Why buy when you can rent your wedding suits?
A few years ago we posted the inverse of the above question in a blog entitled ‘why rent when you can buy?’. The topic up for discussion was whether to buy or rent your wedding suits of course. At the time there was the odd bride and groom considering buying their suits and we noticed more and more were considering that option. It has to be stated that up until three or four years ago the default process was for everyone in the party to rent their suits. Tails, three quarter coats and frock coats were hardly something that needed to be splashed out on when in all likelihood they would never be worn again. Besides the cost of acquiring such suits would have been prohibitive and the suppliers tended to be high end brands like Magee and Wilvorst.
Buy the groom and rent the rest`
With the deformalization of wedding suits and the emergence of the semi-formal lounge suit as a viable alternative, people could now began to consider buying their wedding suit as it could be worn again.
It could even be seen as an investment. Casual and semi-formal suits were definitely starting to become a force in grooms wear attire with this trend starting 5 or 6 years ago. Allied to this the cost of buying a suit was significantly cheaper than in pre-recessionary times. While the aforementioned established brands like Magee and Wilvorst stuck to their guns with pricing policy there was a new crop of brands starting to emerge and they offered significant value to the customer. Three piece suits could be acquired for about €250 and this continues to be the case in today’s market maket.
It can be a sensible option to buy the wedding suits package when the prices are favorable. We ourselves find that our Benetti wedding suits package is particularly popular at the moment. For €249 you can acquire a brand new wool suit in a spectacularly slim fit from a well established brand. Sometimes the suits on offer at the lower prices are of an inferior quality and lack the preciseness of fit by a brand such as Benetti.
Some of our famous brands where you can buy a brand new groom’s suit for 249
Patrick Howard with Bill Clinton Patrick wears a Tom Murphy Tails Suits like this were rented
All in however the cost of buying four or five suits can mount up quickly. Sometimes shirt and tie is not included either so this can mean that the budget for wedding suits is going to be over stretched quickly. A few years ago the thought of spending €250 on five groomsmen would have been unheard of. On top of this the groom’s suit tends to be more costly as the trend now is for the groom opt for bespoke/ made-to-measure or high-end. Our Tom Murphy bespoke collection is extremely popular at the moment and we have people travelling to us from all over the country but these suits are at the higher end of the market. A three piece suit in this category can cost up to €1000. Alternatively an off-the-peg suit from high-end suppliers like Magee or Wilvorst will be €599 to €799.
Many grooms are buying their suit and renting the lads’ suits
With the cost of the grooms suit often being at the higher end it probably makes sense to strongly consider renting the suits for the rest of the party. We really find this a hugely popular way of kitting out the wedding party. It probably offers the best value for money with the rental outfits coming to about €100 each. With that you get suit, shirt, waist-coat, neck-wear, pocket-squares and cuff-links. You get a suit from a high-end brand such as Wilvorst of Germany which will have an unbelievably precise fit. The cloths tend to be a superior quality too in a pure wool high-end finish. The retail price would be circa €800 so it definitely makes sense to rent them if the opportunity presents itself. The saving on the groomsmen suits allows the groom to go for a brand new bespoke wedding suit or something a little bit spectacular. We would often recommend bringing in a small bit of the grooms outfit into the groomsmen’s outfits. A nice tidy way of doing this is by having bow-ties cut from the cloth of the grooms suit. This provides a lovely subtle connection between the groom and the rest of the party. Sometimes a contast waistcoat in a scoop style can seperate the groom from the rest of the party.Whatever happens it is nice to coordinate the groom and groomsmen.Having said that some people prefer to let the groom stand apart in a completly different outfit.
