Getting Your Wedding Tuxedo Online vs. In-Store

Photo: Trish Kemp Photography

Whether you’re the type of man who buys absolutely everything online or one who refuses to download the Amazon app (no matter how hard the company may try to convince you) procuring formalwear for your wedding is a shopping experience you’ve likely never had before—so it could be time to step outside of your comfort zone!

Read on to find out the biggest differences between shopping for a wedding tuxedo online and in-store.

Online

You can go at your own pace.

You’re free to flip back and forth between the same three tuxedos for an hour if you want to, comparing the individual details of each suit and imagining what they might look like on your body. You can also spend as much time as you want just browsing images of tuxedos on Pinterest to get a sense of what’s out there and what sparks your interest.

Comparison shopping is super easy.

Visit several suit-sales websites to get a sense of prices, styles and fabrics. If you find something you like, you can keep poking around online to see if it’s available at a better price on a different website.

You can often find coupons and deals for online rentals.

Check Groupon, Living Social and other deal sites for cash discounts or group rental packages.

Your formalwear will be delivered to your doorstep.

Try it on in the comfort of your own home and find a local tailor who can make temporary alterations for the perfect fit.

In-Store

You can get fit advice from a real-life expert.

If you’ve never shopped for a suit or tuxedo before, a real-life person can provide advice on the right styles, cuts and colors for your body and your wedding. Sales associates are full of knowledge about what suits look best on tall men, for example, and they’ll know the difference between a peaked lapel and a shawl collar.

You’ll be able to try things on and see how they look and feel.

Ever order a shirt online only to find that the fabric is itchy and uncomfortable when you receive it in the mail? That can happen with tuxedos, too. Shopping at a brick-and-mortar store will allow you to feel fabrics and see how different cuts of suits—slim vs. classic, for example— will fit your body.

The shop may have a tailor on staff who can measure you and make minor alterations for the ideal fit.

Even if you decide to buy or rent your tux online, you’ll want to ask a professional tailor to measure you to ensure you order a suit that fits. If you visit a store, however, the shop may have a tailor on-site who can measure you and even make small nips and tucks to your tuxedo for the best possible fit.

You may be able to get a discount if you rent or buy your groomsmen’s suits from the same shop.

Many retailers will offer the groom a free tuxedo rental if all of his groomsmen rent their suits from the same shop. Ask your sales associate if any group discounts are available!

If something doesn’t seem quite right the week before your wedding, you can go back to the shop to get your tux altered or exchange it for something else.

You may gain or lose weight before your wedding, or perhaps things just feel a bit different when you have your whole outfit on. A brick-and-mortar store (especially one with a tailor) can help make minor alterations for the perfect fit, or swap out a jacket or pair of pants that are suddenly too tight or too loose.