So you have bought a dress, booked a venue and picked the flowers. Now it’s time for the guy. In today’s market the guy is making more decisions when it comes to his attire for the wedding day. They are looking at buying, renting, or on some instances both, so the process is not as easy as it once was. With wedding parties getting bigger and bigger many of today’s grooms are planning further ahead, because there are more people to co-ordinate. How to make it easier? Read on for tips on renting your formalwear!

Renting Your Formalwear

The key to having a positive experience while renting your formalwear is to choose a reputable store. As you shop around everyone will try and convince you that they truly are a reputable store, but here are just a few things to look for:

- Service you can rely on

- Well-trained, professional staff

- Attention to detail and quality

- Local warehousing with a large selection of new tuxedos and accessories

- On-site tailoring for any unforeseen problems

If a store can provide these items you know you are in the right place. Now it really comes down to what are the guys going to wear? A good sales associate will ask a few simple questions such as:

- What time of day is your wedding?

- Is it a formal or casual ceremony?

- What are the wedding colours?

These items will help a sales associate determine what type of attire is best suited for your day. There is a big swing back to formality, more grooms want to be completed dressed up. This might include a longer jacket, a vest, a formal tie and a patent shoe.

Jacket styles are going in two directions, more and more jackets are going to basic styles while incorporating nicer details such as linings and fabrics. The other direction is formal coats (longer length primarily), these coats will often fit a bit slimmer to prevent the groom from looking like a tent.

Accessories are becoming increasingly important, gone are the days of a black bow tie and cummerbund as your only choice. In today’s rental market the sky is the limit as far as colour and style go. Jewel tones and earth tones are a huge hit for this wedding season.

We have all heard that shoes make the man, well the statement holds true in the rental game as well. Many men cannot justify owning a pair of patent leather shoes, therefore, why not rent them on your wedding day. A good formalwear store should have numerous styles for you to choose from. Remember that the patent shoe was designed specifically for your tuxedo; it carries the look from your satin lapel to your satin stripe down to your shoes. And if you think people won’t notice you’re wrong! Check back for info on purchasing your wedding attire instead of renting.

Creating your registry is one part of your wedding planning that creates a lot of joy without a lot of stress. Really, huge bath towels, snuggly sheets and amazing cooking sets will never go out of style, but today’s couples are more adventurous and going beyond the registry basics.

More and more couples are already living together before the wedding, which makes creating your registry list a little more challenging. However, this is a great opportunity to create a blended style for the two of you that both of you can enjoy. Take advantage of department stores that offer more than home goods - things like furniture and camping gear. Remember that you don’t have to register at just one store.

Couples these days are also taking advantage of another trend: registering for your honeymoon. Instead of gifts, your guests help contribute to your honeymoon to take the financial burden off you. Keep in mind that if your wedding crowd is more traditional, you will also want to register at a retailer for them.

Wherever and whatever you choose for your registry keep a few things in mind:

• mix up your items for a large variety, both in taste and price
• make sure you are comfortable with the shipping/return policies
• size up your space - don’t go overboard
• be careful of seasonal items - don’t do your registry too early

Enjoy the moments!

So you’ve gone online and magazine shopping, starting to prep for your big shopping day. You are going to get THE GOWN. But as you continue your research for the perfect dress you start to see terms you weren’t expecting. Off-white, bright white, diamond, eggshell - what the heck is going on? Relax - we’re here to help. See, wedding gowns come a variety of different ‘whites’, some of them not even white at all. We are here to direct you in picking the best shade for your skin tone.

stark white - this is the brightest and crispest white and looks fabulous on dark skin.

silk, diamond or natural white -  a shade off of stark white but it looks pretty much identical in photos. Most people look good in this colour.

ivory - you have a couple of choices here: ivory is also referred to as eggshell or candlelight. Some ivory dresses have yellow undertones and some are just a toned-down white. Check with the salon on which category your gown falls into.

Champagne - also called rum, this is a white with pink undertones that look nearly white in photos.

Which one is best for you? Know your skin tone and you will know exactly what colour of dress to choose.

fair - yellow/ivories but stay clear of stark whites as this will usually wash you out

medium (with pink undertones) - look for creamier colours

medium (with yellow undertones) - go for diamond white or champagne

dark - lucky bride! Most shades with complement your skin tone, however; stay away from yellow and ivory.

If you’ve found your dream dress but the colour doesn’t look right, ask your bridal salon consultant if it is available in another shade. Bridal shops carry samples but not usually one of each shade in the same dress.

Your wedding gown is one of the largest purchases you’ll make for your wedding day. So how do get the wedding dress of your dreams with paying a huge sum of money? Check out our tips on how to save on the dress without losing the style.

Choosing a classic gown without a lot of embellishment can dramatically lower the price - sometimes up to 25%! You can also look at only having some of the trimmings i.e.: all the gorgeous beading and lace on the bodice but not on the train or the sleeves.

Watch your alterations. Making special changes such as altering the neckline or putting in ties versus the zipper or buttons can cost more than $300 per adjustment.

While there are a lot of wedding purchases you can and will want to make online, your wedding gown shouldn’t be one of them. The Internet is a great resource to find ideas for your perfect dress, but you’re much better off to print off those pictures and take them to a bridal shop where you can try your options on. How many times have you looked at something on the hanger and thought it was gorgeous, only to put it on and realize it is not flattering to you at all, or vice versa? Your wedding gown is not something you want to take a chance with.

By choosing a simple silhouette you can keep the budget for your dress down. The more fabric your dress contains, the more it costs. A ball gown with huge amounts of organza can cost up to twice as much as a sheath made of the same fabric.

Look for seasonal and sample sales. Winter and summer are two of the best times of year for wedding gown shopping. Shops and buyers are attempting to get rid of inventory, giving you savings of up to 80%! Keep a few things in mind however: these gowns are usually sold ‘as-is’, so factor in dry-cleaning and alterations as the samples are usually used as try-on stock. PS: If you are a size 8 in a wedding gown - this is the perfect opportunity for you as most samples and try-on stock are ordered in a size 8.