Chris Shinnick, a former University of Hawai'i football player, dons his Armani suit at Kawaiaha'o Church to show how he looked at his wedding last December. He's accessorized it with French cuffs. Photos by Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

Hey, let's give the poor guy a break. Maybe he doesn't want to wear a tuxedo: It's hot, it's often uncomfortable and when it's all over, he has nothing to show for it — he has to return it the next day.

Grooms-to-be Chris Shinnick of Makiki, Rod Quiton of 'Aiea and Hung Lau of Manoa were faced with the issue of what to wear to their own weddings, and they decided to try something different. Then they did what any red-blooded local guy would do: They called for help.

Help came in the form of Paul Tamaoka of Makiki. While Paul's day job is hair and makeup stylist at Bottega Antoine Salon, the craze for getting married and having big weddings has segued the style-savvy Tamaoka into styling and even planning weddings for friends and family.

While Tamaoka encourages men to consider a variety of options when dressing for their weddings, he said it is always, always "a reference to the bride. The very first question to ask is 'What is my bride wearing?' She definitely sets the tone for what the groom should wear."

"There's no reason the groom shouldn't look good," Tamaoka said. "He's standing up there (at the altar) longer than the bride. And don't brides want their grooms to look just as good as they do?"

Well, almost as good, anyway.

Suits in the cards

•	ALTERNATIVES TO TUXEDOS • Barong (Filipino off-white embroidered shirt) with natural linen pants • Shanghai Tang linen shirt and a black silk jacket with red lining • Linen shirt, linen pants and a maile lei • Vintage silk aloha shirt with linen pants or dressy jeans • Silk embroidered haori (Japanese short kimono-style jacket) with summer-weight wool pants

"A big guy in a square tux or suit is going to look like a refrigerator," said Tamaoka, rolling his eyes.

Tamaoka took Shinnick to Emporio Armani and had him try on a summer-weight wool suit. Voila! The tapered waist, high armholes and slimmer shoulders of the European fit gave him an air of sophistication which surprised him and delighted his bride, Becky, who wore a Vera-Wang-like silk gown to their December wedding.

Bodybuilder and construction worker Rod Quiton of 'Aiea learned that his bride was planning to wear a fashionable gown by Los Angeles designer Richard Tyler for Quiton's Aug. 8 wedding. He was clueless about what that meant, but Tamaoka understood: A suit would be the most appropriate attire for the groom.

Quiton and fiancée Christy Boyea tried on suits with Tamaoka, and Quiton liked what he saw.

"When I tried it on, it felt comfortable and looked sharp," Quiton said. "I looked in the mirror and went, whoa! Then I saw her face and hey, I'm doing this for her, yeah? I want to make her happy."

The Armani suit made Boyea happy. Very happy.

Hung Lau chose an Armani suit for his wedding, planned for September, feeling that a tux made him look too "boxy."

His bride-to-be, Dana Watanabe, agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "He looks really good.

It flatters him quite well," she said. While their wedding isn't until Sept. 14, Lau is already anticipating wearing the suit for special evenings after he's married.

Tamaoka recommends a classic white shirt with a little texture, such as a pique, unless the groom wants to match his shirt to his bride's gown (if the bride is wearing off-white or a pastel).

Catch their eye

A suit will cost more than a rental tuxedo, but you will be able to wear it again and again. Tuxedo rentals range from $50 to $160, while well-tailored suits can be found for as little as $300 if you look in places such as Off Fifth and sales racks at Macy's, DKNY and Bernini. (Allow time for alterations, usually at least two weeks.)

Eric Rhodes, who has photographed hundreds of weddings, from informal beach rites to formal events in cathedrals and hotels, said a suit has another benefit: It offers the groom an ideal gift to give his groomsmen. Several grooms Rhodes has photographed gave a gift of matching ties and pocket squares.

Rhodes suggests that it makes for a more interesting photograph if each man wears a slightly different color or texture in his pocket and around his neck.

If a tuxedo is the only thing that will work with the bride's attire, Tamaoka suggests individualizing the look: Buy your own shirt, tie, pocket square and shoes.

With a masculine approach to the bridal tradition of "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue," Shinnick wore a handkerchief that had belonged to his uncle, his father's cufflinks and a blue tie with his new suit.