Wedding suit hire tips

By Melinda Straw and Lindsay Williams

In the past, weddings were all about the bride and her gown. Not any more. These days, grooms want to look just as good at the altar as their partner does. Bride has some tips on hiring a suit for your special day.

Traditionally, a man would wear his Sunday best on his wedding day. But times have changed. Now, almost every groom will buy or hire a suit especially for his big day. And with a whole industry built around it, the choices are endless: French or standard cuffs? Tuxedo or morning suit? White or coloured shirt?

One of the first decisions to make is whether to hire or buy a wedding suit. Unless your groom is likely to wear the suit again, you might not want to fork out $800 - $1000 to buy one. Remember, the groomsmen will also need suits. Add to this the cost of shoes, ties, shirts and cufflinks, and - from a financial perspective - wedding suit hire can quickly become the most attractive option. The money saved could mean another week on your honeymoon.

Hiring suits for the groom and his groomsmen also allows you to choose a look that matches the style, theme and formality of your wedding.

There are many professional suit hire companies offering everything from cufflinks to cravats. While the best man might consider himself a bit of a style guru, it is worth getting some professional help from those who make a living from men’s formal suits.

Formal hire companies can provide invaluable advice to help take some of the stress out of getting ready for your wedding day. Don’t be afraid to profess your ignorance and ask a lot of questions.

Start early
Don’t leave finding a suit to the last minute! According to the experts, you should book suits about four months in advance.  Make sure the groomsmen are available for their fittings and leave enough time for alterations and adjustments.

While professional hire companies will be able to advise you on style, fit and availability, it helps to do some research before you’re flooded with choices. Check out men’s fashion magazines, catalogues and websites. Also, ask friends and family members who have been married recently.

The important decisions
Style, colour, fabric and formality of the suits are the main decisions to make. The location, time of day and style of wedding you are having will affect your choice of formalwear, as will the type of dress worn by the bride.

It is important to select suitable formal wear based on the tone of your wedding.  Take the time of your ceremony into account. As the name suggests, morning suits befit morning ceremonies - this means a long coat and you can wear an ascot instead of a tie.

For an afternoon wedding, a stroller might be more appropriate. A stroller is cut slightly longer than a suit jacket and is worn with a straight collar and French cuffs.

Tuxedos suit evening weddings but if it’s more informal, a dark navy suit or white dinner jacket are good options.

When choosing fabrics and colours, think about the season. If you’re having a spring or summer ceremony, consider moving away from traditional styles such as formal black tuxedos. A mint or champagne-coloured shirt rather than stark white can soften the formality of the day—use your imagination. Linen and silk will help you breathe easier than wool, in the warmer seasons.

If you’re having a destination wedding, you can break the rules. How about bare feet for a beach ceremony?

Whatever he chooses to wear, he needs to feel comfortable and confident. His outfit should also express his personality through the colours, style and accessories.

Where to go
Once you have an idea of what you want, it’s time to shop around. It helps to visit a few
different companies to get an idea of the range and quality available. A good suit hire company will stock the latest fashions and offer a variety of styles and colours.

While all hire companies offer professional advice, some provide additional services, which can be ideal for a busy groom. Some will visit clients at home or at the office and are available after hours. Some companies offer a delivery and pick-up service. This is a time-saver and one less thing to worry about on your big day.

Also make sure you ask around about costs and the policy on returns and repairs.

What a groom wants
Today’s grooms know what they want. “Our average groom is a professional in his late 20s to late 30s, well-dressed and with an awareness of what is correct and what he wants to wear,” says Susan Scanlan from Peppers Formal Wear in Sydney.

Rebecca Tet Foong from Belgravia Formalwear says: “Now more than ever, the groom is paying more attention to his outfit. It’s no longer just the bride’s choice. He wants the right fit, the right fabric and the right style to ensure he looks the part next to his bride,” she says.

“Quality craftsmanship with the finest fabrics and latest accessories is what today’s groom is looking for,” says Zoran Grujovski from Melbourne’s Black Tie Classic.

Despite more informal weddings, including garden or winery settings, Luana Ciuca from Afective Formal in Melbourne says grooms are still choosing more conservative suits. “Grooms still go for the more ‘well-suited’ attire like waistcoats and cravats,” he says.

Susan has observed a change in suit fashion since Peppers opened more than 15 years ago. “When we first started, we mainly hired dinner suits with bow-ties and cummerbunds, as well as morning suits with stripe ties and grey waistcoats,” she says.

“We brought some lovely waistcoats from England in the early 1990s that really changed the way Australian grooms dressed. We introduced open-collar shirts, black shirts, cravats and high-cut suits around 10 years ago, but nowadays, suits are very classical.”

Geoff Edge from Formalwear Express agrees there has been a shift to the more formal look. He says some of the more popular trends at the moment are: “Satin-faced lapels on dinner suits; a more classic look with vests. Cut-away collar white shirts with either white or ivory long ties; French cuffs on shirts and white vests.”

Final words of wisdom
It’s a good idea to try on all the hired items a week before the wedding day to make sure everything is how you both want it. You don’t want any last-minute stress.

Confirm the appointment time for any final fittings, and suit collection or delivery. Most importantly, relax and enjoy the experience