Last weekend we were approached to give a talk on the catwalk of the National Wedding Show on each of its three days on Wedding suits and tailoring. The show was run in conjunction with Caryn Franklin and Jane Galpin of Ten years younger fame!

Wedding shows are normally the realm of the bride and her family and friends with the odd future husband dragging his heels. Its not surprising really when the stands at these events seem to all be aimed for the female market.

However the women and those men that were in the audience were incredibly appreciative for some of the attention being aimed at them. Far too often it seems that the immediate thought for the Groom and his party is to hire the morning and or wedding suits.

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Men, if left to their own devices, would no doubt organise more simple weddings than their future betrothed (and mother in law) would allow. Any of you that have been there and done it will know that us men try and get involved in the parts of the day that are interesting, fun or just plain easy. Wine tasting, menu discussion and music are far more our forte I am afraid to say than floral arrangements and bridesmaids dresses. The one area that is uniquely male though, is choosing what you the Groom and cohorts will wear.

It is increasingly popular for the Groom, best man and usher to stand out from the crowd and do things a little differently, to stand out and make a statement. Morning suits, although still popular and lend gravitas to the occasion are being slowly nudged out in favour of more quirky wedding suit options. For one recent wedding at Claridges Hotel in London we were commissioned to produce eight dinner jackets with gold mohair waistcoats worn with a standard cutaway shirt collar and slim black tie. The Groom chose himself to have a white waistcoat. Whilst this combination was a first for us and no doubt you the reader, it did look very funky.

I think consideration to the day and type of wedding is paramount though when thinking about what to wear. The wedding suit above is perhaps not suitable for a country hotel or stately home wedding where the more traditional raiment lends the occasion gravitas, more in keeping with its setting. By conforming to tradition it is very hard to go wrong in wearing something that is going to look out of place.

One thing though that has always confused (except where saving every penny is of paramount importance) is the use of hiring morning suits. The Bride makes every effort to look amazing for her walk down the aisle and why the choice is made to receive them donning a suit that has been there countless times is a concept alien to me. Tailoring is so much more affordable now and it doesn’t have to break the bank, but it does help the Groom look special on what should be the most important day in his life!