Planning a wedding is never easy.
Sure, some guys that went through the process may say that the food and cake tasting are among the best parts of the planning (which they are) but being responsible for dressing your groomsmen can get to be rather tricky and stressful.
Not only do you have to make sure that everything is well coordinated, but if you have a group of guys that live all over the place, getting everyone on the same page is tough.
This is further amplified by the fact that companies like Men’s Wearhouse are closing stores, making it even more difficult to find the same cut or styles, especially if one of your groomsmen lives in a remote area (unless of course, you just have all your men wearing their own tuxdeo to the wedding).
Times have changed…
…and for the better!
If you are trying to find out where to get suits for your groomsmen, then we are here to help you with that.
Today we are going to talk about all the important factors that you need to think about before selecting the right place to get your groomsmen suits.
This includes looking at a variety of online storefronts, their respective timelines, and the most important part, pictures of how their suits actually look.
Let’s get started:
The Timeline is Critical in Dressing Your Groomsmen
One of the biggest factors when planning a wedding is working within the timeline of the big day.
Trying to cut corners not only leads to missed dates but rushing usually leads to subpar results.
Whenever we see bad reviews for suit companies online, they are often around how ‘ill fitting’ the suits were.
Here’s the deal:
When looking at most negative reviews, the root cause was with around the own buyers lack of planning.
Most of these people ordered well past the deadline date, got their suit in hand only a day or two before the wedding, and then had no time for alterations…
As a man that has gotten married, the last thing you need to be thinking about is whether your suit fits a day before the wedding…
…instead, you will be helping your soon to be spouse in countless other measures along with practicing your vows, handling the guests, etc.
Whether you decide to go with an online company (which you should) or a physical retail store, you need to plan ahead.
It is very rare that a suit that you bought online or at a store will fit you perfectly.
The reason is two-fold:
- The measurements you provided may be an inch +/- off due to human error
- Your body is different from when you initially ordered the suit (due to normal daily weight fluctuations)
Therefore, you will need to build in extra time at the end for alterations.
Beyond how the suit fits your body, another time factor to consider is shipping.
When looking at all the major stores, shipping can vary significantly from one to another.
Based on our research we found that shipping times varied anywhere between 15 days to up to 10 weeks (Black Lapel).
As a general guideline, we recommend that you always add a 2-week buffer on to this.
Not only will this account for any last-minute changes, but if for any reason you are completely dissatisfied with the suit, you might be giving yourself just enough time to get things set straight.
What does this mean for you now?
Get your suit planned and ordered about 3 months before the wedding ceremony.
This will allow you to make sure you are happy with the designs and that all your groomsmen follow through and get their suits measured without any time pressures.
If your wedding is less than 3 months from now, then you will want to proceed with caution.
Trying to rush the process may lead to mistakes.
So, while some of the turn around times from the companies listed in this article may look appealing, make sure you get in contact with them prior to ordering to ensure there will be no surprises when your suits come in the mail.
Chain Suit Stores Are Quickly Falling Out of Fashion
The whole retail landscape has changed over the past few years…
…and formal suit stores haven’t escaped the massive disruption going on.
With companies like Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank competing head-to-head with new companies like Black Lapel and Indochino, there has never been a better time to be a man looking for both an affordable yet well-crafted suit.
In addition to providing a far wider and better selection than the traditional retail establishment, online stores also make it much easier for groomsmen all over the world to get dressed for the occasion.
With intuitive and error-proof platforms, online retailers provide simple how-to videos explaining the measuring process that ensures you have a nearly perfect fitting suit when it arrives to your door.
To make things even better, most online stores such as Indochino are starting to have a wider retail presence.
This makes it great for those more traditional groomsmen who do still want to walk into a store and get fitted for their suit.
Rent vs. Owning A Suit
When it comes to finding the perfect suit for your wedding, rentals look appealing, especially given that you can get one for a fraction of the cost of a typical suit…
…but that’s where their key advantage ends.
While rentals have their place in weddings, especially if you are looking to save pennies on every corner and you won’t need a suit for the foreseeable future, then you can make it work.
But here’s the deal when it comes to rentals:
They aren’t made to measure – oftentimes making for a poor fit.
Furthermore, they aren’t nearly cheap as people think they are.
In fact, a quick look at the Men’s Wearhouse site tells you that a typical rental will cost about $150 to $200:
As you will see in a minute, should you spend just a little bit more, you can own the suit, it will be made-to-measure, and will be fully customized to your personal preferences.
The takeaway here is that if you have the budget, buy the suit, it’s a far better deal.
Online Options
As you do more and more research within the world of online custom suits, you will find that the options are surprisingly limited – especially when you start to look for those made for weddings.
However, based on our own research, and reviewing feedback from other men, we found that the following companies have been trusted by many to meet the stringent requirements of wedding parties, while also delivering a quality made suit that will look great when your big day rolls around:
Here’s a brief overview on each of them:
Indochino
Established in 2007, Indochino is a Vancouver, Canada based company that is by far one of the largest online players in this field.
Not only are they considered to be among the best online suit stores as we found out in our full review of Indochino, but they also are rapidly expanding into the retail world as well with over 40 showrooms.
If you have a larger wedding party and are cautious about a company’s ability to turn out a quality product, then Indochino is a safe bet.
Their quality suits will extend far beyond just being used for the wedding.
Their made-to-measure process ensures a great fit allowing you to wear the suit for any formal occasion down the road.
Now one thing that a lot of grooms (and brides for that matter) have reservations about when going with an online suit company is coordination – especially if your wedding party lives in different areas.
To help quell this fear of a fashion mishap, Indochino has a system in place that will manage the scheduling for you.
Their online dashboard makes sure you keep everything well-coordinated:
So, if you are looking to dress your groomsmen, check out Indochino – we think you will be happy with their results.
Black Lapel
New York City based Black Lapel is quickly changing the world of groomsmen suits by offering a comprehensive process that is easy for anyone to use.
As you go through the process of deciding on a suit, you have total and complete control over how you want everything to look.
Now while this may be a bit intimidating for some men, Black Lapel does a great job in providing some recommendations in order to prevent you from committing any sort of fashion faux pas along the way.
Like Indochino, Black Lapel also has an online wedding planner to coordinate all the party’s measurements.
As seen below, the process is straight forward and can be done in 4 (but really 3) steps:
But beyond a simple online dashboard, Black Lapel also gives you a complimentary stylist to help answer any questions you may have along the way.
As we mentioned earlier, the biggest setback for Black Lapel will be timing.
They recommend that you start the process at least 2.5 months from the wedding date.
So, if you want to go with one of their suits, mark your calendar and plan well in advance.
Lastly, we wanted to make mention that Black Lapel does offer a discount for parties greater than 4 – so make sure that you are aware of this deal when setting up your account.
For those men that want a more traditional experience, Black Lapel only has one showroom (NYC @ 10 E 38th St). Unless you live in the NYC area, you will need to do the entire process from home.
When it comes to style and service, there is no beating the quality received from Black Lapel.
Use Your Alterations Credit & Get It Pressed
When purchasing a suit online, companies will provide you with an alteration credit (usually around $75).
Make sure you use this!
While your new suit may look good when you initially put it on, the alterations credit allows you to have the suit fit your body perfectly through a few minor adjustments.
Beyond alterations, you will also need to get your suit pressed.
Given that the suit is shipped to your door rather than getting picked up from a store, it will inevitably get wrinkled along the way.
So, make sure you give yourself ample time to bring it to your local dry cleaner to make it look great – don’t try to iron it yourself.
Proof Is in The Pictures
Now it’s one thing for us to talk about all the popular places where you can get suits for your groomsmen, but it’s another to see how they actually look.
Here we wanted to pull a few select pictures showcasing how these suits look when worn:
Indochino Suits
Black Lapel Suits
Don’t Forget The Groomsmen Gifts
Now that you have a few ideas on where to dress your groomsmen for the big day, don’t forget to toss a few thank you gifts their way as well.
Whether you best mates have a beard or shave daily, beard care kits, shaving kits, or a straight razor kit can make an awesome and classy gift (plus it’s a great way to make sure they look in tip-top shape for the ceremony).
But most importantly, we want to be the first to say congratulations on this exciting journey you and your significant other are going on!
Always remember to have fun and never go to sleep mad at each other!