Should you choose black tie for your wedding suit?

4 minutes read
Should you choose black tie for your wedding suit Alexandra Wood

With Grooms more frequently opting to have made to measure wedding suits created for their special day, we’re finding black tie to be one of the most popular choices. Here we help ensure you do it with style and class.

James Bond wears black tie like no other, so there’s no surprise that it usually comes up top of the list of suit preferences for your wedding day. Sleek, sharp and sexy, the black tie is a fine choice.

Dinner suits are usually chosen for weddings taking place at dusk or in the Winter, however, plenty of our Grooms have chosen to opt for black tie (or a midnight alternative like bond in Skyfall) for weddings in the Summer too. There aren’t strict rules to weddings like there used to be years ago, where if you were getting married in a church or cathedral, you would be required to wear either a classic suit or a morning suit.

The world is your oyster when it comes to what style of wedding suit you go for, so we say if this is your dream, then go for it.

Style

A dinner suit or black tie as is more commonly known is the most British of suit designs, created by Henry Poole. A suit of status and occasion makes it a great choice for your wedding suit. The dinner jacket can also be switched for a smoking jacket, but we will come to that.

Think American tuxedos and you may think boxy, roomy suits. However, as ever Bond does it best with a well fitting, sleek, modernised version. Done right, this look really can make quite the impact on arrival and wow your bride.

Cut with either a shawl or peak lapel (A classic notch lapel is classed as passe) with 1 button and detailed with black satin lapels, covered buttons and pockets.

A waistcoat can be added which gives your suit more of a sense of occasion and if you get hot and want to take your jacket off, you’ll still look sharp.

Fabric

We suggest choosing a pure luxury wool such as a Super 120’s in either a solid black or rich midnight blue. A dinner suit is meant to be dark and sleek, so even when choosing a blue alternative, it must be the darkest blue available.

For your suit to fit like Bonds you’ll want a soft, supple fabric that can be manipulated to create the shape you desire. The more luxurious the better in looks and impresses on your special day. Plus, the better it feels, the more your new bride won’t be able to keep her hands off of you. It’s a win win.

The facings. There is an option for a black smooth, satin or black, ribbed design for the lapels and detailing. However, satin has the overruling style stamp for us, with the ribbed option looking a little lack lustre.

HOW WE WORK

We understand that you are likely excited, if not a little nervous about having your suit made. This may be your first experience with made to measure, so you want to make sure it’s just right. That’s where we help:

  • We ask you a set of questions that help us to picture your day.
  • We create designs for you from our expert knowledge, to help set you apart on your special day. We take into consideration; your weddings style, colours, venue and any ideas you may have.
  • Apart from the stag too, this can be a real treat for you, a chance to create a sharp suit that you may not ordinarily wear on a daily basis.
  • The best part is that your suit can be worn for further black tie events that will become more frequent than you may think, so it’s an investment well worth making.

We designed one of our customers Chris his midnight, three piece dinner suit and he could not have been happier. He came to us with an idea of how he wanted to look and wasn’t sure if he wanted to go for a classic navy, three piece suit or a dinner suit. Once he checked out our Instagram page and saw one of our grooms in a fitted, navy dinner suit he was sold. We love to create your unique wedding suits. Here’s what Chris said about his experience with us:

“Superb service and suit to match. After much searching for my wedding suit I came across Alexandra Wood website and was instantly hooked. Once I had met Alexandra for our first consultation any fears I once had were put at ease.

Alex could see my vision and easily put it together so I could imagine the final piece.
Alex produced an amazing 3 piece mignight blue tuexedo for me which looked amazing. I experienced so many compliments on the day. The suit itself was everything I had wished for and the quality was second to none.

I was looking for something slightly different but nothing outrageously bold or flashy. I was also looking for my groomsmen/usher to wear black tuxedos so the difference in suits would strike a right balance and compliment my suit. I had a rather large party (10) and all the suits were fantastic. The service went well beyond expectations when on the eve of the wedding Denise urgently arranged alterations to some of my groomsmen suits and even met half way between locations to deliver. This certainly saved the day for three of the chaps.
I can’t thank and recommend Alex and her team enough. I now have the urge for my work suits all to be Alexandra Wood creations.”

If you feel inspired to have your own, exclusively designed made to measure wedding suit created with us contact us for your complimentary consultation. 

Join Our stylish mailing list

Join our mailing list to become a part of our exclusive fashion community. Get ready to receive style and tailoring advice, be the first to know about exciting events, and stay updated on our latest launches.

More Stories

Are You a busy successful man?

I can help you look sharp, stylish and confident. Join my list where I share all of my tailoring secrets with you….