Should You Rent Or Buy Wedding Party Suits?

It’s possible to look a million bucks without spending it, but one of the most common questions from a groom-to-be is whether to hire or buy the wedding suit. Not just for himself, but for the groomsmen too. There are a few variables here, so let’s look at both sides.

Rent

Traditionally the cheaper option, renting meant you and your boys didn’t have to fork out for suits for one day. And the less money spent on suits means a bigger budget for the venue, drinks, bucks party or, let’s face it, the dress. A quick search for suit hire in Sydney shows prices starting from about $115 for basic packages (shirt, jacket, pants and tie).

Image by Todd Hunter McGaw Groom’s Suit MJ Bale, via Jenna & Lawrence’s Luxurious Industrial Jewish Wedding

For the groom who doesn’t need all the bells and whistles, or for the more casual countryside wedding, this is a great option. If you don’t wear a suit for work, have survived without one for this long and if it’s only going to gather dust in your wardrobe, renting makes sense.

It’s important to remember that the choice of suits will be limited, the fit will be classic (which can be tricky for non-standard sized guys…it also means no skinny pants) and there’ll be extra fees for extended hire periods. Note: basic packages don’t include shoes so you’ll need to factor this in too.

Read the terms and conditions carefully; the last thing you want is to be running around picking up suits on the morning of your wedding only to find they don’t fit properly anymore, or to be rushing to return them the next day – which can be difficult if your wedding is in the Hunter Valley and the suit rental return is in Sydney. It’s a good idea to go to a rental place and try a few on for fit and comfort. Then, do all the numbers in terms of tailoring, dry cleaning, extended return, plus any extras including shoes, socks, pocket squares and see what the total comes to.

Image by Anthea Auld, Grooms’ suit Calibre, groomsmen’s pants Roger David, via Cindy & Lee’s Western Australian Winery Wedding

Buy

Every man needs a great suit, and what better excuse to buy one than your wedding? If you wear a suit to work every day, spending a few hundred dollars on a new one is a pretty straightforward justification. And with the cost of purchasing declining (thanks to online custom-made sites such as InStitchu or even online retailers such as the Iconic), buying doesn’t need to be as expensive as it once was.

Buying also means you can choose exactly what you want (in terms of fit, colour, fabric and feel) from any store you like, get it tailored to perfection, and can wear it to the next wedding/races/cocktail event. When it comes to the budget, speak to your groomsmen about what’s possible; there are plenty of options. If you want a fancy designer suit but they couldn’t care less, it’s possible to rent theirs and buy yours.

At the end of the day, hiring or buying suits will come down to your budget, taste and preference, as well as those of your groomsmen. Buying suits for two is vastly different to buying suits for six!

Personalised in store, custom-made online or off the rack, the choices for buying and renting suits have multiplied, so do your research, get a verdict from your wedding party and start measuring up!