If you’re amidst planning a wedding, you will find that there’s too many things to do. And with so many things to plan, you might overlook certain details, especially in your suit. You will not want to rush this especially if last minute changes have to be made. Plan early to give yourself ample time and get peace of mind during this stressful period. This guide will give you a general time frame on when to get your wedding suit tailored.
Read on to get answers to some of the common questions people have on when to tailor their wedding suit!
1. How long does it take to get a suit tailored?
Bespoke suits
(A work-in-progress bespoke suit. Image from Common Suits.)
The bespoke process generally take some time, up to 12-13 weeks to complete, with two to three fittings. This is because precise measurements are taken to custom-build a suit that provides a fit that’s truly for you only. At Common Suits, we cut a new fresh pattern for every client, and with the unique nuances of the body in mind, perform the first draft of skeleton basted fitting.
2. Why choose bespoke tailoring?
(Example of a fitting. Image by Common Suits.)
Bespoke tailoring is based on one’s preferences in fabrics, materials, design, etc. Each is hand-crafted in the Common Suits signature house cut – a masculine and contemporary silhouette.
(An example of Common Suit’s house cut. A 3-piece peak lapel with a clean and sculpted silhouette.)
On top of the client's preferences, each suit takes into account the many aspects of the wearer’s body. Unlike made-to-measure or off-the-rack, a new pattern is created for each individual wearer. More often than not, it is more than just simple measurements that are needed to achieve a perfect drape for the wearer. Details such as the difference in slope of both shoulders, the shape of the neck, the arch of the back, the difference in hip height, the natural pitch of the arms, etc may sound minute to most but these are the nuances that can often make or break a suit. Hence, the drafting process alone for a bespoke suit already consumes more time than a made-to-measure pattern adjustment process.
To complete a bespoke suit, it also requires multiple fittings. At Common Suits, we typically conduct 2-3 fittings. However, for body shapes that are more unique and challenging, this could stretch up to additional 1-2 more fittings (don’t worry, we won’t be charging for more fittings). The fit should be more precise with each fitting.
The time taken to complete a bespoke garment also depends on the complexity of the suit. The more complicated the requirements, the longer the process, and all the more worth the wait.
(Image from Common Suits.)
When you visit our haberdashery, you will be able to choose from over 25 mills, which will translate to easily more than a thousand fabric samples. When you book a consultation with us, we will provide you advice on suit styles, cut and fit after taking your body measurements.
(Example of Vicuna fabric)
The type of fabric does not usually affect the duration of making a suit. However, more exclusive fabrics such as Vicuna will. Vicuna is a type of luxurious fabric known to be the finest and most luxurious fabric in the world. Just its paperwork on CITES import permit alone will take roughly 30 days to complete.
3. What are some factors that will affect the bespoke tailoring timeline?
Think about it – your weight and size may change along the way before your wedding. You might be thinking of working on your weight until you hit your ideal physique before heading down to the tailor for measurements. However, that might be a little too close to your date of requirement by the time you start shopping for suits.
Since our fittings will be done on a dummy material instead of the choice of your fabric, we encourage customers to start the process early. This is to allow us time to make changes and improve on the fit along the way. Since the skeleton baste fittings are done on a dummy fabric, even if there are drastic changes to the pattern, we are more than happy to cut on a new piece of dummy fabric until we are happy with the fit, before exercising the production on the actual choice of fabric.
Also, when booking ahead of time, it is possible for a chance to change your preferences on the details of your suit. Sometimes, you might chance upon a new detail (like a different shoulder expression, different lapel shape/width, different pocket styles) along the way and change your mind. So this gives you the chance to make the adjustments to your liking. Give yourself ample time to shop and get inspiration for your ideal wedding suit!
4. Why should I book early?
When you book early, you give your tailor more time to make the necessary adjustments. Giving the tailor and yourself a comfortable timeline allows for more fittings, and therefore, more confidence that you will get a well-fitting, perfectly executed bespoke suit on time. A tight deadline tends to be more rushed with lesser fittings.
As some fabrics are seasonal, booking early will ensure the availability of the fabric of your preference as weddings tend to follow seasonality. If you like a fabric from a particular season, you should try to book your suit appointment as soon as possible even though your wedding date is still far away, as you might not be able to get it once the season is over.
Keep in mind that wedding dates are seasonal, which means that during peak season, there will be many grooms who also share similar timelines as you. Tailors with in-house production have greater control over quality, but this also means there is a fixed capacity of suits they can produce in a month. Thus, booking early ensures a higher chance of securing a slot. However, if you leave planning your suit to the last minute, you might have to pay an express fee to get a last minute availability that requires more manpower. This will lead to lesser fittings and reduce confidence intervals.
Should you opt to have your suit done by us, we'll reward early birds who book their appointments early as it helps in production scheduling and allows ample time to slot in more fittings and customisations for your suit. Find out more about our early bird promotions by booking a consultation with us or reach us at contact number +639178124193 for any questions.