Five Decisions That Make or Break a Wedding Suit
Shaoli Ghosh
A groom makes perhaps a dozen real decisions about his suit. Five of them do most of the work. Get these right and the rest is detail.
1. How much room to leave
The very slim cut has softened, and for a wedding that is a mercy. A fraction more room through the chest and a gentler drape in the trouser lets a man sit down, dance, and pick up a child without the jacket objecting.
- A shoulder that ends where your shoulder ends — not beyond it
- Enough through the chest to do the jacket up and still breathe
- A trouser that falls cleanly from the hip with a slight break at the shoe
This is the argument for a pattern cut for you rather than a rental. A rented jacket is made for a shape close to yours, and a camera finds the difference across the shoulder every time.
2. Colour, and where to risk it
Navy and charcoal photograph reliably in any light, which is why they endure. But a wedding is one of the few occasions where more is allowed:
- Deep emerald and forest green
- Garnet and muted burgundy
- Stone, sand and pale olive for a warm outdoor day
The thing to watch is saturation. A colour that reads as rich under showroom light can read as costume outdoors at two in the afternoon. We take cloth to the window before anyone commits — in California that matters more than most places. And if a colour worries you near your face, put it in the lining, the waistcoat or the trouser instead.
3. Whether to go monochrome
One colour, several depths of it — a charcoal suit, a mid-grey waistcoat, a pale grey shirt. It photographs as one considered idea rather than three competing ones, and it ages well because nothing in it is a trend.
4. Cloth for the actual weather
Most weddings are warmer than anyone plans for, and a groom is on his feet in daylight for hours. What behaves in heat:
- High-twist and lightweight wools, including fine merino
- Cotton-silk blends
- Good linens, which will crease — that is the character, not a fault
- A lighter lining, or a half-lined jacket
Darker colours absorb more sun, so for a midday outdoor wedding a lighter cloth does real work. Tell us the date, the time and whether it is outdoors at the consultation — it changes which cloths we bring out.
5. When to order, and who else needs dressing
Six months before the wedding is perfect. Three months is comfortable. Six weeks is possible as a rush at 25%. We will discourage you from ordering a year out — men change shape, and a suit cut to last year's frame needs remaking. There is a month-by-month breakdown in our guide on when to order a wedding suit.
And raise the groomsmen now rather than in four months. Wedding parties of any size take 20% off, groom included, and dressing a party well without putting five men in a uniform is its own craft — covered in how to dress a wedding party. If you are still weighing black tie against a lounge suit, read tuxedo or suit for your wedding first.
What it costs, and who makes it
Two-piece from $1,795, three-piece from $2,045, tuxedo from $1,795, custom shirt $295. Unlimited fittings and one year of complimentary alterations are included. Half on cloth selection, balance on delivery.
Every garment is full canvas and fully bespoke, cut and sewn by hand by Max in our atelier in Southern Brittany, France. We do not offer made-to-measure. There is more on our page for wedding suits Los Angeles, and on our about page.
Questions we are often asked
Can the groom wear something quite different from the party?
He should be distinguishable — usually by cloth, a waistcoat, or a lapel the others do not have. Different, not disconnected.
Does the venue change what the suit should be?
A good deal, yes, and it is among the first things we ask. A beach or a garden at midday wants a lighter cloth and a paler colour, because darker cloth absorbs the sun and a groom stands in it for hours. An evening wedding indoors allows more weight and more depth of colour, and may be an argument for black tie instead. A church in February and a deck in August are not the same garment, so tell us the venue, the date and the time at the consultation.
Is linen a mistake for a wedding?
No, but it must be chosen knowingly. Linen creases within the hour and that is the point of it. If you want crisp at six in the evening, a high-twist wool is the better answer.
Should a wedding suit be one I can wear again afterwards?
It is worth settling before the cloth is chosen, because the answer changes what we put in front of you. If the suit is to be worn again, navy or mid grey in a mid-weight worsted will go to the office, to dinner and to somebody else's wedding for years. If the day itself is the whole purpose, a stone linen or a deep green is a perfectly good decision and nobody should talk you out of it. Most grooms want both, and the usual compromise is a conventional cloth with the character put into the lining and the waistcoat.
What is the most common mistake grooms make?
Leaving it too late, and then ordering in a hurry. Six weeks is possible as a rush at twenty-five per cent extra, but a suit ordered in a panic is chosen on whatever is to hand rather than on what suits the man and the day. The second most common is matching everything exactly to the party or to the palette, which photographs as hired rather than considered. Neither is expensive to avoid, and both cost something to repair.
How many fittings will there be?
As many as the garment needs. Unlimited and included. Most men have three counting the consultation.
Book a consultation, or call 310-503-3592. The first hour is free and you will sit with Robb or with Ben at 221 Culver Blvd, Playa del Rey.