The groom's reception tuxedo
The sherwani does the pheras; the reception is often a tuxedo. Ten judgements for the groom, a table matching his tuxedo to the bride's reception outfit, and the full kit priced.
Wedding 21 to 26 November? Order by 7 November. Early December? By 18 November.
Book a fitting
At the reception, he is the one man who cannot look like a guest.
The sherwani does the pheras. By the reception, often the next evening, a Delhi groom is as likely to be in a tuxedo. The difficulty is that half the men in the room will be in one too. He needs to look like the groom, not the best-dressed guest, and he will be standing on a stage for two hours while four hundred people photograph him. Five decisions settle it, and the first one is not his to make alone.
Decision one: talk to the bride first
Her reception outfit decides his colour. A lehenga or a gown, heavy gold or a pale pastel, it will be next to him in every photograph for the rest of their lives. He should not match it. He should stand well beside it.
Black, with a weave.From across the room it reads as black. Up close, the pattern appears.
Black satin shawl collar.The classic evening line, and kind in photographs.
No embroidery.The detail is in the cloth, so it sits beside a heavy lehenga without competing.
One covered button.Fastened for the stage, open when he sits to eat.
Very good. For: the groom at his own reception, when the guests are in plain black and he wants one detail they do not have.
Ten judgements for the groom
-
Very good.
One detail the guests do not have.
A shawl collar when most men will wear peak lapels. A tonal jacquard. Midnight velvet in December. A three-piece. Pick one. That is what makes him the groom.
-
Good.
A low-cut waistcoat under a single-breasted jacket.
On the stage he will stand with the jacket open, greeting people for two hours. A waistcoat keeps the line from chest to shoe unbroken, and no shirt shows at the waist when he reaches out for a handshake.
-
Don't.
A waistcoat and a cummerbund.
One or the other covers the waist. Both together is a costume. A double-breasted jacket needs neither: it stays fastened.
-
Very good.
Double-breasted, if he will keep it closed.
It looks the same from every angle the photographer finds, which on a reception stage is all of them. Open, it flaps. If he cannot bear a buttoned jacket all night, choose single-breasted.
-
Depends.
A coloured dinner jacket.
Oxblood, bottle green or dusty rose is right when the card says cocktail or black tie optional, and when the bride has seen it. When the card says black tie, keep to black or midnight blue.
-
Don't.
The safa, the stole or the mala with a tuxedo.
Those belong with the sherwani at the wedding. At the reception the tuxedo is evening dress, and Indian accents on it look like he forgot to change.
-
Good.
A self-tied bow tie.
Silk satin, black or midnight to match the jacket. It sits slightly imperfect, which is the point. SALVE shows you how to tie it at the fitting; practise twice before the day.
-
Good.
The shirt prepared the night before.
If the reception follows the wedding on the same night, the change has to be quick. Put the studs and cufflinks in the dress shirt in advance, and hang everything in the order it goes on.
-
Very good.
A fitting with his arms in the air.
He will hug, bend and dance. At the fitting, raise both arms: the jacket should not climb to his ribs, and the higher-rise trousers should keep the shirt in.
-
Don't.
Matching the groomsmen.
If his friends are in tuxedos, they wear plain black. He wears the detail. Seven men in identical jackets on a stage photograph like a band.
One detail. Not five.
Her outfit, his tuxedo
| Her reception outfit | His tuxedo | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy gold, ivory or champagne lehenga | The Jacquard or After Dark in black | Plain black gives the gold somewhere to sit |
| Red, maroon or wine | After Dark or the Vesper in black | Two reds fight. Black frames hers |
| Pastel: blush, mint, powder blue | The Vesper in midnight blue, or the Midnight velvet in winter | Midnight is softer than black beside pale colours |
| Jewel tone: emerald, sapphire, deep purple | Black or midnight blue, never a second jewel tone | One colour in the photograph, and it is hers |
| A Western gown | After Dark with the Low Cut waistcoat | Classic black tie, three-piece |
The groom's kit, priced
| Piece | Price |
|---|---|
| After Dark, jacket and trousers | ₹37,500 |
| The Low Cut evening waistcoat | ₹12,000 |
| The Dress Shirt, pleated front, double cuffs | ₹8,500 |
| The Onyx Set, four studs and cufflinks | ₹6,500 |
| The Black Tie, self-tie silk satin | ₹3,500 |
| The White Square, linen | ₹2,000 |
| All of it | ₹70,000 |
SALVE does not make shoes. Black patent or highly polished black oxfords, broken in before the day.
When to order
Two weeks from the measuring visit, with a fitting in between. For a wedding between 21 and 26 November, order by 7 November. For early December, order by 18 November. For 11 or 12 December, order by 27 November. Closer than that, rush delivery takes seven days.
A cutter comes to your home or office in Gurugram or Delhi, and can measure the groomsmen at the same visit. Book a visit.
Which functions a tuxedo belongs at, and which it does not: wearing a tuxedo to an Indian wedding. Everything else: the tuxedo, everything you need to know.
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