Three months out is the sweet spot. Here's why, and what changes it.
Most grooms ask us this once the venue is booked. Here's the straight answer: come in 10 to 12 weeks before the wedding. That leaves time to choose the cloth without rushing, make the suit, and fit it more than once. Six weeks is the minimum. Closer than that, call us and we'll tell you honestly what's possible.
Spring and summer are our busiest months, and the books fill up from January. If you're getting married between April and August, the earlier end of that window is the safer one. Everything else about how we dress grooms is on our wedding suits page.
Why it takes three months
Nothing about your suit starts from a standard size. At the first appointment we take 40+ measurements, and you choose the cloth with the books open in front of you, from more than 5,000 cloths from mills in Italy and Britain. Then our two master tailors in Hong Kong draft your pattern from scratch and cut it by hand.
The suit itself takes 6 to 8 weeks, cloth included. Starting at 10 to 12 weeks gives us time to reserve your cloth and fit you without rushing, with the final fitting landing 1 to 2 weeks before the day.
The three months, step by step
10 to 12 weeks out: the consultation. We talk through the wedding: the venue, the season, the time of day, what the rest of the wedding party is wearing. You choose the cloth, design every detail and get measured. Plan on 60 to 90 minutes. Starting this early lets us reserve your cloth.
4 to 5 weeks out: the first fitting. The suit is sewn. We check the shoulders, the waist, the sleeves and the trouser length, and mark what needs to move. If it needs another fitting, we book one. There's no set number. Bring the shoes and shirt you'll wear on the day if we're not making them, so we can set the trouser and sleeve length.
1 to 2 weeks out: the final fitting. The first time you see the finished suit in the mirror. We make the last adjustments close to the day, so it fits even if your weight has moved. Your suit has extra seam allowance for exactly that. Then it's yours to take home.
It breathed so well that I ended up wearing it pretty much the entire night.Gerome, married in Koh Samui
What changes the timing
Full Bespoke. Full Bespoke adds a basted fitting: the suit is loosely tacked together and shaped on you before it's finished. It takes 10 to 12 weeks to make, so book four months out.
Groomsmen. If we're dressing the wedding party, everyone needs to be measured and fitted, and schedules are harder to line up than cloth. Start three to four months out, and book the groomsmen soon after your own consultation.
An Indian wedding. Many grooms need a look for the sangeet, the ceremony and the reception: a suit, a tuxedo, a Jodhpur suit, a bandhgala. Each one is made from the same pattern, but each needs its own cloth, design and fitting. Give yourself three to four months.
A destination wedding. Plan for the suit to be finished and fitted before you fly. Count back from your departure date, not the wedding. Gerome married in Koh Samui, so his tuxedo was cut in an Italian wool light enough for the heat. Jackie eloped in Greece in a black cropped jacket and pleated shorts.
If your date is close
Six weeks is our minimum for a Straight-finish suit (see what each one costs), and it means making decisions quickly at the first appointment. If you're inside six weeks, call us before you book. We'll tell you straight whether we can do it well.
What to bring to the consultation
Your date and venue, and photos of the venue if you have them.
The colour of the bride's or partner's outfit, if you know it.
A rough idea of the look: a suit, a tuxedo, a dinner jacket or something in between. Or nothing at all. That's what the consultation is for.
Written byDanny Bassi, Founder and Creative Director. Modello Bespoke, Surrey and Vancouver, since 2013.
