Deciding whether to hire or buy your wedding suit is a difficult decision. The right choice depends on your style, budget and how much you’ll wear the suit after the big day.
Buying gives you full control – from made‑to‑measure or bespoke tailoring to choosing your ideal fabric, colour and design. Suit hire is an ideal alternative, offering a similar experience but at a lesser cost. At Phillip Alexander, our rental suits are tailored to your measurements, giving you a personalised look without the cost of purchasing.
If you’re still weighing up your options, our tailors have outlined the key pros and cons to help you decide.
Buying a wedding suit
Pros
You can wear it again
Buying a suit means you keep it after your special day and wear it to future formal events. Your suit is also a beautiful memento of your wedding.
Unique and tailored to you
If you buy a bespoke or made-to-measure wedding suit, your suit will be completely unique. You’ll be guaranteed a perfect fit on your wedding day and feel entirely comfortable. Plus, you’ll be able to choose the colour and type of suit that perfectly matches the bride’s wedding dress.
Permanent alterations
Purchasing a suit can involve getting it tailored to fit you seamlessly. Whether you’re attending a formal occasion or a casual evening event, a well-fitting suit can make all the difference. With a bespoke or made to measure suit, you can achieve this perfect tailored look.
An abundance of choice
You have a huge range to choose from when buying a suit. This includes made-to-measure, bespoke, or off-the-rack suits. You also have autonomy over what style, colour, and material the suit is.
Interested in buying a wedding suit? Arrange a consultation with our tailors.
Cons
Budget
When buying a suit, you’ll likely be restricted by your budget. You might only be able to afford a high-street suit rather than the bespoke suit of your dreams.
Lower quality
You might struggle to find a high-quality suit that you can afford if you have a modest budget.
Hiring a wedding suit
If you’re interested in wedding suit hire, you’ll find there are many reasons why it is a cost-effective option. Explore more about wedding suit hire in our complete guide.
Pros
Budget
If you’re considering hiring your wedding suit, it’s likely because hiring is significantly cheaper than buying. You can rent a designer wedding suit for a fraction of the price you would pay to buy one.
Quality
Because hiring suits is more cost-effective, you can opt for a more expensive brand or suit material. This will ensure you’ll stand out from the crowd on your wedding day.
Fitting
Most wedding suit hires will include a fitting or several. This ensures the suit fits you correctly and looks flattering on your body type.
Guidance and advice
If you buy a suit from the high street, you won’t get the same advice you’d get if you hire one from a quality tailor.
Cons
Stress about damaging the suit
If you hire an expensive wedding suit, you’ll be liable for any damages that occur while you’re wearing the suit. This might affect how you act on your wedding day rather than feeling entirely relaxed.
No permanent alterations
Although fittings are included in wedding suit hire, they’ll be unable to make any significant permanent alterations. This can be an issue depending on your body type and how the suit initially fits.
Time restraints
All wedding suit hire services will come with a specified amount of time you are allowed to keep it for, which could range from a couple of days to a week. Hiring might be challenging if you need the suit for an extended period of time.
Tailored Suits from Phillip Alexander
With locations in Cheshire and Savile Row in London, Phillip Alexander offers a range of tailoring services, including bespoke and made-to-measure suits, and tailored and wedding suit hire. Our tailors will be on hand to guide you through the entire fitting process, offering styling advice to help you look your best on your wedding day.
Book an in-person or telephone consultation to speak to one of our tailors about hiring or buying your wedding suit.
