Quick tips to rock your wedding suit

The big day is approaching, and when you’re getting your suit on, you want to look your best. A well-fitted suit is a must for any groom, but it's important to know the proper way to wear it. In this day and age, it’s less common for most of us to wear a suit regularly except for times like weddings, graduations, and other big events, so it’s OK not to know how to wear one. Don’t get daunted. It’s easy with a few must-do points to help you look amazing!

THE FIT

First and foremost, the fit of your suit is crucial. Make sure the jacket fits snugly across the shoulders and that the sleeves fall just above your wrist bone. You don’t want the buttons of your jacket or waist-coat to get stressed. Make sure it fits not tight or loose, but comfortably. The trousers should sit comfortably at your waist and fall straight down to your shoes, without bunching or sagging. There’s a bit of variation on this allowed depending on how much of a break you want of material over the shoe. Usually a half break will look clean, well dressed and not too informal.
Your jacket wrist should show a little bit of your shirt cuff come through, but not so much you can see the back of the cuff.

THE MATERIALS

A suit by definition is an outfit of a jacket and pants, made from the same material. -Ideally from the exact same roll of cloth. Sometimes people will bend this rule and mix colours, but usually this is done maintaining at least the type of fabric.

The fabric should be made from cotton, wool, tweed, worsted wool, linen etc. Materials like velvet, silk, and cashmere are generally seen as more fancy. Splash on these if you really want to, but maybe not to the detriment of your day if it breaks the bank. Generally we should try to avoid synthetic materials like polyester because it’s not in summer, cool in winter, has poor durability, and doesn’t help you look or feel your best when you deserve to.

Choose your material type based on the style you want, your budget, and the time of year. Some materials are warmer than others for winter, while some breathe beautifully for the warmer months.

THE COLOUR

Colour is a very important consideration in suit wearing. Consider the style of wedding you have.

There’s not hard and fast rules here, and sometimes breaking rules works well, but in general:

-If it’s indoor, black tie, very formal, firstly I don’t tend to shoot weddings that look like this (Akubra should give that away!), but secondly, You will want a full black suit with crisp white shirt. Weddings like this might opt for a silk suit or similarly fancy material.
-For less formal but still dressy weddings, I avoid black as a recommendation. It can sometimes look too formal for the feel of the day. Instead, charcoal, cream & navy are popular, sage green is also very in vogue lately. All of these colours make for really great, re-wearable suit styles as well.
-For Country, vineyard, estate or rustic style weddings, firstly and importantly, please enquire here to hire me, and secondly you may consider similar colours to a dressy wedding, but with less rules around the accessories. You might wear boots, no tie, a timber bowtie, mismatch your colours (Navy jacket, tan pants is a favorite of mine) or you might still stay dressy among the tall grass or grape vines.

You can throw all these classic colours out and get a statement colour that calls the attention of your guests as well, but I strongly recommend consulting a menswear shop for this.

Further your colours with your accessories should not clash, such as a yellow tie with a red suit, lest you wish to look like the reception’s BBQ condiments.

When in doubt, consult a menswear shop. I personally get suits from Institchu because they make them custom for me, and I get to choose the details.  I also ask their opinions on details when in doubt, and they’re really helpful.

THE BUTTONS

One detail that is often overlooked is the buttoning of the jacket. Many men make the mistake of buttoning the bottom button of their suit jacket. Instead, the bottom button should always be left undone. This is a timeless tradition that dates back to the 19th century, when the bottom button was left undone to accommodate horseback riding. Legend has it that it really stemmed from King Edward the 7th. He got too plump for his suit, and would undo the bottom button. Men all over the UK would follow suit so as to pay respect to the monarch. As it’s been a part of history and the legacy of suit wearing, now, it's seen as a subtle fashion statement that adds a touch of sophistication to your look. The rule of buttons going from top to bottom is sometimes, always, never for 3 buttons, sometimes, never for 2 buttons, and always for 1 button.
Bottom line, buttoning the bottom button on a multi-button jacket is a sure fire way to show everyone you’re new to suits.

THE ACCESSORIES

Front and centre to classic suit wearing is the tie. The tie knot should be symmetrical and sitting centrally, with the tip of the tie reaching just the tip of your belt buckle, and the tie should be adjusted so that it's not too tight or too loose. I personally suggest a full/double Windsor knot because this is classic and timeless. (never a schoolboy knot for your wedding!) If you want to go really fancy, you can do a Trinity knot or an Eldridge knot. Do this with consideration however, as it can be seen as a bit of a show-off knot. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Cuff-links and tie clips are great opportunity to customise your outfit and show your personality. I’ve seen plenty of variations from Star Wars, to the wedding date engraved, to something representing a major passion or hobby of the wearer.

Bowties - You can get timber bowties, fun prints on tie or bowtie, and so much more than just plain colours if you want that look. You can opt for a bow-tie which can either go in a black-tie formal direction, or a fun, party-ready feeling with plenty of colours and patterns (I really like Peggy and Finn (Not sponsored. I really just like their prints.)

Boutonnières - If you wear Boutonnières or buttonholes, you should pin this to the lapel of your jacket under the hole (they usually just have one side with a hole in the lapel. Sitting the pinned section half way up your chest is ideal. You don’t want it so high as to tickle your cheek, but you don’t want it too low either.

Watches - You may consider wearing a dress watch for your wedding. Usually (but not always) a dress watch will have minimal complications, will be elegant and clean, not too bulky and may have a classic look that looks like your grandpa might have owned it. Dive watches, chronographs, apple/smart watches/activity trackers, and G-Shock type watches in my opinion, detract from the outfit. (My own personal dress watch is pictured)

Socks - Silly socks with a fun pattern are a popular thing these days too. All I’ll say on this is go nuts with what you like!

In summary, a well-fitted suit is essential for any groom, and attention to detail around your accessories, colour palate and how all these things tie in with your personality will make the suit cohesive and suave. Remember, the key to looking great in a suit is to tie everything together with thought, and then to be comfortable in all of it. A suit looks like a suit when you rock it, enjoy it, and feel good, but looks like a costume when you don’t, so get out there and get something that works for you.