When we got our friends’ invitation to their son’s Greenwich, Connecticut wedding on New Year’s Eve, I sensed it would be a gala affair. And sure enough at the bottom of the elegently engraved card were the words BLACK TIE OPTIONAL. My husband hadn’t worn his tuxedo for a few years so I urged him to try it on and thankfully it still fit. Then I checked the wedding registry and ordered a gift, called the hotel to reserve a room, and booked the cat-sitter. After deciding which of...