Clothes aren’t every man's thing but like it or not society frowns on not wearing anything, especially on your big day. You and your guys need suits and even if you say you don’t care, other people want you to look good in your forever photos. So where to start? I’m going to use this post to give you the lowdown on your main suiting options, their pros and cons, and how not to screw it up.
But before we dive in, let’s get one thing straight: Try on your rental early. This isn’t college anymore where you can roll into the formal last minute in your confirmation suit that is three sizes too small. And tell your wedding party to try their rentals early too. It's easy, just don't be lazy and you won't cause problems on the wedding day.
Local Suit Shops
I come from a small town with tons of independent businesses so I’m a big advocate for shopping locally. Going to a smaller business usually means you get more attentive sales people, and oftentimes more unique options. This way you won’t look exactly like every dude from every save the date that’s pinned to your fridge. Getting individualized attention might mean their tailoring is better, or maybe they know your family and already have an idea of what your style is, hell maybe they did your best friend's wedding and still have your measurements from that. Another positive is you get to feel good about supporting a local business and contributing to your community, awh what a good guy you are.
However, “local” doesn’t always mean “flawless” and there are sometimes drawbacks to going local. For example, smaller stores can be a little outdated. Maybe they don't have the resources to refresh their inventory very often, or maybe they don't have the client base that wants the trendy tux instead of something classic. Either way, check with your bride so you don't look like you’re wearing Dwayne Wade’s draft night fit. If you’re the kind of guy who leaves everything till the last minute, I also wouldn’t advise going local. Smaller business = smaller staff which means they might not get it finished in time if the shop is busy! I also cannot vouch for the quality or service of your mom and pop suit store so unless you know people who have purchased from there - why risk it.
The Conglomerate Chains
JoS. A. Bank and Men’s Wearhouse are the Walmart of wedding suits—huge selection, decent quality, and enough industry knowledge to become a mega-profitable super-conglomerate (Yes, they are both owned by Tailored Brands). The biggest pro for both these places is that rental suits are their business model. They know their way around mistakes in tailoring, they overnight ship everything, they basically have rentals down to a science. As long as you try everything on within the timeline they give you, things will fit correctly on the big day. Also, their national footprint is great for a wedding party that’s all over the map. Taylor Brands will register your wedding under a Group ID for the rental, and each person can simply go to the storefront that is closest to them. Then, their rental shows up where the wedding is for sizing. The biggest drawback is all their stuff looks the same, so your wedding fit is going to look like every other wedding fit that comes out of the place. Since they are both viable options, let’s talk about the differences.
JoS. A Bank is going to be on the swankier side which means it will be a little more expensive but you’ll have a lot more options to choose from. They also have a decent stand-alone retail footprint and they run deals if you rent your wedding suits through them. Don't quote me, but I believe I received a good amount of store credit, and I could have put that toward a purchase or to get my rental for free. I definitely don't have a green jacket with an american flag liner in my closet.
Men’s Warehouse is a rental shop first and foremost. They are more affordable than their big brother, which comes with pros and cons. Obviously, that's going to mean the bill is smaller; however, that could also mean that you could be in a cheap fit. Just avoid the high polyester blends so you don't out-shine the wedding rings and you should be good. Men’s Warehouse also usually has pretty attentive salespeople and their stores are smaller so you might get a bit more attention.
Online Rental Startups
Since no one wants to shop in person anymore (seriously when’s the last time you went to a store for something) some new online suiting places have cropped up. They specialize in ‘electronic tailoring’, then mail you your rental and you just send it back after the wedding! The two big players in this new business are The Black Tux and Generation Tux. These two guys are your low cost leaders and when all goes well, the quality is pretty damn good. Some people say these companies can be risky, but there’s a bit of risk every time you order something online.
I will say, I’ve used Generation Tux before and they did forget the studs on one guys’ order so we all had to use buttons on our tuxes. I have a feeling it was his fault though because he didn’t try it on until the day of the wedding so I’m sure they would have sent them separately if he contacted them in time. Don’t be that guy and you should be good. I've also used SuitShop and it was good, not great. No problems… but that's how you want a rental to go sometimes, right?
To Rent or To Buy… the age-old question that I’m about to settle for you.
First things to talk about is color — and honestly, this might be out of your control. I'm no Derek Guy so my only real tip here is this: if your suit is going to be blue, not black, buy the shoes, rent the suit. You'll use brown shoes anyways for work or dates or church or something. Also, Rental shoes that aren’t black always look like dogshit wrapped in catshit. It’s an extra cost but it looks better for pictures and your guys will thank you.
I read once that every man should buy a tux when they turn 30 years old and “stay that size.” And while I think that's great advice, you won't actually need a tux again unless you’re a secret agent. If you’re wearing a tux, it’s a rental—end of discussion. As far as bowtie vs tie goes, I like bowtie. It is just more formal, and a regular tie, plus a vest, plus a jacket is a lot of the same colored fabric. You might end up looking like a chess pawn.
Now that we're talking suits, a rental will cost about the same as buying a cheap suit, and while everyone needs one cheap, dogshit suit, do you really want your wedding party to look like they’re due in court for unpaid parking tickets? Buying a moderately priced suit makes sense if you’re one of the first guys in your group to get married—because let’s be honest, you’ll be on the wedding circuit for the next five years. Plus, you might actually wear it to work or an anniversary dinner. But if you’re thinking about dropping serious cash on an expensive one, ask yourself: Do your friends actually want to drop $400+ on a suit they might wear once? If the answer is no (spoiler: broke 20-somethings are not the target market for bespoke formal wear), just rent and call it a day.
Suiting isn't that complicated; these are really the only three options you have so you just need to decide which feels more your speed. The biggest thing with suiting is just don’t be lazy. Don’t set it and forget it. Try your suit on, make your friends try theirs, and make sure everything looks and feels good so you’re not walking down the aisle thinking “oh my god these pants are shoving my testes into my bladder”. Every business that cares about their image is going to let you bring it back in, ship it back, and make alterations if you need to. Godspeed and good luck.