Wedding Suits in Wollongong: The Groom’s Guide

Work backwards from the date.

• Four to six months out: decide the look. Colour, formality, three-piece or two, ties or open collar. Bring any colours the wedding party is using.
• Three months out: choose and order. If you’re going Made to Measure, this is the time to book your appointment.
• Six to eight weeks out: first fittings for the groom and party, so there’s room for any adjustments.
• Two weeks out: final fitting with the shoes you’ll wear on the day, so trouser lengths are set properly.
• The week of the wedding: collect everything, try it all on once more, and hang it somewhere it won’t be squashed.

Short on time? Talk to us anyway. A good off-the-rack suit can come together in much less time; it just leaves less room for anything unexpected.

Both can look exceptional. The right choice depends on your build, your timeline and how much of the suit you want to design yourself.

Off the rack

Ready-to-wear suits from labels that know tailoring are the fastest route and the easiest way to dress a whole party consistently. Choose a suit with a cut that suits you, and small adjustments to sleeves and hems are common; ask about them at your fitting. Browse our suits to see what’s on the floor now.

Made to Measure

Made to Measure is a suit cut to your measurements, in the cloth and details you choose: the lapel, the lining, the buttons, a monogram if you like. It’s ideal if you’re hard to fit off the rack, or if you want the groom’s suit to be unmistakably his.

At Tramps, Made to Measure is by appointment. The first appointment takes about 30 to 45 minutes to choose the cloth and details and take your measurements, and the suit takes around four to six weeks from fitting to collection. Made to Measure starts from around $899. Allow extra time before the wedding so nothing feels rushed.

The wedding party should look like it was planned together, not identical, and the groom should be clearly the groom.

The groom

Set the groom apart with one or two deliberate differences:

• A different suit colour or cloth from the groomsmen, such as a midnight navy against their mid-blue.
• A three-piece, with the vest only for the groom.
• A different tie or bow tie, or the only man in a bow tie.
• A distinct boutonnière or pocket square.

The groomsmen

Choose one suit for all of them and let a single accessory, usually the tie, tie in with the wedding colours. Matching suits look best when they’re fitted properly on every man, which is why getting everyone in for a fitting matters.

The fathers

Fathers of the bride and groom look best in suits that complement the party rather than copy it: the same colour family, a slightly more classic cut, and a tie that picks up the palette. It makes the family photos look considered without everyone being in uniform.

Most weddings now have a palette, and the suits should work with it.

• Navy is the most versatile: it sits beautifully with blush, sage, terracotta and white.
• Grey, light or charcoal, suits winter weddings and softer palettes.
• Blue and mid-blue look fresh at coastal and daytime ceremonies.
• Black belongs to evening and formal city weddings, or black tie.
• Sand, stone and green suit relaxed garden, farm and summer weddings.

Bring a fabric swatch or a photo of the bridal party’s colours to your appointment. Ties and pocket squares are where the palette usually comes through; see our ties for ideas.

There’s no rule. Many couples match the number of bridesmaids, but uneven sides are completely fine. Some planners suggest roughly one attendant per fifty guests as a rough guide for balance. In practice, ask the people you’d genuinely want standing beside you, and let the number follow.

What matters more for the suits is logistics: the more groomsmen, the earlier you start, because every one of them needs to be measured and fitted.

A wedding fitting at Tramps is relaxed and unhurried.

1. We talk about the day: the date, the venue, the time, the colours and the look you’re after.
2. We look at options on the floor, or cloths for Made to Measure.
3. We measure and try on, checking shoulders, sleeves, jacket length and trousers.
4. We plan the party: sizes for the groomsmen and fathers, and when each of them needs to come in.

Bring the shoes you’ll wear, and, if you can, one or two of the wedding party, especially anyone hard to fit. Book a fitting online and choose “Wedding party”.

The suit gets the attention, but the details are what make the party look finished.

• Shoes: decide them early, because they set the trouser length. Black oxfords for evening and formal weddings; brown or tan for daytime, coastal and garden ceremonies. Everyone in the party should wear the same colour, ideally the same style.
• Shirts: crisp white is the classic for the whole party. Pale blue softens a navy suit for daytime. Make sure every collar fits: a gaping or tight collar shows in every close-up.
• Ties and bow ties: the easiest place to bring in the wedding colours. Order a spare.
• Pocket squares: white for the classic look, or a colour that picks up the flowers.
• Belts or braces: belts that match the shoes, or braces with a vest for a more traditional look.
• Cufflinks: a gift for the groomsmen that they’ll actually wear on the day.

Put everything for each man on one hanger, labelled with his name, and the morning of the wedding gets a great deal calmer.

Have the suits dry cleaned once, not after every wear, and hang them on shaped hangers with room around them. A well-kept wedding suit is ready for the next wedding you’re invited to, and there will be plenty.

A suit bought for your wedding is yours to keep. It fits you, it’s in the photos, and with a navy or grey suit you’ll wear it again to every wedding, work dinner and celebration that follows. For many grooms it becomes the suit they reach for for years.