When you ask the groomsmen to be in your wedding it's assumed they will be renting tuxedos, usually at their own expense. While rental offers range from $50 to $150, I have personally found most rentals end up averaging $120, and can be as much as $200. Each tux is a different price and most brides & grooms gravitate to the nicer fabrics because they feel and look better, but also cost more. Some stores charge extra for shoes & accessories such as vests. That entry level deal is rarely the out the door price. 

Another option is to buy a tux. The problem is most people won't have enough occasions over the next 5 to 10 years to justify the cost. After all you may want to wear a 3 button coat to your wedding while the next one is a 2 button. Then you're back to square one. The point at which it makes sense financially to own a tux is if you will wear it 3 to 4 times a year. Less than that and you are buying one because you want to wear YOUR tux and not one a hundred other guys have worn.

The Handfasting is a beautiful ceremony that can augment your vows and ring exchange. It was originated in the 1600’s, in Europe,  when very few weddings were being sanctified in the church. It was essentially, a commonlaw ritual, and it makes a beautiful contrast to the more formalized vows that are included in most modern ceremonies.

In the version that I have written , multiple colored cords, (some of which are embellished with beads, gemstones and charms), are draped over the couple’s hands as promises are read. Very often, a close friend. the couples’ children or one of the bridal party will assist in draping the cords; this is a great way to make them active participants.

As photographers, Adam and I are there throughout the entire wedding process. We do our best to help you find other vendors, figure out your wedding timeline, offer advice on creative ideas to incorporate into you day... and we're there behind the scenes. We see everything that happens on your wedding day. And with each wedding we photograph, we learn something new to bring with us. For example, we've upgraded our sewing kit scissors that we always have on us to a larger, sharper pair. Our scissors have been used to cut the rings off the pillow, cut hanger straps off of dresses, and cut the aisle ribbon so processional could start :) So, we thought we'd extend our help even further by offering our "Wedding Words of Wisdom," which will be a regular addition to our blog now. Whenever we learn something new that can help with your wedding day, we'll post it! This week, we have some words of wisdom about getting dressed.

1) Label the tuxes and bridesmaids dresses. You'd be surprised how often we see these mixed up. Actually, they were mixed up on our own wedding day, too. Adam said, "Dude, my pants are too long." And our best man Dave said, "Dude, my pants are too short." Then they realized that they had switched their pants. Oopsies. So they changed their pants in the car on their way to our wedding :) I've seen the same thing happen with bridesmaids. The simple task of labeling with save a lot of chaos.