Wedding coming up! Advice on Black Tie somewhat desperately wanted!

[Woland]

Dear Loungers.

Come July; my nephew the formidable chef, will marry his fiancé the formidable head-waitress, at a castle in Southern France.
There will be much fine dining & celebration for a full three days, and my dear Tuppence B. and myself am really looking forward to the occasion.

Black tie is specified...
I have considered buying such an outfit for quite some time now, but never really gotten round to it.
And my taste in garments tends to be... Specific.

My problem;
I really like the look and style of this, shawled collar and all:

But If one where to describe my frame, the leanness & meaness of Mr. Connery would not be the first expression that came to mind.
(Well; I guess I do look kinda mean though. Skinheaded, beer-gutted, 240 lbs, 6 foot 10 etc...)

My financial state rests somewhere between off the rack and MTM.
When I buy off the rack, I tend to choose my trousers a tad larger than "necessary", as I truly detest the low cut of recent fashion.
I usually wear a waistcoat or a Fair-Isle with my suits, which covers any misgivings around the waistline.
Fairly successful strategy so far.

But what to do in the tux department?
A Cummerbund seems cumbersome, and not my department...
I would really like a waistcoat to go with the ensemble (makes me feel safer ;-)), but am unsure on both cut and match.
Advice?

I do like a high rise in my pants (around navel-hight), and a fishtail in the back, but how high might one actually go in such an outfit?

And finally; fabric and colour?
Opinions?

Thank you in advance.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Hello. I would stick to buying a vest with any suit/tux you would buy, a vest/waistcoat with an adjustable strap and buckle or adjustment on it, so you can make it tug in on you the best way to help blend in your tummy! Next, black tie is just that, a black suit/tux. I would stick to everything black, of course a tux shirt and bow tie, but everything else black. One could even buy a all black suit and use the tux shirt and bow tie and a vest/waistcoat and it will do the same as an actual tux would. Wool or a wool blend, or maybe a silk or silk blend. I would not think anything with synthetic material would be anything to consider, can have static and would probably not last as long as a good wool or silk would!

 

[HudsonHawk]

My $0.02...If the occasion specifies black tie, stick with a traditional tuxedo. Trying to "get by" with a dark suit probably won't get you thrown out of the party, but you'll definitely be under dressed. And I certainly wouldn't wear a formal shirt with anything other than a tuxedo. As for the tux, either a shawl collar or a peaked collar would be proper (no notched collars, please), though I find the shawl collar a little less formal. I also would not wear a waistcoat with a shawl collar, as it looks out of proportion to me (especially if you're trying to draw attention away from your beer gut), so if you don't want to wear a cummerbund, I'd suggest the tradional peaked collar. I personally like the cummerbund, and if you *do* go that route, make sure you wear it properly...the pleats face upwards, as if they were little pockets.