Category Archives: Black Tie Attire

Should I Wear a Bow Tie Or Long Tie?

June 17, 2020 darianna Leave a comment

We are often asked whether a groom and the groomsmen should wear a bow tie or long tie on the wedding day.

This is a great question and Darianna Bridal & Tuxedo has a lot of experience and advice on answering it.

So let’s get right to the answer and then we’ll dive deeper into various things you should consider when deciding which type of tie to choose for yourself and your wedding party.

The general answer that we give is do not do something you are not comfortable with. If you are not a bow tie kind of guy, then do not wear one. If you are not comfortable in a bow tie, either it’s look or feel, then you are probably not going to be comfortable wearing one. You will also not be happy with the look.

Allure Mens Box Check Bow Tie with Mulberry Tuxedo

However, things are not always that simple so let’s talk about some other things you may want to consider when deciding. We also have a process that we take customers through to help brides and grooms make their choice. You can read all about that process here.

Usually when we meet with brides and grooms during their tuxedo and suit consultation, we can pretty immediately tell if the couple prefers one type of tie over another. Sometimes, though, they aren’t sure which type of tie they want. We’ll go into how we help them determine which type to choose later in this blog if the couple is not sure.

If we see that either the bride or groom is not keen on a bow tie, we highly encourage them to stick with the 500 or so different long ties that we offer.

On the other hand, bow ties are not commonly worn by most people and wearing one on your wedding day is a nice way of switching up your look and creating timeless and classy photos.

Best of Both Worlds

In many cases, if a bride and groom are open to a bow tie, we often introduce the idea of the groom wearing the one, say bow tie, and the groomsmen wearing the other type, in this case a long tie. The first thing that this does is help further distinguish the groom from the rest of the wedding party beyond just having a different color tie. The bride and groom sometimes choose to do the reverse and have the groom wear a long tie and the groomsmen wear a bow tie. While this second option is not as popular as the groom wearing the bow tie, we do see it in approximately 5% of the wedding parties.

Tuxedos, Suits and Ties

Several years ago, it was rare that you would see a groom wearing a tuxedo with a long tie. Today that is completely acceptable. We have many wedding parties and prom goers wearing long ties with their tuxedos and suits. On a few occasions, we will have a groom wear a bow tie with his suit that he purchased or rented from us. So if you want to wear a long tie with your tuxedo that is perfectly acceptable. Again, we advise you doing what is most comfortable for you. Anyone who has worked with us knows that we will tell our customers if their attire choice or combination is not a good idea.

Free Groom Try On

The best way to determine if you prefer a bow or long tie is to try some of each on at your groom try on. We offer all of our grooms the ability to choose up to two different full tuxedos and/or suits with various accessory choices to try on. This is one of our most popular services because the bride and groom get to see what the groom and groomsmen will look like in all attire they choose in the groom’s exact size. During this try on, we will exchange several long and bow ties on the groom so that you can see what they will look like. We even encourage the bride to take pictures of the groom so that you can go home and see what everything looked like and make a decision from there. Read about our full groom try on HERE.

Trends

What are we seeing for tie choices right now? Many grooms are currently choosing bow ties. Why? We think they like the look and it’s a bit different and more formal. Five to seven years ago we saw more long ties for wedding parties but for now, that seems to have changed.

What If I Don’t Know How to Tie a Long or Bow Tie

You are in luck if you do not know how to tie a long or a bow tie. All of ours (almost 500 different colors and styles) are pre-tied and clip ons. They are beautiful and look like someone actually tied the bow tie without you needing to know how to do it! We do sell some bow ties that you can tie yourself if that is what you are looking for. Our long ties come in two different styles: ones that are pre-tied that you do not need to tie and ones that you tie yourself. If you choose a long tie that must be tied, we can tie it for you and leave it in your garment bag so that all you have to do is slip it around your neck and tighten it. We do this all of the time and the guys are very grateful for this free added service.

Navy Textured Blow Tie on Sandstone Tuxedo

Bottom Line

So the true answer as to whether you should wear a bow or long tie comes down to 100% personal choice. Both will work and we are sure you’ll know pretty immediately what you prefer once you do your groom try on with Darianna Bridal & Tuxedo.

Comment on this blog and tell us what you prefer, a bow or long tie?

Take a look at the 70 or so suits and tuxedos that we offer for rent and sale. You’ll enjoy seeing all of the styles and coming up with your own look. Do you have out of town wedding guests? Not a problem for Darianna Bridal & Tuxedo. We arrange to have your guys measured for free anywhere in the country and can even ship them the tuxedo or suit. They can submit their measurements on our website and even make payment online. It’s as simple as that! You can even text our store telephone number for questions and help: 215-491-8500. Make your appointment with us online to talk to a formal wear specialist.

Black Tie Attire

What Do Bridal Store Owners Wear to Black Tie Galas?

November 11, 2019 darianna Leave a comment

Franco and I are so fortunate to own Darianna Bridal & Tuxedo, because a family business is something we always wanted. We are also fortunate to be invited to many black tie galas and formal affairs because of this business.

It’s usually easy for us to choose our formal wear attire, however I think it’s easier for Franco. I would say that, right? He has 56 tuxedos from which to choose – our entire inventory is open to him and they are all so gorgeous he can’t go wrong. Plus with all the color accessories he can switch it up to any theme. He’s worn so many and all have looked incredibly sharp!

I absolutely love the ivory tuxedo jacket with black shawl lapel with black pants. Love love love this look!

He’s worn the navy tuxedo (amazing with his blue eyes), cranberry tuxedo (perfect for the holidays), and the checkered tuxedo (ultra class). He looks so handsome in the charcoal grey with a peak lapel and a fun bow tie with patching floral pocket square:

There is nothing as gorgeous as when he does classic black tuxedo with a black bow tie. He wore my new favorite on November 9th, called Chandler by Ike Behar (below). It is a gorgeous black tuxedo with satin shawl lapel. Here is a model in the tux and below is my guy in the same tux but wearing a black “teardrop” bowtie, white flower lapel pin, and black onyx studs and cufflinks:

We both found that we prefer the Ike Behar collection to any other name. The fit and quality is superior, even to the Michael Kors tuxedos. Yep, I said it. I love how it looks, Franco appreciates the look as well as the feel of it.

For shoes, I’m a fan of the black wing tip, too. Since he doesn’t care what shoe, he wears the black wing tip (wink wink).

For me, of course I find it more difficult. I’m not “young” but I’m not “old” – I’m in that basic mother of bride age group and we all say that. If you’re in your 20s-30s, you think of 50 as being ancient but believe me, once you get here you realize you’re not ancient. So many women my age are working out in the gym, pilates, yoga, running, lifting, etc., and feeling great, but there are still some styles that are inappropriate for mothers. I get that.

I have an advantage of basically an enormous inventory of dresses. While I really love most of our dresses, it doesn’t mean I would wear all of them. Some are definitely for “Mothers” in that they look very much like they belong at a wedding, not as a “guest of” or a “black tie” event. We have tons of prom dresses that are gorgeous but they are for prom goers, not someone’s mom.

In the past, I have worn Tony Bowls, Jovani, and Jonathan Kayne. I have also worn Bill Levkoff twice (yes, bridesmaid!) in black lace sequin that was super pretty and a high neck black chiffon that were absolutely perfect for the events.

Sometimes I feel guilty about buying new dresses – especially when Franco just rents – so I have also worn dresses in my closet from years ago. I have not rented a dress. I am a fan of buying more classic style dresses so they don’t go out of style and as long as they still fit I’m good to go!

For our most recent event, I chose this exact dress from the Christina Wu Celebrations collection:

My dress was like a disco ball! Aside from the sequins being very scratchy under my arms, it was just perfect! This is how we turned out:

With the holiday season just a blink away, maybe we will have a few more opportunities to get all fancy. If you need help putting something special together, give us a call!

Our bridesmaid and special occasion off the rack dresses are all marked down and we are offering a $50 discount on all our full tux packages! Call or text us at 215-491-8500! Happy Holidays!