Rented s#!&

Let me get this straight. On his wedding day a man can expect to be photographed more than any other day in his life. Aside from future family portraits, no other photos will go on display longer than from the big day. Future generations will look at these documents as the sole evidence that your old, wrinkled ass had any sense of style or youthfulness. In other words, this is the one day you can game the system and look really nice for the cameras because the documents from this day outlast most others. Women (and a multi-billion dollar wedding industry) have figured this out long ago (and many have gone overboard in the process). They make sure their hair, their flowers, their skin, and most importantly, their dress, meet every one of their expectations? But what do we men do on our most fashionable of days? We wear ill-fitting rented crap, from shirt to tuxedo to shoes to even strapping on a modern clip-on tie. We party all night in someone else's clothes and make sure we wake up early the next day to return them to avoid late fees. I'm not anywhere close to being the best-dressed guy out there, nor do I aspire to be, but shouldn't we men expect a little more sartorial sense of ourselves on the big day?

If you're 2nd-generation Asian American or more recent arrival, you're more than well aware of the trend-passed-off-as-tradition of wearing an all-white tuxedo for the wedding. Alert: you're a man, not the circus ringmaster. And yes, Navy officers wear white, but they hate it because it tells the whole world how cushy their work is that they can afford to wear all-white (including shoes) to work and know it likely won't get soiled. Unless it's a beach wedding, save the all-white look for the bride.

Granted, it costs less than $200 to rent groomwear, but if you already have a suit you like, why not spend the $200 getting things you can keep, like a nice dress shirt, vest, wedding tie (maybe white or silver), and cufflinks? OK, I'd find a way to get all those items for under $200, but the point remains the same. I'm making sure I don't look like another typical cheap-tuxedo groom. Better to wear a regular suit and look like yourself.