Stress-free suit planning, sorted: the timeline every groom needs.
Weddings come with a thousand decisions. What season do you want to get married in? Where’s the perfect venue? Intimate or extravagant? How the heck are you going to choose your best man? Cue copious amounts of sweating and a mad dash for the nearest bottle opener.
Thankfully, suit planning doesn’t have to be one of the stressful ones – if you get the timing right.
By kickstarting the process in ample time – and making sure you hit all your deadlines along the way – stress-free suit planning can be a genuinely enjoyable experience, rather than another chore to tick off the list.
SAVE FOR LATER: WHAT MAKES YOUR SUIT FITTING ACTUALLY ENJOYABLE?
Wedding suit planning: the timeline.
- 9-12 months before: Your first consultation.
This is your chance to come in, try things on, play around with styles and fabrics and just get a feel for what’s actually available. There’s no pressure to decide anything on the spot.
For truly stress-free suit planning, we recommend you come in with no more than one other person. Too many cooks, and all that.
Once you’ve chosen “the one”, we’ll get the ball rolling on our end.
- 3-4 months before: Your groom’s party comes in for their first fitting (adults).
Here’s the really fun part. Bring your groomsmen in 3-4 months before the big day, and we’ll get everyone suited, booted and fully fitted. You can either book multiple appointments, back-to-back appointments (and all come in together) or pass the link on to the rest of the party and let the guys book themselves in.
Expect lots of laughs, banter and good times. Bring beers to celebrate after (none on the suit fabric, thank you very much) and make a full day of it.
A couple of points worth noting – don’t leave it to the last minute to book this one in. The sooner the better for stress-free suit planning – and ideally no later than 4 weeks before the slot you’re after, as we can’t always guarantee space.
If you’ve had your fitting and then started an all-guns-blazing new workout routine (or discovered a new found love for deep fried chicken wings), let us know ASAP. If you (or any of your guys) think that your size or shape has changed since fitting, it’s really important that we know in enough time so that we can get your suits exactly as they want them before you-know-what.
If you’ve got kids being fitted, bring them in around 1 month before the big day.
- 3-4 days before the wedding: Your final fitting + collection.
Nerves are probably starting to kick in now! Luckily, it’s nice and streamlined from our side of things.
This is your last chance to account for any body changes and give the full collection the final once-over. That means making sure all your braces are set, your ties are tied and every single detail is drilled down to perfection.
For a Saturday wedding, we’ll try to book you in for a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evening. If you’re traveling a distance, there’s the option of a Sunday afternoon.
This is your final opportunity to raise any concerns about your garments or how they fit. Once you take them away from the studio, there’s nothing else that can be done. That’s it. Signed, sealed, delivered – no song reference needed. Finito.
Here, we’ll also run through some handy hints and tips to ensure you look incredible on your special day.
Why your stress-free suit planning timeline matters.
It’s simple, so let’s break it down.
Start stress-free suit planning early, and you’ll have more stock choices and more room for body changes between booking and the big day.
Leave it late, and you’ll have limited options, rushed alterations and more stress.
It’s a no-brainer, really, isn’t it?
NEXT: WHY YOU SHOULDN’T WAIT TO BOOK YOUR WEDDING SUIT FITTING
Buying vs Hiring vs Made-to-measure.
One more thing worth knowing: your route affects your wiggle room.
Not all suits play by the same rules when it comes to alterations, and that matters more than you’d think when you’re working to a timeline.
Hiring? You’re working with a suit that needs to go back out the door looking exactly as it came in. That means small tweaks (trouser length, sleeve length, a nip here and there) rather than a total transformation. Translation: get the closest fit possible from the first try-on, because there’s less room to fix things later.
Buying off-the-rack? You’ve got more flexibility: taking the waist in, adjusting jacket length, that sort of thing. But every alteration comes with a trade-off, and cutting into fabric isn’t something you can undo. Start with a suit that already fits well, then fine-tune from there.
Going made-to-measure? This is the no-stress option. The suit’s built around your shape from the outset, so you’re not relying on heavy alterations to make it work, just minor tweaks along the way.
The takeaway? Whichever route you choose, the earlier you start, the more flexibility (and less panic) you’ll have when it counts.
READ NEXT: BUY OR HIRE YOUR WEDDING SUIT? THE REAL COST OF LOOKING SHARP.
Start stress-free suit planning with Hunter & Grey’s.
Now you’ve got the dates in your diary, it’s time to get moving.
Book in your private consultation at our Shedfield showroom. We can’t wait to meet you.
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