Suits

We had 3 groomsmen and bought the suits from Penneys. Not just because they were obviously very affordable, but they were exceptionally nice suits and suited our colour scheme perfectly (dark blue). I would never have set foot in Penneys if my husband hadn't suggested it because I made an assumption about the quality but I was wowed. You may not find what you're looking for, but I would encourage you to have a look and try one on yourself to see what you think.

We then spent some of the money we had budgeted for suits on quality shirts and getting them really well tailored, and it gave us more options when looking for other accessories like bow-ties etc. It also means the lads all have perfectly tailored suits now for any occasion

Hope this helps with one of your questions!

cr-07 wrote: »

1. I have 5 groomsmen and a best man. Do I need to include the Father of the Bride/Groom in the suits as well (is it the done thing?)

Some folks do, and some don't - I think it depends. We didn't, but then we only had 1 father and ours was a black tie wedding, he already had his own tux.

cr-07 wrote: »

2. Would anyone recommend buying the suits over renting them? I would much prefer to buy them as the prices I was getting for renting them were in the range of €100-€150 and to buy were in the range of €170-€250. Would the rented suits usually be a much nicer suit, and be more suited to the occasion? (Apologies about the pun )

When you rent, you will never quite get it fitting right. Rental suits, by their nature, have to be adjustable to fit a range of sizes with minimal tailoring, so it'll always be slightly 'off'. I think it's better to buy a cheaper suit, and spend more money on tailoring/ adjustments than buy or rent a more expensive suit that you can't get the fit right in. The other thing is asking yourself do you want the tradition 'wedding suit' (ie the slightly longer jacket, scrunch tie, etc) or a regular type? You'll struggle to buy the traditional wedding suits, they're almost rental only.

cr-07 wrote: »

3. If I rented the suits I would be paying for them, whereas if I buy them I would be getting the guys to pay for them (Is this a bit cheeky?)

Honestly, yes, I think it is. We bought my best man his tux, because i wanted something very specific, and I didn't want him in a rental. But, that's my choice, not his, and so I paid for it all. He now has a black-tie rig tailored perfectly for him - it also acted as my gift to him as a thank you for being my best man.

cr-07 wrote: »

4. I have been looking at suits on the likes of ASOS, would these suits be of good/decent quality for a wedding party?

Honestly, the great thing about wedding suits is they're realistically a rare wear; you're not going to be needing anything hard-wearing, especially for your groomsmen. Like I said before, a less expensive suit but well fitting is far better than something expensive that looks wonky.

cr-07 wrote: »

7. And finally, does anyone have any good recommendations for style of suit and/or what colours go well together? The 'colour scheme' of the wedding is green/gold, with the bridemaids wearing a dark-ish green colour. I was thinking along the lines of the groomsmen wearing a light grey with a navy waistcoat and green tie, with my wearing a navy suit with a white tie and white waistcoat.

Grey + green + navy is a lot. If I were you I'd put the guys in a grey 3-piece (no contrasting waistcoat) and green ties, and then your navy & white. Personally I'd steer well clear of a white waistcoat,but that's my personal preference. I've never seen a white waistcoat that didn't look cheap.

There's lots of guides about how to put together a look for your wedding;

https://www.fashionbeans.com/2015/the-grooms-guide-to-wedding-wear/
https://www.fashionbeans.com/2016/how-to-dress-your-groomsmen/

Also, have a look on some wedding sites and see what the grooms are wearing, you might see something you like that's a bit different.

I also would recommend having a look at Penneys, the tailoring quality has improved massively in recent years.

cr-07 wrote: »

3. If I rented the suits I would be paying for them, whereas if I buy them I would be getting the guys to pay for them (Is this a bit cheeky?)

4. I have been looking at suits on the likes of ASOS, would these suits be of good/decent quality for a wedding party?

5. How much does a person usually spend on the grooms suit? I was talking to a suit retail shop and they told me "because I'm having 6 Groomsmen, they will give me the suits with a 15% discount, with the average suit they sell costing €259. Along with this, they would give me the grooms suit free of charge (any suit in the store). Is this a good deal?

7. And finally, does anyone have any good recommendations for style of suit and/or what colours go well together? The 'colour scheme' of the wedding is green/gold, with the bridemaids wearing a dark-ish green colour. I was thinking along the lines of the groomsmen wearing a light grey with a navy waistcoat and green tie, with my wearing a navy suit with a white tie and white waistcoat.

Sorry for all the questions and queries Just FYI it is a late March wedding.

Not really a comment on the rent/buy dilema but I think you're being an absolute chancer here.

1. you want them to pay for their own suits
2. you want to dictate what suits they buy
3. you want to get your suit free on the basis of them all purchasing theirs.

Personally I'd tell you to take a run and jump.

I've heard once of a wedding parties not paying for suits (and thought it cheeky) but the stipulation was that it be a navy suit which most had and those who didnt were free to pick ones as cheap or expensive as they liked, navy being widely available. So everyones were slightly different but the couple knew and expected that. They provided shirts and ties so that there was at least that level of cohesion. I thought it was slightly cheeky, but not totally unreasonable.

You want to pick a specific suit in a particular shop, benefit from their bulk buying and also the colour you've chosen is limiting.... I think you've a right neck and I'd expect some significant push back. Why should they pay for something you've chosen. If you cant afford to outfit such a large party, then either tell them they can wear what they like or downsize.

We had three groomsmen and one father. We hired the suits from a small independent shop. They gave us the option of renting the suits and if any of them wanted to buy the suits they would get them at a discount. Some of them bought them as they loved the suits so much. They all had the option of a different type of fit and the trousers were all altered to fit. The suits that they hire are all new suits. They all got new shirts out of the wrappers and all got to keep the shirts and ties regardless of whether or not they were buying the suits.
It worked well for us and the lads were all happy with the arrangement.

Re the colour, we had navy suits with brown shoes. The bridesmaids wore a sort of teal colour and it was fab with the suits.

hope this helps.

I think we paid €150 per person and they had the option of paying another €150 if they wanted to purchase. The shoes were extra.

We are in Tipperary and used McLoughney menswear in Nenagh.
I know there is also a place in Limerick that do a similar arrangement.