Tuxedo shopping

Little Spoon and I went shopping for my tuxedo for the wedding today. She had made an appointment for us to go to The Men's Wearhouse to follow up on a deposit she put down that would let me get a free suit with five paid tuxedo rentals. She had already selected a nice ensemble (a one-button notched lapel tuxedo) that would give a minimal hit to the pocketbooks of our wedding account, groomsmen, and dads. Thus, all I had to do was figure out the colors I wanted. The person who took our order and my measurements was nice and helpful; once she got to us, it was a smooth and easy process.

That's what went right. Unfortunately, there were also a few hitches in our giddyup.

First, we had unwittingly made our appointment during the height of prom season. Our first clue about our inauspicious timing was the sight of a couple of prom goers tricking out with their tuxes. When I stepped through the doors, I was greeted by a flood of high school aged men swarming the counters. A couple of soon-to-be grooms were also there, but we were mere ripples in the sea of younguns.

Second, when it came time to talk ties, I also went on an old assumption that a preference for an ivory tie Little Spoon for me months ago still held true. Instead of asking her whether she still wanted me to stand out that way, I just assumed that it was and proceeded apace. I thought I was being the dutiful groom and compromising on the tie color after insisting on having tuxedos, but I was wrong. She now prefers black ties all around; I'll instead be set apart with the pocket square made of material we used for my Edgar Allan Poe tie on our third date. After getting back from the fitting, we talked about the tie color - it turns out Little Spoon went along with the ivory only because I seemed to acquiesce to the salesperson's preferences.

Now that we've clarified that I'll be in a black tie, we'll need to call the store back to correct the color. It's not a big deal, but it's a minor point that could have been clarified with better communication. Alas, the irritation I felt at being swarmed by prom guys made me struggle to wait my turn patiently instead of talking productively about the ensemble with Little Spoon.

Sometimes, you've gotta keep talking, even when you don't wanna.