From the Professionals... Groomswear Trends

Are you a soon to be groom trying to decipher what to wear on your wedding day? Would you love to know the ins and the outs, the trending styles, colours and fits and where and when to start your grooms wear search? Then carry on reading as we enlist the help of our Whitewed approved suppliers to share their knowledge, secrets and tips with you!

Each month we delve deeper into subjects to find out more and bring you useful snippets, advice and information from our trusted Whitewed Professionals! This month we've asked Tuxedo Junction and Garry Andrew Suit Hire, two of our reputable menswear companies specialising in providing men's formal wear for hire or purchase to share their expertise in everything that you will need to know in order to look your very best on your wedding day.

*Image of Tuxedo Junction

Everyone deserves to look their best on their wedding day, and that includes the groom and his groomsmen too. We understand that it can be pretty hard to know where to start when the choices available to you are endless, and lets face it, you might not even know what all the options are? Although it may feel daunting and complicated on first impressions, it really doesn't need to be - especially when you use trusted suppliers such as the wonderful bunch you'll find over on The Whitewed Directory!

With the advice you'll find below from two of the industry experts, you'll be whizzing through your groom #wedmin in no time at all, leaving plenty of time for the fun of personalising your looks with cuff links, colours and funky socks!

We asked Gloucester and Cirencester based Tuxedo Junction and Swindon based Garry Andrew Suit Hire a series of questions that will hopefully answer all of the thoughts that are running through your head as you begin to navigate your journey to suit hire success. We'll ask them what they love to see a groom wearing, current trends, styles available, when is the right time to 'book' your suit and so much more.

Read on...

*Image of Garry Andrew Suit Hire

How can your style of tailoring be described best?

Tuxedo Junction: Both contemporary and traditional in style, covering regular, slim and tailored fits.

Garry Andrew Suit Hire: At Garry Andrew we are everything !.... informal, formal, relaxed and traditional. That's the beauty of the independent whatever the Bride and Groom ask for will be what they get.

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What do you love to see a Groom and his groomsmen wearing?

Tuxedo Junction: An outfit that enhances the shape of the groomsmen, especially the Groom - and is well fitted. Also, an outfit that is in keeping with the style of the wedding.

Garry Andrew Suit Hire: Personally, I love to see the grooms party in traditional formal wear, as there's nothing nicer than a well-dressed wedding party with perfectly-fitted suits in the wedding line-up/images.

*Image of Tuxedo Junction

Can you explain the different styles available to a groom?

Tuxedo Junction: In the last couple of years we have witnessed a growth in demand for lounge suits as the choice for the groomsmen’s outfit. Alongside this we offer Tailcoats and Prince Edward frock coats. More recently checked suits and tweed have become more popular.

Garry Andrew Suit Hire: Tailcoats, lounge suits or dinner suits which are all available in a selection of fits (slim fit and regular) and a variety of colours (grey [3 shades] blue [2 shades] black and navy.)

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Have you seen any top trends or popular items for 2019/2020?

Tuxedo Junction: Tweed 3 piece suits and blue suits with tweed waistcoats

Garry Andrew Suit Hire: Tweed lounge suits in various colours and weaves, with matching waistcoat options.

What colours are most grooms opting for at the moment?

Tuxedo Junction: Blue is the most popular suit and tails at the moment. Tweed is also very sort after.

Garry Andrew Suit Hire: The tendency at the moment if for the wedding party to go for the air force blue or grey and tan shoes seem to be a firm favourite too!

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What are the available options for neck wear, and what’s currently trending?

Tuxedo Junction: Cravats and ties, and occasionally bow ties. The cravats are tied as a tie so have a more scrunchy appearance. The neck wear usually matches the colour of the bridesmaids dresses. Colour wise we are seeing a lot of pinks, particularly antique rose and rose gold.

Garry Andrew Suit Hire: Options for neck wear are traditional tie and the more popular rouche tie an extensive range of complimentary colours and the options to mix and match is always available.

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Who is usually included within the grooms’ party? Are we seeing any changes to this?

Tuxedo Junction: Groom, best man, fathers of the groom and bride, ushers and page boys. We're not really seen many changes from this traditional set up.

Garry Andrew Suit Hire: Groom and best man (sometimes 2, or occasionally a female friend instead) Both fathers (if both present at the wedding), at least 2 ushers, but the trend these days really varies due to many factors and individual choice of the bride/s and/or groom/s getting married.

*Image of Tuxedo Junction

What’s special about your service?

Tuxedo Junction: We are a family company and as such we do everything, we can to ensure everyone looks their best. We offer out-of-hours appointments and delivery if required.

Garry Andrew Suit Hire: I specialise on a purely one-to-one individual basis. I see the Bride and Groom initially alone to establish their requirements. All stock is self-contained and kept in-house. No stock at all is hired-in from 3rd parties. EVERYTHING is fitted to each individual gent EXACTLY. Attention-to-detail and customer satisfaction is always the priority.

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When do you recommend the groom arranges his and his groomsmen’s suit?

Tuxedo Junction: At least 6 months ahead of the wedding to ensure they get the outfits they want, as some styles and colours are in such high demand. The process is to browse our outfits, try them on, find what you like, then put a deposit down, usually £100 to book the suits. Nothing more needs to be paid until a month before the wedding.

Garry Andrew Suit Hire: Booking is strongly advised a soon as your date is confirmed. As we are an independent retailer, we close our books at 10 weddings per week to allow us to give 100% satisfaction and guarantee to all our wedding parties booked so advanced booking is highly recommended.

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Have you seen a decline in the traditional morning suit? What are your thoughts on this?

Tuxedo Junction: Yes, we have, but there are still a number of customers who want the traditional look. We find that often a groom will come into the shop and say he doesn’t want tails, however if he tries a tailcoat on in a complete outfit, he's usually surprised at how smart he looks and likes it a lot!

Garry Andrew Suit Hire: For us, I would say the only decline in the traditional morning suit is the colour "Black" - most are now opting for the grey/blue options that we have available.

Do you offer a hire and/or purchase service?

Tuxedo Junction: We offer both. Sometimes the groom may want to buy and the rest of the party hire. We can accommodate any mix of purchase/hire options that are required by the groom and his groomsmen.

Garry Andrew Suit Hire: Hire mostly, but purchase is an option.

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Anything else you’d love to share with the readers? Have you any current special offers?

Tuxedo Junction: We always offer a free party member with 5 or more suits hired, and with even larger parties we can sometimes offer more. The time of year will influence this and the price.

We cater for all shapes and sizes from a tiny page boy to a “well fed” Groomsman! That is 20” to 60” chests.

Often groomsmen are coming from abroad so we have a measuring sheet to give them that we can work from. As we have our own stock, it is easy for us to make any last-minute changes.

Come into one of our 2 shops and we will make your experience enjoyable, as we guide you through all the stages necessary to fit you out in a great outfit for your special day.

Garry Andrew Suit Hire: I'm always open to negotiation (within reason), on the price of the packages offered, depending on the numbers required and duration of the hire period.

Weddings-abroad can be accommodated and are becoming increasingly popular.

I can always try and 'source' any requirements away 'from-the-norm'.... unavailable elsewhere.

I always encourage people to read my google-reviews, and always......just ask the question! if you want something different from what we offer.

Helped? We hope so!

As the Groom, your wedding day is the perfect excuse to push the boat out. How many times in your life will you need a morning suit, Prince Edward Jacket, tweed affair or black tie? Probably not that often, so why not make the most of your special day by hiring or purchasing a very special suit from one of our highly experienced and reputable menswear companies that are showcasing themselves on the 'Groom' supplier category over on the Whitewed Directory.

A huge thanks to Tuxedo Junction and Garry Andrew Suit Hire for sharing their expertise in their answers above. Why not head over to their Directory pages to read a little more above them before hitting the pink 'get in touch' button to set up your meeting with them, try on some styles and maybe even surprise yourself with your final choices!

Happy planning!