charles and I were texting just before I left work he surprised me by saying that he's going to stop going to church on Wednesdays so we can have Wednesdays for wedding planning!! Yay!!

Now please understand that church is extremely important to me and him as well. Our church background is different, he's been going to Sunday service and the Wednesday evening service for years at his church. I however, was not brought up in a home where we attended Wednesday service. I'm not saying it's not needed or anything like that, it's just not something I attend. Anyways, I was very thankful of this news and am so glad we'll have a day set aside for wedding planning now. Oh and it means more time with my sweetie too!

Were you able to find solutions to unexpected problems quickly?

Why oh Why?

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So as you will remember from Men's Attire and The Look for the Guys, I already had a really strong idea of what I wanted the guys in. Charles and I went to our local S&K Menswear store and spoke with a very helpful guy named Rob and we were able to solidify the look for the guys. I was so excited that we found the light gray suits I had been dreaming about. And that the ties we got for the guys looked awesome with them!

I have BAD news.

On Friday I was out shopping with mom and we were at a store located in the same outlet mall as S&K. As I was pulling out, I glanced over at the S&K store and found a huge yellow and black GOING OUT OF BUSINESS sign! What!? This cannot be happening. I did a double take to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. Nope, they weren't...they're closing.

At first I wasn't too worried because I assumed there had to be another S&K in Knoxville. I mean if there's one in Sevierville, there HAS TO BE one in Knoxville! I just looked and nope, there sure isn't. The closest S&K Menswear store (after the Sevierville one closes) will be in Chattanooga! C-town is two hours away! Why???????

I have no idea what we're going to do now. I was so thankful to have the guys attire figured out and out of the way. Back when I was researching attire ideas for the guys I seriously found NOTHING else I liked (as far as suits went). I'm at a loss and have no idea what to do. I guess we're back at square one regarding the guys attire for the big day. Don't they realize that people are out here planning weddings and are/were counting on them!? Ugh.

What unexpected things have you had to deal with during your planning?

The Look for the Guys

Yesterday evening the Mr. and I went on over to our local S& K Menswear store to solidify my vision for the guys. The gentleman working when we went in was so helpful! As I mentioned in Men's Attire, I had no idea what kind or color shirt the guys should wear. I already knew what suit I wanted them in and have already bought the ties they'll wear. Rob (the guy at S&K) was very honest with me about what color shirt would look best with the suit and tie I had picked out. He didn't tell me to pick whatever I wanted because it's my wedding, he told me truthfully what he thought would be best and I was very thankful for that!

He even went so far as to partly undress two mannequins so we could really visualize the look we were going for. He put one of our ties on a mannequin that had on a black shirt and then placed the gray suit coat over it. And let me tell you, it looked SHARP and different/unique too! (Silly me forgot to take the camera so I could really show you what it looked like. sadness.) Anyways, here is what the suit and black shirt will look like together.

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Now picture that paired with the ties I bought for the guys.

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I know you have to use your imagination a little to be able to visualize but what do you think?

We decided against a vest (even just for the Mr.) because it was going to add another color and texture and I was afraid it would look too busy. Plus, I think he'll be more comfortable without one.

The Mr. was a little surprised at the price tag for the tux rental but it doesn't seem bad to me. Yeah it is a little more than it would have been because the shirts I want are considered an upgrade and you have to pay an extra $10 for them. And the shoes I picked out are also a $10 upgrade. But again, the total which comes to about $200 (including tax) doesn't sound unreasonable to me.

In your opinion, is $200 too much for a tux rental that includes the suit, shirt and shoes? (It also includes a vest and tie but we won't be using those.)

Men's Attire

I am not afraid to admit that I know nothing when it comes to menswear. And believe me, I mean NOTHING. So, on Tuesday me and my Mr. are heading to our local S&K Menswear store to see what they have and get some pointers on finishing the look I'm going for.

Ok, the look I'm going for with the guys is a medium grey suit. I like this look from After Six:

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This suit is called Catalina and is a 31.5" 2 button single breasted self notch coat with a self top collar, flap pockets and no vent. Matching pants (as shown) are available. The fabric is a 55/45 polywool blend. I also like the look of the grey vest (as shown) with it but would only have my man in the vest and not the other guys.

I also like these looks I put together using the S&K Menswear Build-A-Tux feature. Please ignore the ties that are shown because it doesn't give you the option not to choose a tie and I've already bought the ties for the guys (more on them later in this post). Also remember I'm clueless about menswear so I have no idea what kind or color of shirt I'm looking for.

This would be the general look for the guys except with the ties I purchased. And again, I'm going to have to get pointers from the S&K Menswear staff about what kind and color shirt to have the guys wear. (Source)

This would be the general look for my Mr. Except the vest color would match the suit and he would be wearing the tie I bought him. And yet again remember what I said about the shirt. (Source)

Here I played around with a black shirt since I have no idea what to pair the suit and tie with. (Source)

And without further delay, the ties I found at Kohls for $16.80 each regularly $28.00 each. I wasn't on the search for ties at Kohls when I found them. However, I fell in love with them once I saw them. They are perfect and just what I had been scouring websites trying to find (with no luck I might add). The ties feature both of our wedding colors, purple and silver. I am so glad I went ahead and bought them even though I got puzzling looks from the Mr.!

These are the ties for the best man, groomsman and my brother.Close up of the wedding party ties. Aren't they pretty? :)

And this is the tie I found for my Mr. I wanted his to be a little different so he would stand out from the other guys. This tie was perfect because it has the same colors as the other ties and the same pattern but it's still different.

Close up of the Mr.'s tie.And this picture shows all the ties and the differences between the two styles. I absolutely love them! (Tie Pictures Source: yours truly)

On to the socks. I haven't bought these as of yet. I found them online at Banana Republic and really like them. I totally stole these socks from JessicaLynn over at Tying the Knot. I had been on the hunt for purple argyle socks and was having no luck at all and then I stumbled on her blog and found the socks I'd been looking for. Me and the Mr. are going to a local Banana Republic Outlet store on Tuesday to see if we can find the socks there so we won't have to pay shipping. And hopefully we'll find them there cheaper too!

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Why I care so much about what kind of socks my guys wear:

I love sock shots like that one! I know, I know, I'm crazy. :P
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And now for the shoes. I'm not too picky here. They just need to be nice looking, shiny, black and comfy for the guys. Something along the lines of this shoe:

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Are you clueless about how to dress your guys? What look are you going for with the groom and groomsmen?

Up next: the stationery.