When it comes to wedding attire, every bride knows it's not easy to convince a slew of people to wear the same thing. Especially when your friends are fashionable. And I don't just mean on top of the latest trend, I mean style defines these folks: They break barriers and they don't appreciate blending in. Oh, and they're guys.
Say hello to my husband's groomsmen, a group of 20 and 30-something chaps. One is a photographer who lives in Paris, another was a reality TV superstar turned singer/songwriter, one is a high-powered attorney in New York City, one flew in all the way from Bangkok, one owns a vineyard in Washington state and another is an old-school East Coast prepster (as well as the only father of the bunch). Needless to say, telling a six-foot-five male who prides himself on being "artsy" and usually wears pants too tight for even my own legs what to wear, is a difficult task. Said groomsmen's clothes are typically obscure, moderately expensive and definitely considered "weird" by many standards. He'd stand out like a sore thumb in a mass retail store.
Knowing I didn't want these guys in stuffy suits for our Santa Barbara nuptials, one of my bridesmaids and I sauntered into J. Crew on a quest for appropriate apparel. Gemma agreed to model the menswear, and at nearly six feet tall, she was an excellent canvas for the clothes. After putting her long locks in a boyish bun and trying on an array of options, we decided on a slim-ish fitting grey chino, a purple micro-checked oxford and a grey bow tie as the uniform for these strapping gents. In order to appease the guys, I told them they could wear their own boat shoes in any color (generous, right?) and their own belts (of which they took the liberty of coordinating colorful ones). Without too much hemming and hawing, the groomsmen obliged and of course figured out a way to spruce up their conservative costumes. Upon seeing them grinning at the altar, I noticed their pant legs were rolled up - and I loved it!
Even more, I love that I still catch them wearing the pants and shirt (separately, of course) even a year after the wedding -- that is, all except the guy globetrotting around Europe.
Now is probably also a good time to add that the guys didn't have too much room to heckle me as my husband and I paid for their outfits out of our wedding budget -- I mean, what's the point in having them spend $80 of their own money to rent a tacky tux when they can have a J. Crew outfit that they get to keep for free?
