With more grooms than ever hiring their big day outfit, here’s a few helpful hints on getting it right
The latest reader survey by National Magazines revealed that 62% of grooms choose to hire their wedding outfit and spend an average of £255 on their outfit. Whether you're the kind of chap who loves clothes and is keen to play an active role in what you wear or are happy to let your fiancé take charge, all eyes will be on you on your wedding day.
Style solutions There are plenty of choices to ensure you look the part, including frock coats, which finish just above the knee, morning coats, also known as tails, dinner jackets, also referred to as black tie, and Nehru collar jackets (the style favoured by Liz Hurley's boyfriend Arun Nayar). The first thing to do is decide which one suits you and, most important of all, the style of your wedding. Is it a morning or a late afternoon ceremony in a church or a smart civil venue? Black tie is great for a sophisticated city hotel but it will look over the top at a village church. "Frock coats are great for disguising a thicker waist so can be more flattering than the cut-away style of tails, which should only be worn if it's a very formal occasion or if you have a good physique," says You & Your Wedding's fashion director Peta Hunt.
Fit for a king Once you have an idea of the look your after it's time to hit the shops. "We make hiring all the men's suits as simple as possible," says David Shepherd of Moss Bros in London's Covent Garden. "Because we're nationwide each man can simply visit his local branch to be measured then the information is sent to one branch so all the suits can be collected together."
The trick is to make a hired suit look made to measure. Sleeves and trousers need to be the correct length. If you're wearing a morning suit the tails should not come lower than an inch below the knee and it should be possible to do up the jacket buttons, even though the style is to wear it unbuttoned.
When you collect the suits ensure every man in the wedding party tries his outfit on again. If your fittings were before a very indulgent stag weekend or someone's been overdoing the Guinness some adjustments may be necessary. It's best to know as quickly as possible so the shop can sort out replacements while there's still time. It's all in the detail Your accessories can make or break the way your look but don't be stifled by convention. "There are no hard and fast rules," says Peta Hunt. "If you're old enough to get married you're old enough to choose what to wear." You might want to follow in the footsteps of Tom Hanks, who teamed a white shirt and tie with a dinner suit at this year's Oscars. Likewise, a frock coat can just as easily be worn with a brightly coloured shirt and matching tie as it can with a traditional waistcoat and cravat. It's up to you to bring your individual style to your wedding day. One thing to bear in mind is the colour scheme for the wedding. If the bridesmaids are wearing lilac, it's popular for the best man and ushers to wear a lilac waistcoat or a lilac tie.
Wear it well Dressing up in the shop is easy with all the assistants hovering around to make sure you're cravat is properly tied, but how will you fare on the day? Most shops will teach you how to tie a cravat or bow tie, so if in doubt ask. However, unless you're really confident of your abilities go for a ready-tied bow tie.
And when it's all over... If you're getting married on a Saturday hired outfits usually need to be returned on the Sunday or Monday. If you're jetting off on honeymoon, put the best man in charge of getting everything back to the shop in time, otherwise you could be charged extra.
