How much should a rental tux cost??

[BigGreen]

Okay, here's the deal: I have a friend who graduated college in '01. He's getting married this summer and his best man is his best friend from high school, a guy who has taken some time off from college because of money problems. His groomsmen are myself and two other friends. One of the friends is in law school, and thus has very little expendable income. The other is in a PhD program, and thus has NO expendable income. Myself, I just graduated. Money is not yet a problem for me in the way it is for the other three individuals (though i'm sure it will be in time, particularly as I don't feel like working just yet), though when I discovered today that the rental for the tux will be 350 dollars, my jaw dropped. That is going to put a dent in my spending money for that week in a big way, and I can only imagine what it's going to do to the month or even next two months of the other guys.

I've since asked around and most guys I know who have been in weddings indicate that 170-210 seems to be the norm. Is this true? I'm a little pissed about this expense, as are the other guys - especially as the groom knows that one of us has yet to start a career in any sense, two are still students and one has had to drop out because of money. Is it considered poor decorum to bring this up to the groom and ask him to pick a different style? It's not like we're renting from Barney's or anything either, it's a plain old Mr. Tux....I didn't think they carried tuxes that you could buy for 350, let alone rent for a day. I'm not normally cheap, but DAMN...on top of a gift, traveling to the wedding, getting a hotel for the weekend, we're gonna take a HUGE hit on this, and the tux seems to be the most foolish expense of them all.

[KeyMastur]

Wait wait wait............you are paying for the tux ??? Where do you live again ??

Here in the states, it's customary for the bride's parents to pick up the wedding, and I believe that includes the tux. I'm headed to a wedding in August, and all I have to do is get sized for mine. Someone's pickin up the tab - it's not me !

[kc]

LMAO keymastur...don't know what part of the country you live in but when i got married the hubby and i paid for EVERYTHING cept the rental tuxs and dresses...none of which were over $150 a person....lol i shoulda got married where you live, coulda spent more on the honeymoon

$350 for a rental tux is outrageous!! maybe find out what the girls are paying for their dresses before you say anything too big, if they're footing more than that for their dresses it might be worth your time to not say anything to rock the whole boat

[BigGreen]

I'm a new englander (you know, VT, NH, MA, ME, CT, RI) and, yes, i thought that was how it worked. The bride's parents are quite poor and the groom's are quite wealthy. As such, the groom's parents are picking up the tab for the wedding, but they're not following the normal "rules" such as the tuxes and stuff. They're giving the two of them a great wedding, but could give two shits about us and the fact we have to pay 350 for a tux and whatever else for our hotel rooms at the resort they're having the wedding at that weekend. I'm wondering if us guys in the wedding were to bring up the fact that the tux price is simply outlandish, if we could get it changed? Or at least make a push for something a tad cheaper....

[BigGreen]

Oh, sorry for pointing out the obviousness of what new england "is"...i'd forgotten that I changed my location to reflect my height increase as discovered at my last physical.

[BLOOD]

150-250 is reasonable.

[KeyMastur]

Hell yeah I would say something if you are having to pick up your share of everything. Especially if it's a bit pricey. Hell, it's his wedding. He invited you.

Hell, the groom's (my best friend; i'm just a groomsman, his brother's are his best men) parent's are even picking up a room at the Radison in Dallas (gonna hook up with Strutt's ex's sister if it's ok with clocky) for 2 nights.

[The Butcher]

It's not unheard of (in fact it's usually the case) that if you are asked to be in the wedding, and you say yes, you are agreeing to pay for the tux rental. $350 is fucking ridiculous though! You can buy a tux for that much. I went to a wedding over Memorial Day and only spent $60 for my rental. But, one of the wedding parties had a friend who worked for Men's Warehouse and got us a killer deal. $120 or so is about the norm though. Consider it part of your gift to the newly weds that you are picking up the tab for the tuxes, room, travel, etc. The funny thing about weddings is that everyone bitches about paying for tuxes, travel, rooms, etc until it is their own wedding!

[BigGreen]

Originally posted by The Butcher
The funny thing about weddings is that everyone bitches about paying for tuxes, travel, rooms, etc until it is their own wedding!

I agree entirely, though in picking out things for the wedding, if in fact my future bride and I (or her parents) are unable to pick up a good chunk of the tab, I intend to be very conscientious of the lifestyles, income, careers and general financial situations of those in the wedding. If all the groomsmen are in grad school, I'm going to explicitly request to the wedding planner/tux store that the tuxes we decide on MUST be affordable for that reason. If they've all been recently promoted to VP's or something, then that won't be such a consideration. But, truth be told, we all consider this a pretty harsh slap in the fact that, fully aware of all of our situations, he and/or her still went ahead and selected a design that was going to set us back almost four bills apiece! I've seen the tux and it doesn't look any different than any other one that i've seen, so I can't figure out why it's 350? Wow, this is PISSING ME OFF.

[MBaraso]

Last time I rented one it was $110 I think for everything.
I wouldn't pay more then $150 no matter what state you live in. And if it was more then that I wouldn't go lol

[sigrabbit]

I was in a wedding in NE and my tux was around $100, but that was in 1998. Still, over a 300% increase is ridiculous!

[The Butcher]

BG, I am with you in regards to having a little more concern for those who are going to be in the wedding who cannot afford an expensive ass tux. I think you need to call your Bro and tell him that the tuxes are ridiculously expensive. I can't imagine he won't understand. If he doesn't, then I think he has a real problem. Surely he can grasp the fact that your buds are strapped financially, and that $350 is too much. Don't wait to call him. Do it ASAP. That way things can get changed so you guys can afford to be in the wedding.

[ripsid]

Big Green, my wedding is July 4th and for my groomsmen the cost of the tux is $100 with shoes, for the fathers its $100, for my son it's 105 and he's half the size of all of us (except my father short little dego! where my kid is about 2/3's his size j/k )
BG, sounds like they're making you buy it...or your tux is handmade in Italy by one of the greatest Tux makers in the world which I highly doubt...
SID

[BigGreen]

Originally posted by ripsid

BG, sounds like they're making you buy it...or your tux is handmade in Italy by one of the greatest Tux makers in the world which I highly doubt...
SID

Agreed, I mean, it is, after all Mr. Tux: the walmart of tux shops if i'm not mistaken. I was so shocked when i first heard the price that I didn't think to ask (and i wasn't sure if that was normal at the time, since this is the first time I've had to rent a tux with my own money), but now I'm considering giving the place a call and at least asking for an explanation.

[ripsid]

Definately call and confront! They'll screw the people that allow them selves to get screwed! Trust me I know, I mean we're paying for the wedding our selves and one place was like 250 for a tux and I asked the guy straight out if he was going to take me out on a date before he screwed me! Well that didn't go over well with him, but it got the point across...also, make sure the place you goto doesn't have a tux that was drug behind a car for years. Alot of places recycle there tuxes to the point where you'd get a better quality tux from a goodwill store.

SID

[Strut99GT]

$350 is absolutely ridiculous. I agree with an earlier post; I would pay up to $150, but not a cent more. Otherwise, I would think that you could find one to purchase and have forever for $300. That is, if we weren't getting our swole on and wouldn't outgrow it

[Got Gear?]

Just had to rent a tux for a wedding last weekend.

Bill came to $165 CDN and included shoes. That's like $120 US.

[Red Ketchup]

Ahhh fuck the tux... just show up wearing a beer hat, dirty wife beater, pink tutu, knee high brown socks and old leather flip flops.



Red

[BigGreen]

I talked to the groom today and voiced my "concern" regarding the tux situation. He was as shocked as I was! He talked to the guy at his local branch to clear up the problem, and, to make a long story short, they think they had us down for a weeklong event (or, that's what they said, anyway). I guess the groom is keeping the tux for the week since they are going on a honeymoon that requires formal dress, and they somehow put us ALL down as having it for the week. Now it is only 148$...a nice, and very welcome, change.

[Strut99GT]

Originally posted by BigGreen
I talked to the groom today and voiced my "concern" regarding the tux situation. He was as shocked as I was! He talked to the guy at his local branch to clear up the problem, and, to make a long story short, they think they had us down for a weeklong event (or, that's what they said, anyway). I guess the groom is keeping the tux for the week since they are going on a honeymoon that requires formal dress, and they somehow put us ALL down as having it for the week. Now it is only 148$...a nice, and very welcome, change.

Excellent. *twiddles fingers*

[The Butcher]

So you got us all worked up for nothing?!

Bastard!!!!!!