Article: THE AUSTRALIAN WEDDING SUIT GUIDE
This guide is for you if you have an upcoming wedding and are starting to consider your outfit as the groom. We address 3 questions:
1. Off the rack or custom made. Which is the right choice for you?
2. Style options. Understand the main styles and guidelines that inform whether they're best suited for your wedding, with insider tips on what to watch out for.
3. Suit fit. We'll show you what a well fitting suit means.
Shades of beige fabric
Selected design options
1. Off the Rack or Custom Made?
The truth is not everyone will benefit from a semi-bespoke or made-to measure suit.
There are only two reasons why someone should choose custom made. The first reason is that you want control over the details, whether colour, pattern and/or design.
When shopping ready-to-wear, you are limited to what you can find in stores, with available options often for a different season if shopping months before the wedding.
With custom made, you can select the exact combination of fabric and design details that work best for your wedding. The same colours in different fibres (e.g. wool, silk) or weave (e.g. basketweave, barathea) will produce different visual effects and will work best for different climates and time of day. You can also control design details, like lapel type and width so it complements your body proportions and desired style.
If you're after a standard colour, say a black tuxedo, and don't care too much about the specifics or fit, ready-to-wear may be the right option. We recommend paying MJ Bale a visit when you first start to consider your wedding suit. Even if you’re set for a custom made suit, it pays to try on a few different styles to get a better feel for what you’re really after.
The second reason is that your body differs from the standard model's build.
Ready-to-wear suits are generally modelled after slim-built men, 183cm in height, with a typical posture and stance. The further you deviate from this 'model build', the harder it will be to find a suit that fits off the rack. Around 40% of men will fit off the rack suits well, with some alterations. Unfortunately, not everything can be altered. The remaining 60% would get a noticeably better fit selecting a custom outfit.
With custom made, a good tailor will draft your unique suit pattern so the garment sits on your body the right way and enhances your visual proportions. Made-to-measure processes can differ between tailors, from taking into account only basic width and length measurements, to those that adjust for more complex postural dimensions and balance between your front, back and sides.
A simple example would be your chest width. A tailor could either take your chest width as a whole with a simple number, or factor in where that width is distributed across your chest, whether you have strong shoulder blades or larger pecs. Other factors, such as the slope of your shoulders, will also influence how the chest area looks when the suit is worn.
With your wedding day, it’s a time to look your best, and wearing a suit that fits well helps you achieve this. Assess where you fall under the 40/60 buckets.
2. Style Options
There are (almost) endless fabric possibilities a groom can select, but styles can broadly be categorised into three groups: black tie, classic and country. Here are some of the more popular selections to consider.
Black Tie
Tuxedo
Venue: Best indoors, under artificial lighting
Season: All
Timing: Evening
Design: Satin lapels, peak or shawl. 1 button, jet pockets
Pair with: Formal shirt with cufflinks, black lace-ups, self-tied bow tie, white pocket square
Cloth: Barathea weave, mohair blend, with a subtle shine
Colour: Black or midnight blue
Notes: A heavier cloth will have a nicer 'fall' but will also be warmer to wear. Select a lighter weight during the warmer months
Cream Jacket
Venue: All
Season: All
Timing: All
Design: Satin lapels, peak or shawl. Lapels without satin to dress down
Pair with: Formal shirt with cufflinks, black evening trousers, black lace-ups, self-tied bow tie
Cloth: Wool or bamboo
Colour: Off white, cream
Notes: A shade that's too close to white may visually blend into the bride's dress. A light cream shade is recommended
Classic
Dark Blue / Midnight Navy Suit
Venue: Best indoors for darker shades
Season: All
Timing: Evening, for darker shades
Design: Peak lapel, single or double breasted
Pair with: Formal white shirt, black or dark brown shoes, grenadine tie
Cloth: Wool. Select a wool-blend with silk or mohair for texture or shine
Colour: Choose lighter, brighter shades for a more casual or outdoor setting
Notes: Avoid a usual business shade of navy by going darker or lighter. Combining with texture, pattern or design elements to differentiate from a business suit
Mid Gray Suit
Venue: Best outdoors for lighter shades
Season: All
Timing: Daytime
Design: Standard 2 button. Or double breasted
Pair with: Formal white shirt, black or brown shoes, classic wedding tie - off white and textured
Cloth: Wool, or wool-blend
Colour: Lighter grays for a brighter, relaxed look. Charcoal for a serious, formal tone
Notes: Medium to darker gray suits can also be re-purposed for work
Country
Linen Blend Suit
Venue: Country or Outdoors
Season: Spring / Summer
Timing: Daytime
Design: Standard 2 button. Or double breasted
Pair with: White or off-white shirt, brown loafers, open collar or light tie
Cloth: Linen blended with other fibres is necessary to reduce creasing
Colour: Shades of sand / beige
Notes: Select a half-lined suit for greater air flow on hot days
Blazer & Trouser Separates
Venue: Country, Beach and Relaxed
Season: All, depending on fabric
Timing: Best for daytime
Design: Standard 2 button, with patch pockets
Pair with: White or light coloured shirt, cotton dress trousers, brown loafers, open collar
Cloth: In summer, wool blended with silk or linen. In winter, a wool tweed or similar
Colour: Wide range of patterns/textures
Notes: Consider an unstructured or minimally structured blazer for a more relaxed look
Bolder, Classic Styles
Patterned Suit
Venue: All
Season: All
Timing: All
Design: 2 button with peak or notch lapel
Pair with: White formal shirt, black or brown shoes, grenadine tie
Cloth: Vertical stripe, check or geometric pattern in wool or wool-blend
Colour: All. A pattern adds interest to the outfit. The more prominent the pattern, the more casual the suit
Notes: Checks can visually break up a larger gent's body, while stripes have a lengthening effect
Ultimately, there are no hard and fast rules, only helpful guidelines.
"The best suit is one that feels like you. Your wedding day is long, and comfort matters. But so does confidence! When you're wearing something that truly reflects your personality, it shows. In how you walk, how you stand, and how you look in every photo."
- First Sunday, a Sydney-based wedding planner and stylist known for their thoughtful design, attention to detail, and seamless execution.
Cutting a client's unique suit pattern in our Italian atelier
3. Suit Fit
A well-fitting suit enhances your visual proportions, feels comfortable and minimises creasing across the body, enabling you to look your best.
The ideal suit:
- Falls from your shoulders cleanly, with minimal creasing or stretch marks
- Looks visually proportionate in length and width
- Is comfortable in movement
- Tapered to personal style
Examples of adjustments made through the fitting process
This involves an examination of widths and lengths when drafting your unique suit pattern, and requires an experienced fitter that understands how much to adjust for and how each change affects other areas of the suit.
Examples of postural adjustments required
A great fit also requires adjusting for postural differences and overall garment balance, a part of our semi-bespoke process. This is more complex to assess and requires customers physically trying on fit size garments, as opposed to using tape measurements. Alterations and online suit makers won't be able to adjust for these aspects.
The best wedding outfit is one that aligns with venue and timing, fits your body well, and is in a style that you personally like.