When should I book my wedding suit?

If you're planning to hire your wedding suit, around six months before the wedding is a sensible time to start looking. If you're buying Ready-to-Wear, you have more flexibility. Made-to-Order needs a longer lead-in because your suit is manufactured after you've chosen its design.

You don't need to know exactly what you want before visiting a suit shop, but it's useful to understand the different timescales before deciding how long to leave it.

Here's how the three options work.

Wedding suit planning at a glance

These aren't universal deadlines. Retailers have different processes, and a later enquiry doesn't necessarily mean you're too late. The main thing is understanding what needs to happen between choosing your suit and wearing it.

When should I book wedding suit hire?

At Pure Suits, we generally recommend an initial hire appointment around six months before your wedding.

This gives you time to try different styles, think about how you'd like the wedding party to look and get everyone organised.

It isn't a minimum booking requirement. If your wedding is sooner, speak to the retailer and find out what's available before assuming you've left it too late.

It's also worth remembering that your first appointment and your measurement appointment are two different things.

For help planning your complete outfit budget, read How much does a complete wedding suit actually cost?.

When should my groomsmen be measured?

For Pure Suits hire, we normally arrange the wedding party's measurement appointment around six to eight weeks before the wedding.

Everyone tries on fitting samples and agrees the sizes that will be ordered from our supplier.

If members of your wedding party live further away, it's worth discussing that early rather than discovering at the last minute that somebody can't attend.

Pure accepts remote measurements, although customers are responsible for their accuracy. Hire garments still need to be collected from our Norwich showroom; they aren't posted out.

When should I buy a Ready-to-Wear wedding suit?

Ready-to-Wear doesn't require the same planning timetable as hire or Made-to-Order.

If you find something you like, your size is in stock and the fit is right, you could purchase your suit and take it home the same day.

However, it pays to allow time for trying different styles, ordering a size if necessary and arranging any alterations.

Some Ready-to-Wear orders at Pure Suits can arrive in as little as two days, depending on supplier availability, but that isn't a guaranteed turnaround.

If you have a particular suit in mind, I wouldn't leave buying it until the week before your wedding and assume everything will be available exactly as you need it.

For more on allowing for alterations, read Can a suit be altered to fit me?.

How long does Made-to-Order take?

At Pure Suits, the normal Made-to-Order timeframe is eight to ten weeks from placing your order to your final in-store try-on and taking the suit home.

The process begins with choosing details such as fabric, lining, buttons and lapels, followed by trying on an existing master suit to establish your fit.

For shorter notice, ask our team about available options before making plans.

If you're considering Made-to-Order, it's worth allowing a little extra time rather than relying on the shortest possible manufacturing window.

When will I collect my hired suit?

Collection arrangements vary between hire providers.

At Pure Suits, the supplier delivers your hire garments to our showroom by Thursday of the week before your event.

To be clear, that's the preceding week, not the Thursday immediately before a typical Saturday wedding.

You can collect your garments once they're ready. Everyone should try on their outfit at collection, or as soon as possible afterwards.

We ask customers to raise any queries within 24 hours of collection so there's time to investigate any concerns and work towards a solution where possible.

It's much better to discover a fit issue then than on the morning of the wedding.

When do I need to return hired suits?

At Pure Suits, hired garments are due back by 5pm on the first working day after your event.

For a typical weekend wedding, that will normally be Tuesday at 5pm, subject to the applicable working-day arrangements.

Different hire companies have different deadlines and late-return charges, so make sure you understand yours before the wedding.

If you're organising suits for a group, it can help to agree who will collect everyone's outfits afterwards and return them. That way, you're not trying to track down missing trousers while half the wedding party is heading off on holiday.

What if I've left it late?

Speak to the retailer and explain your wedding date.

Your options will depend on the available stock, supplier lead times, sizes and any work needed to get the suit ready.

Ready-to-Wear may give you more flexibility if time is particularly tight, although hire could still be possible depending on availability.

And if you're uncertain whether you want to hire, buy or explore Made-to-Order, you don't need to make that decision before visiting. Pure Suits welcomes walk-ins, and all initial consultations are complimentary. Booking ahead is sensible for larger groups.

For hire, around six months before the wedding is a good starting point. For Made-to-Order, allow for the manufacturing time and a little breathing room. If you're buying Ready-to-Wear, you have more flexibility, but don't forget to factor in stock and alterations.

For a closer look at the options, read Can I get a suit at short notice?.