Why Hire A Wedding Suit?

Why Hire A Wedding Suit?

This is a question I will be asked many times throughout a normal working day.  I speak to hundreds of couples and thousands of clients throughout a wedding season and there is no simple one-size-fits-all answer to the question.  Each wedding is a little different and each client has specific requirements.  For some Hiring a Wedding Suit is the perfect answer, for others it is just not feasible.  I will list some of the pro’s and cons here.  This will help you make a more informed choice.

Costs:

One of the benefits of hiring a wedding suit, is the ability to wear a suit that has a much higher retail value than you would consider purchasing.  Hiring a suit with a regular retail price of £900.00-£1200.00 for a weekend at £200-£300, make sense economically if you have no intention of ever wearing the suit again.   However this calculation also works in reverse as a negative, you are paying £200-£300 to hire a suit which you have to return, and you have nothing to keep after the wedding.

Choice:

Another benefit of hiring a wedding suit, is the choice available.  A Wedding Suit Hire shop will have a large selection of suits available to hire specifically for weddings; wedding suits.  These may be Tuxedos, Tail Suits, Lounge Suits or even something more casual, but they will have been designed specifically for the wedding party to wear.  This helps when creating a look for the whole wedding party and is also going to allow you to try-on various selections all in one shop.  Again this can be reversed as a negative too.  The choice of wedding suits to hire is finite.  The selection available in each shop is determined by what is on-trend that season for that shop at that moment.  If you wanted something more outside of the usual it is unlikely to be available to hire, this is where Made to Measure or Bespoke suits come in to play and these will have to be purchased.

Sizing:

Fittings, alterations and correct sizing are another great benefit to hiring a wedding suit.  It is the responsibility of the hire shop to make sure that the suits fit on the day.  If you purchase your own wedding suits, it is your responsibility to make sure you have the sizing correct and carry out any alterations.  Hiring a wedding suit will involve a level of service from the hire shop.  This is part of what you are paying for.  There will be a trip to the shop for every member of the party to try-on their wedding suit and it will be the shop’s responsibility to fit the suit for you.  This too can also be a negative; hire suits can only be fitted so much and can only be altered in small ways.  Any permanent alterations can not be completed on a hire suit.

Styling:

Styling can also play a role in whether to hire or buy your wedding suit.  Some wedding suit styles may not be a style you will wish to own after the wedding.  A Morning Tail suit is a good example of this.  A tradition morning tail suit certainly looks like an archetypal wedding suit but is not a style of suit you can wear for many other occasions. The same could be said for a Tuxedo (although a little more usable).  The suit which is most likely to be worn again is a conservative ‘regular’ suit but this is the suit which looks least like a special wedding suit.  There is a careful balance between a special wedding suit and a suit which can be worn again, if you are purchasing.

Duration:

How long you require the suit for is also a determining factor when it comes to hiring a wedding suit.  If you are having a wedding overseas and you require a number of suit for a long period this could be quite expensive.  Most hire shops will allow 3-5 days for a normal hire charge, after which you will have to pay a premium for hiring the suits for a longer period.  This can be expensive and also cause issues with availability.  If you are due to be married in peak season and you require the suits for longer period of time, they may not even be available for the whole period.  You are also responsible for safe shipping of these suits to and from your destination, it is worthwhile considering an additional insurance for these suits in case of losses throughout the journey.

Conclusion:

• You should hire a wedding suit if you wish to wear an unusual, wedding style of suit which you would otherwise not purchase or wear.
• You should hire a wedding suit if you want something of a very high quality which you would otherwise not buy.
• You should hire a wedding suit if you want a grooms party of suits and want someone to coordinate and fit the whole party.