renting and transporting a tux from ex-urban MN to martha's vineyard
July 30, 2024 10:24 AM   Subscribe

I'm attending a black tie wedding this fall in Martha's Vineyard. I live an hour outside of the Twin Cities and need to (1) rent an appropriate outfit (2) get it to the destination without it getting too messed up. Gimme your tips in both regards.

1) Do you have recommendations about how best to rent a tuxedo for this wedding? I haven't rented a tux since my high school prom, and don't really know the landscape in the Twin Cities (which I assume is my best option, or at least will present some options).
Possibly relevant details: cis man, 6 foot and ~ 195 pounds, don't normally have a hard time finding clothing that fits off-the-rack most of the time.
2) Presumably, I will be renting in Minnesota and then need to transplant this tux on a plane to Boston. I would also appreciate tips on getting the outfit to the destination with a minimum of wear, tear, and rumpling so I am not having to rely on an AirBnB having an iron I can use (or whatever).
(I realize that one option could be getting measured locally, and renting somewhere in Boston or renting online, but since the trip is a relatively tight turnaround -- flying out the day before the wedding -- I'm a little leery of needing to go out of the way to pick something up! Maybe I'm wrong here, happy to be corrected)
posted by dismas to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (15 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Perhaps, locally on Martha's Vineyard: Brickman's - "For more formal occasions, we also offer tuxedo rentals."
posted by ShooBoo at 11:12 AM on July 30, 2024 [3 favorites]


Are you a groomsman who has to match the others, or just a guest who doesn't need to match? If the former, then dump the responsibility on the groom. :7)

Call the lodging and ask whether they have a garment steamer you can borrow to steam the wrinkles out of the poor jacket & pants, because I can't see you getting a garment bag to stay flat for that entire flight & drive unless you're on a chartered flight or flying Extra Super First Class or something. If not, might the event location have one?

A suit carried rolled up will look rough upon arrival, and the old "hang it up in the bathroom" trick may not be enough to save it.
posted by wenestvedt at 11:16 AM on July 30, 2024 [4 favorites]




Just pack a steamer. (You can get one on Amazon for like $30.)
posted by Countess Sandwich at 11:48 AM on July 30, 2024 [2 favorites]


I'd ask your friends if any of them have a suitcase garment bag. We got one as a wedding gift and it's travelled more places than we have because we lend it to friends who need one all the time. Ours needs to be checked but there are rollaboards as well.

It looks like Nordstrom at Ridgedale has a tux rental, which could be a great option.
posted by notjustthefish at 12:08 PM on July 30, 2024 [1 favorite]


How are you getting from Boston to Martha's Vineyard? Will you have a car? What town will you be staying in?
posted by phil at 12:46 PM on July 30, 2024 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: Not a groomsman, just a guest. Driving from Boston, staying in Falmouth. (Thanks for suggestions, all!)
posted by dismas at 1:03 PM on July 30, 2024


I phoned a friend and they suggested Francois'fine Tailoring for your suiting needs on island.
posted by phil at 1:25 PM on July 30, 2024


I'd find a national chain and get measured here and rent in Boston, especially if you have someone who can pick it up there for you ahead of time. I see you're south of the metro, so I bet you can find a place in Lakeville if not even closer to your town. Men's Wearhouse and David's Bridal both rent tuxes and should have locations in Mass.
posted by soelo at 1:54 PM on July 30, 2024


Okay, hold on.

You're staying in Falmouth on the Cape on Friday night, and need to get across Vineyard Sound to Martha's Vineyard for a Saturday evening wedding; I'm presuming an evening wedding because of the tux requirement. And then back to Falmouth on the last ferry of the night, which leaves Vineyard Haven at 9:30 pm, while wedding festivities may still be in full swing.

That knocks out you being able to rent from someone on-island; the suiting shops mentioned above close at dinner time on Saturday, so you won't be able to return the tux while they're open.

You might be able to rent a tux from a shop in Falmouth, but that's really going to depend on your flights, and then the drive from Boston. Does your flight schedule get you into Logan Airport by no later than noon eastern on Friday, so you can get into your rental car by 1 pm, so you can get to the Cape by 4 pm in hopes of getting to a shop before they close at 5 or 6 pm? Friday traffic to the Cape is notoriously grim; it'll be better the later in the year you're going unless you're going over the October long weekend, but I would not allow any less than three hours to get from Logan to Falmouth. I've been in the six-hour Cape-bound traffic jams on summer Fridays. Give yourself more time than you think you'll need, but get yourself across the bridge (whether Bourne or Sagamore) as early as possible.

I think that probably makes renting a tux in Boston somewhat impractical, too - even though you won't have quite as much time pressure to get to Falmouth by late afternoon, the later you leave Boston, the longer you'll sit in Cape-bound traffic. So given all these restrictions, I'd rent a tux in Minnesota, and bring a portable garment steamer with you to steam it in the hotel before you leave on Saturday for the wedding. CYA re what the AirBnB will or won't provide you.

One important sidebar, since you are not staying on-island: the wedding venue(s), are they within walking distance of the ferry terminal, or will you need to bring your rental car across the sound? If the latter, make your vehicle ferry reservations NOW.
posted by Pandora Kouti at 2:20 PM on July 30, 2024 [6 favorites]


A cheap garment bag like this one should do the trick. Just make sure you pack the suit flat in the bag and keep it opened out as much as you can - you should be able to hang it in your rental car, so only the plane trip needs it to be folded in half.
posted by dg at 3:40 PM on July 30, 2024


Greetings from beautiful Dukes County, MA! I live here and hopefully I can assist.

There are a couple dry cleaning type places here that could press your tux, but it sounds to me like your schedule is tight. I'd advise you get that $30 steamer and have your tux ready to go the night before. That said, I'd need to know your plan a little- is the wedding on a Saturday or Sunday? Do you intend to stay in Falmouth and day trip for the wedding? If so, you'll need to leave the wedding in time to get a boat back to the Cape. Check out the Island Queen, it goes direct to Falmouth and I think runs through October. Otherwise you are looking at the SSA boats, which put you in Woods Hole, a decent drive to Falmouth proper.

Perhaps even more important, where is the ceremony/reception? If it is at a venue "up island". that is, the western end, it can be quite a ways on very rural roads. As Pandora said, you'll need to decide sooner rather than later if you want or need to bring your rental car. If it is say, at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown, it will be a lot easier to get to.

If you like, mefemail the whole itinerary and I can best advise you. I advise against staying in Falmouth if this event is going to go late in the evening. You don't want to be the person rushing off to catch the last boat just when the party is getting good! And while it does seem you have a tight schedule for this, I can advise you on where to stay (and NOT to stay), restaurants to enjoy (and avoid) and if you have a bit of spare time, buy you a beer at my place of work. Depending on the event details, I might even be able to pick you up at the boat, get you where you need to be, and back to your boat.

But like I said I';ll need all the deets to be of maximum help. My wife and I really enjoy helping people out on their first trip here and might be able to eliminate some of the trickier logistics. So let me know the plan!

your faihful servant, vrak
posted by vrakatar at 5:50 PM on July 30, 2024 [11 favorites]


One tip for flying with your suit. If you pack it in its own small garment bag and use that as your carry on, you can ask the flight attend it to hang it for you when you board (explain the situation!). It may not work if they're already out of space, but there's usually a little closet/hanging space for first/business class and sometime flight attendants will take pity on economy travelers with delicate luggage and let them use the closet too. If that doesn't work, your stowing the suit carefully just folded in half instead of all rolled up will probably be better than putting it in your checked bags. Then listen to everyone above who knows more than I do about getting wrinkles out of things!
posted by snaw at 3:26 AM on July 31, 2024 [2 favorites]


I have traveled with a rolled up suit and used a steamer I borrowed at the destination to make it presentable, so I vote for get or borrow a steamer.
posted by carrioncomfort at 7:13 AM on July 31, 2024


OP, take vrakatar up on their offer to review your trip details!

The island isn't big, and having someone who knows the area as well as they do will be a BIG help (especially after the summer peak season). I'm Minnesota-raised but transplanted to New England, and it really does help to Know A Guy out here. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 10:43 AM on July 31, 2024 [1 favorite]


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