Wedding Suits, buy or hire??
One of the questions we get asked frequently is which is the better option, to buy or hire your wedding suits. We will try and give you as much information as we can from our experience in supplying both and hopefully cover the pros and cons of both.
To begin with, the chosen option will be based on your individual requirements such as budget, number in wedding party, sizes required and availability of the suit you prefer.
I will start with the pros for buying, the most obvious one being you keep your suits following the wedding day. Some of our grooms choose to buy the suits to provide to the party as a gift for all their help as groomsmen.
The next pro is that when the suit is fitted, it is fitted exactly for you, it is then altered permanently to suit your shape, the material can be cut as required to suit you eg. sleeve length or leg length. They are finished to the exact specification for you.
Value for money is the next thing, for example, we offer deals which leaves full suit packages to include suit, shirt, tie and shoes for prices ranging from £170 for all so this is affordable to most wedding parties who might hire suits at £120 or £130 per suit and then buy their shoes after so its a thought for many. Of course these prices can vary depending on the brand of the suit chosen, so you could be paying over £400 for a suit that you might like.
Delivery time can be another pro, if you are buying and alterations are completed, the suits can then be taken well in advance of your wedding but watch out for anyone changing size in the meantime as availability of another size is not guaranteed.
Lastly the final pro is that you are not running round the day after the wedding trying to find suits to return to the suppliers.
One thing to consider when you buy from us is the option to mix our Sales and Hire option, so if you like a waistcoat or ties from our hire department for example you can combine the two.
You can also mix the two by maybe buying the grooms suit and hiring the others, there are many options when you are dealing with a specialist wedding wear shop.
The Cons
A few drawbacks for buying your wedding suits and worth considering are the prices of the suits for one day, especially if the groomsmen are not likely to wear the suits in the future.
Something else to consider is your choice of suit, if you are buying a suit and it is slim fit, you need to consider your groomsmen, dads etc, will this slim fit suit work on them. Sometimes we run into difficulties with some styles of suits where there is only a standard slim fit suit and it doesnt suit the whole party, where hire suits generally are available to suit all shapes and sizes, some of the suits you buy are more limited. Another point to consider is a lot of the adult sizes do not come in childrens sizes so this might create a problem for some.
Some styles are only available as full suits, ie supplied with a 6 inch drop so for example a 40R suit will come with a 34R trouser. It is unlikely that every person in the party will conform to the sizes required so be prepared to buy extra trousers etc as an extra cost. Always ask the question before you book your suits.
If you buy your suits well in advance in certain styles, everyone will have to come in and get measured and suits set aside, the problem arises when someone puts on a lot of weight or loses weight and the suit put away no longer fits them and of course by this time the style is no longer continued or out of stock so choose this option and make sure your groomsmen know this is the suit that they will be wearing, it must fit !!
Usually in wedding parties, there are brothers, best friends etc you are buying for. Do you really want to buy suits for them that are all the same? Will they wear them after to another function arriving all wearing the same suit?
Now onto the Advantages of HIRING your Suits ...
First advantage is that you get a top quality high end suit for a day which is affordable, it is prepared and supplied with a new shirt, ready to put on and go.
The suit is readily available with many sizes available instore so there is rarely problems with stock availability, so if anyone changes sizes coming up to the wedding there is no problem changing.
You can mix and match any sizes as required, some of the retail suits are limited that they are sold as full suits, ie with 6" drop from jacket to trouser wheras from hire we can choose whatever is best.
A lot of the hire suits are available in both a tailored fit and a slim fit which will cater size wise for everyone in the party ensuring everyone is wearing a suit that suits them.
Most styles are also available in Childrens sizes for anyone who would want their little dudes the same.
The suit is altered to a high specification for an excellent fit for the wedding day and alterations are included in the price.
And then the disadvantages ....
Firstly you have to bring your suits back after use, thats after running around a wedding venue the day after the wedding trying to find all the suits, ties etc, maybe stressful for some.
You collect your suits a few days before the wedding, we personally do a final fit 1 week before the wedding following alterations and we also give the suits out 3 days before your wedding but some hire shops wait to closer to the wedding, risky if final fits have not been carried out, thats our thinking anyway, so with the extra measures we have in place, yes more work but thankfully you wont be taking out a suit the day of the wedding with trousers halfway up your legs !!
Have you considered by hiring you are wearing an already worn suit?, some guys dont like this so its also a point to consider.
Alterations are carried out as best as possible but the suit material cannot be cut leading sometimes to just not as good a finish as the bought peronally altered suit.
If anyone damages any of the suits, they will need replaced and as they are usually high quality suits in hire departments this can be quite costly.
I hope the above information can help you decide which is the best option for you for your big day. Its never an easy choice but always weigh up all the options before you proceed to book.
Jacqui
