GroomsOnline has just completed a survey of our online readership, and some surprising facts have emerged regarding the state of men’s wedding fashion.  Not surprisingly, there has been a steady decline of men that decide to rent a tuxedo for their wedding.  There are a few factors for this decline which include the popularity of destination weddings, the economy, and falling prices on purchasing a tuxedo.

Destination weddings have grown in popularity over the last few years.  Most destination weddings are held in tropical locations that are not conducive to formal attire.  Many grooms tend to forgo a black tuxedo, and instead often choose to wear light colored linen suits for these beach type weddings.

As we all know, the economy has had a profound effect on the amount of money most brides and grooms are able to spend on weddings.  Our study shows that many brides and grooms have opted out of “black tie” invited weddings as they do not want to burden their guests with the added expense of renting a tuxedo.  Many couples have opted for “black tie optional” instead.

Perhaps the most surprising trend that we have seen is that many grooms have decided that is just more cost effective to buy a tuxedo rather than renting.  Prices on tuxedos have come down so drastically, that in many cities it costs the same price to rent or buy.  Many savvy grooms have been reporting that they have been getting great deals on designer tuxedos from online retailers.