Guide & Inspiration
Choosing your Wedding Outfit
When you’re planning a wedding, one of the biggest decisions you have to make is what to wear. After all, you want to look your best on your big day, and choosing the right outfit is takes some consideration. Here’s an easy-to-follow guide to help you choose the perfect wedding outfit. The idea behind this guide is to give you an idea of the types of suits there are, and what suits could be right for your wedding. That way you can easily ask for it and make an informed purchase.
Venue and Season
Consider the venue and time of year. The location and season of your wedding will play a big part in determining what you should wear. You want your suit to work with the environment, not against it. For example, wearing a thin linen suit in the middle of a cold winter would feel wrong in most cases – and be terribly cold. A practical way to think about it is that the season determines the fabric and the venue determines the style.
If you’re getting married in the colder months of the year, your choice of fabric should reflect this. It should be at least somewhat heavy and warm, such as flannel, tweed or another type of woollen fabric. Lighter fabrics such as linen, cotton and thin fabrics would be out of place because you’d feel uncomfortable in the suit. If you’re getting married in late spring, summer or early autumn, you’re more likely to be in the heat than the cold, and your suit should reflect that. Light and breezy fabrics such as airy wools, linen, cotton or hopsack are great options if you want a suit that is comfortable when the sun is shining.
Now, venue and style are less directly related than fabric and season. To be precise, the suit doesn’t have to match the venue, but rather the feel of the celebration you want to have there. If you’re going for a classic, formal wedding, a dark three-piece suit in navy or midnight blue is an excellent choice, and if you want something a little less formal, you can go for a lighter colour like tan or beige. If you want a wedding that is more down to earth and perhaps more natural, a simple two-piece linen suit is a wonderful choice.
Theme and Color scheme
Once you’ve chosen the venue and time of year, you can start thinking about a theme and colour scheme for your wedding. This will help to coordinate the outfits of the bride, groom and wedding party and create a cohesive look. Now, this is very much up to each individual couple and we don’t want to make any direct recommendations. We simply advise you to consider that your outfit should match the atmosphere you’re trying to create.
If you’re having a summer wedding on the beach, a light and airy suit without a waistcoat would play with the scenery. Whereas a dark and stiff tail coat (the penguin) would look quite out of place.
If you’re having a Gala themed wedding in a majestic ballroom and castle-like venue, a midnight blue smoking with a thin waistcoat is the garment for the job. But if you were to wear a loose, colourful, unlined suit, you would risk looking a little lost in the grand surroundings.
However, it is perfectly possible to have the most stylish and chic party on the beach and a punk party in a castle, it is your wedding and you should celebrate it however you like! We promise that we can provide a suit for almost any theme. However, if you want your wedding to have a certain style, think about it before you buy your suit. Firstly, it is easier to decide on fabrics etc. if you have a theme/style in mind. Secondly, your guests will be relying on the groom as a reference for what to wear.
Grooms clothing = dress code
One of the more traditional ways of letting your guests know how you’d like them to dress for the wedding is to write what the groom will be wearing on the invitation. This way you’re not asking them to do anything, but giving them a framework to work with.
Accessories
Accessorise wisely. Once you’ve chosen your main outfits, it’s time to think about your accessories. These include shoes, pocket squares, cufflinks, ties and other items that complete the look. Accessories become increasingly important the longer you’ll be wearing the suit, as they add layers of complexity to the outfit and keep it visually interesting for longer periods of time.
Belt and shoes are the biggest, most noticeable and indispensable, but if your trousers have side adjustments, make sure they match as anything else will look rather messy. Another good rule of thumb is that black is the most formal choice and brown works with most colours except brown. The safest thing to do is to ask your tailor what type of shoe he would recommend with your suit.
Whether you choose to wear a tie or bow tie is a matter of personal taste and the type of suit you are wearing; smokers generally wear bow ties, we only recommend that you go for a single colour. To add that extra layer of complexity to your suit, we recommend cufflinks and a pocket square.
Ask MOND
Choosing a suit for your wedding can seem like a daunting task at a time when you already have so much on your plate. So we hope this guide will help you decide what kind of suit you want.
Our best advice is to find a tailor you trust and let them take the weight off your shoulders. We’re happy to be that tailor and invite you to come into the store for a chat or to book a free fitting.