Finding that perfect wedding suit: Q & A with clothier Scott Puncher
Paul Puncher is your best source for designer wedding suits. Our impeccable collection of men’s ready made suits, from the world’s foremost European designers, will speak to your unique style and character, elevating the sophistication of your wedding day.
Why buy a suit instead of a tuxedo?
Buying a quality, well-tailored suit is an investment. It can be worn over and over again to a variety of future functions i.e., other weddings, funerals, special occasions. A tuxedo is a more formal garment by nature, and rarely can be used in future functions, unlike a suit. The investment in a good suit, because of this reusable feature, is much more valuable than a tuxedo, which is similar cost to purchase, and rarely worn in future.
What suit brands do you recommend for a wedding?
The suit brands I recommend are determined after a detailed discussion with the client during the initial consultation. Once the information has been gathered from the client, I discover/determine what the client’s approximate budget is. This is critical in determining what particular brands I would recommend, as we have a broad range of suit prices. Some clients are price sensitive, so I guide them accordingly to some of our opening price brands. Other clients that are less price conscious, I review our higher priced imported Italian brands.
Should I buy a summer suit or a fall suit?
There are 3 criteria I use for seasonal wearability (i.e., summer versus fall).
- If it is a summer wedding (i.e., between June – September), the client could choose a suit fabric that is lighter in weight, lighter in colour, or both light in colour and weight of fabric…example being light grey or light tan.
- A fall/winter wedding demands a suit that is obviously darker in colour, darker in weight of fabric, or both i.e., darker blue, darker grey, darker earth tones like brown (rare) or black. This season is typically from October – March.
- The third option that is often chosen, is to buy an “all season” suit that can be worn year-round. This provides the most value for client because the suit can typically be worn 12 months of the year to all functions. These suits are made of medium weight fabrics that are not too light for winter and not too heavy for summer. They typically are in mid to dark tones, most being in the blue/ grey/ black tones.
Vest or no vest?
A vest tends to add a more formal or sartorial/ elegant vibe to a wedding suit. I personally love/ prefer vested suits, especially if the wedding has a more traditional formal theme i.e. a larger venue, with the bride wearing a more elegant, elaborate gown, as opposed to a more casual setting with a smaller group, less formal etc. The vest provides an additional “look” for the groom i.e. the vest provides the groom with an elegant, polished, more finished look when he removes his suit jacket at some point (which most groom’s eventually do as the reception goes on.
What about my groomsmen?
Our wedding suit programs allow us to efficiently and effectively handle both the groom’s and the entire wedding party’s wardrobe needs. The determination of whether we handle the groomsmen tends to be determined by price/ budget i.e., does the wedding party want to invest in purchasing a higher quality suit which is more costly, versus renting a suit or buying a lower quality and less expensive suit. That is the primary deciding factor in this debate.
Ties – to wear of not?
Choice of whether a groom wants to wear a tie or not is first issue. Majority of groom’s wearing suit want to “properly” to complete the elegant vibe of a suit by wearing a tie. There are some grooms who don’t want to wear a tie because their wedding theme isn’t as formal or traditional, so they wear no tie and maybe a pocket square as an accessory. Actual tie choice for those wearing ties, is obviously based on or dictated by colour of suit. Solid ties tend to be more popular as they give a more formal look, as opposed to vibrant patterns, which tend to be flashier and less formal.
What fit is in style?
The most popular style right now are suits that feature a 2-button, single breasted jacket with side vents at back. These jackets have a more fitted, slimmer cut and are shorter in length. Pants are flat front (no pleats) with a slimmer cut leg with narrow bottoms.
What is the most popular colour?
The majority of our wedding suits are obviously in the core traditional colours of black, navy and grey. Among those colours, there has been a push towards the brighter or more vibrant navy-blue tones, as opposed to the darker midnight blue. Also, we have seen demand for the mid to lighter tones of grey, stealing some of the traditional black and charcoal suit business. The bulk of suits purchased are navy, grey and black.
How many fittings?
Typically, we do 2 fittings. We do the initial first fitting, where the suit is marked for the required tailoring adjustments. We then do a second fitting or try-on after these initial tailoring adjustments are complete to make sure they were done properly and that the suit fits perfectly. If an additional adjustment is needed, we do it during second fitting, but this is rarely needed.
How far ahead should I order a wedding suit?
In order to have most effective result, enjoyable process, obviously allowing more time is better than less. If a client can purchase his wedding wardrobe “off the rack” from in stock, this can be turned around fairly quickly (i.e. a month or less). But if there is a particular colour, pattern or style that is not available in stock and has to be ordered in, minimum 8 weeks is required. Most of our custom wedding clients have the initial consultation 4 – 6 months in advance. This allows for less for a less stressful process than last minute approach and allows for most effective results.
How do I get started?
To start the process, contact us to book a wedding consultation.
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