What is the point of a tuxedo that looks like a suit?

You probably need this link, or even more precisely the origin of that link for clarity.

Personally I applaud the trend to suits. A lot of guys don’t feel comfortable in a suit, much less a tux, and I’d want everyone to be as (formally) comfortable as possible. I think the uniformity of the suits is enough.
Even better would be if you rented from a place that also offered purchase of the same suits, new. That way the rental fee could be applied to a usable new suit of the groomsman had need of one.

A more fundamental question – what was the point of a tux all along?

The tux rental industry made millions preying on this myth.

What is the difference?

Was it worn with a regular tie?

As far as purchasing goes, I think it makes a lot of sense in terms of versatility and future value.

If the Tux looks like a suit, it has a much more usable life for years after the wedding. There are so many occasions when a really really nice (custom fitted) suit can be used where a tuxedo would be way over the top. (A funeral is merely one example to illustrate the point ; there are tons of others.)

@ragingloli

What’s the difference? Traditionally, tuxedo usually has satin lapels. Suits do not.

Personally, I applaud the trend. It just makes so much more sense on a practical level.

@Buttonstc
”What’s the difference? Traditionally, tuxedo usually has satin lapels. Suits do not.”
So, a less than trivial difference?

Yup. I didn’t say it made much sense :) Fashion trends and the expectations of tradition usually don’t. They’re designed as money makers.

It would makefar far more sense for a young couple to take the 30–50 K typically spent on weddings and use it for a down payment on a house.

The only real expense which means anything in the long run is the pictures you have of that day when you really think about it rationally.

So, a less than trivial difference?

It sounds trivial, but a tux looks very different from a suit.

If you saw someone in a tux at funeral, it would look weird, even among a lot of men in black suits.

I doubt that I could tell the difference.
I mean, I can not even tell the difference in that picture that @ibsturbo posted.

It is understandable how you feel. The difference between a tux and a black suit posing as an informal tux are different. To me, the latter is just a black suit. Maybe the males were required to rent the black tux suit because the wedding was less formal, but the couple wanted the appearance to be uniform.

I can see where the tux tradition began. It made all male members of the wedding party readily apparent to all the attendees throughout the festivities.
Today I think it’s overkill unless you’re ‘somebody’ and doing the wedding over-the-top. The last wedding I attended the groom and groomsmen were in tux, and some of the attendees were in jeans. Just regular kids tying the knot.

I agree with @Pied_Pfeffer. That makes sense to me as a logical possibility.