Hiring vs buying A Wedding Suit?

by Maria Squires

Say ‘I Do’ to a bespoke suit for your Big Day


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You pulled off the proposal with aplomb; the right setting, the right ring, the right girl.   Now you need to get the gargantuan list of wedding arrangements ticked off, right? Wrong.  The reality is that your betrothed has been planning this for years, if not decades.  Her wedding dress is almost certainly selected, if not already hanging in your nearest bridal boutique with her name tagged onto it. 

Don’t be fooled, your role in this is very peripheral.  You more or less need to turn up on the wedding day and wear a suit.  You might just, however, have been given a free rein to buy your wedding suits, and the groomsmen suits too, and are now feeling an uncomfortable swell of panic as to where and when to start.  

To Hire or To Buy, that is the question


A quick online search will pull up many of the high street outfitters, and these undoubtedly offer some great hire suits at competitive prices.   But this is your big day, with every last detail considered exactingly, and your grooms suit should be no exception.  Whilst hired suits can be convenient and cost-effective, they simply don’t measure up when it comes to the quality, detail or longevity of a bespoke suit that was made only for you.


Buying a Suit


Purchasing suits is often associated with work, born out of necessity rather than inspiration or expression.  Buying a suit, particularly bespoke, for the biggest milestone of your life is quite the reverse, and it will remind you of that momentous day on every subsequent outing it has.    Hire suits cannot stand up to their bespoke brethren when it comes to cost per wear, with nostalgic value added thrown in on top.  Don’t forget that you can always go down the mix and match route when the budget really refuses to budge.   A bespoke waistcoat or shirt can go a really long way without having to raid the pennies put aside for the Moët. 


The Prenup


First find your tailor.  The rapport you will have with them over the next 3 months or so will feel almost as significant as the one you have with your actual significant other.  They will establish the timeline, the fitting dates, the price, and generally take away any pressure that you might be feeling.  All the good options, and best practices, known to tailoring will be laid before you, and you will soon be throwing about a casual ‘full floating canvas’ here and a ‘monogrammed cuff’ there with the best of Savile Row. 

The Process


A detailed initial consultation will be followed by measurements being taken, and preferences being established.  Your tailor will guide you  through choices you didn’t even know existed- and offer options you didn’t realise you were missing with your previous off the peg hire purchases.  

Slim fit to highlight all that pre-wedding CrossFit is a must.  Marvel Comic lining?  Yes please.  Moon tweed the precise shade of the bridesmaids’ dresses?  It would be remiss not to.   Monogrammed initials and dates will reverberate with romance, and won’t look half bad on the socials either. 



The Product 

Approximately 8-10 weeks after first meeting your tailor, with a fitting or two in between, you will stride out of their fitting room with a suit fit for a king.   Yes, it is more of an investment than a hire suit but, with a bit of forward planning and saving, it will pay for itself over and over again- not forgetting the invaluable reminders of your special day that you will continue to enjoy every time it gets an outing, even on a really dull day in the office.

Book an Appointment with us now!

 

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Considering Bespoke?

Every commission begins with a conversation. Here are answers to some of the questions we're often asked.

Business suits start from £999 for single or double breasted, and from £1,299 for a three-piece with waistcoat. Wedding suits start from £999, averaging around £1,500 depending on cloth and detailing.

The standard turnaround is 10 weeks from first fitting to collection. An express service is available in 5 weeks for an additional fee.

Yes. Alongside the York and London showrooms, Mullen & Mullen serves Sheffield and Manchester by arrangement, with fittings available at a client's home or office.

An independent, family-run business with over 50 years of combined experience in the industry, we pride ourselves on exceptional value: quality that speaks for itself without the inflated price tag. Fittings are in person and unhurried, built around a conversation about how a garment should look, fit, and feel, from a standout velvet jacket to a quietly sharp business suit.

The York showroom is at Unit 3, Middlethorpe Business Park, Sim Balk Ln, YO23 2BD, open by appointment Monday to Saturday, 9:30–5:30.

The London showroom is at 35 Sackville Street, Mayfair, W1S 3EG, open by appointment only.

Yes. Fittings can take place at a client's home or office instead of a showroom, at no extra call-out fee.

Bespoke shirts start from £180, made from English and European mill cloths with a choice of over 60 collar and cuff styles.

A bespoke suit is cut to a client's own measurements rather than a standard size, through a multiple-fitting process designed to get the fit right before it's finished. Cloth, lining, buttons, and detailing are all chosen individually rather than fixed in advance.

This individual approach also means better quality and longevity. A bespoke suit is made to fit and move with you, making it a garment built to last for years, not seasons.

Yes, alongside our bespoke suits, we also make bespoke shirts, overcoats, velvet dinner jackets, and shooting attire. Whatever the garment, the same approach applies: an unhurried, in-person fitting process built around getting the look, fit, and feel exactly right.