How Much Should I Spend on a Suit for a Wedding?

Wedding suits occupy an awkward middle ground: you want to look sharp in the photos that’ll be framed for decades, but you don’t want to be the guest who clearly spent more than the groom. And the price range is wild — £100 at ASOS, £500 at Reiss, £2,000+ on Savile Row. I once spent £400 on a wedding suit I wore twice. Cost per wear: painful. “how much should I spend on a suit for a wedding” — let’s get into it properly, with the detail and straight talking the question deserves.

Whether you’re a guest, part of the wedding party, or the groom, here’s how much to actually spend, what the tiers buy you, and how to look like a million pounds without spending it.

Guest suits: the £150–£350 sweet spot

As a guest, your job is to look smart without upstaging anyone. The sweet spot is £150–£350: M&S, Next, and Moss Bros do excellent wedding-appropriate suits in this range — modern cuts, decent wool blends, proper construction. A well-fitted £200 suit beats a poorly-fitted £500 one in every photo; budget £30–£50 for tailoring (sleeve and trouser length, waist suppression) and you’ll look twice the price.

Colour and style guidance for guests: navy and mid-grey are the safest choices — appropriate for every dress code from “smart” to “lounge suit,” and reusable for work and other events. Avoid black (funereal unless the dress code says black tie), avoid white/cream (don’t compete with the bride, even as a man — it photographs oddly), and skip anything flashy. Morning suits are only for explicitly formal weddings; don’t be the only man in tails.

Hire is worth considering if you’ll genuinely never wear it again: Moss Bros and Slaters hire lounge suits from around £70–£100. But honestly, a versatile navy suit gets worn — interviews, other weddings, smart events. Buying usually wins unless your lifestyle is resolutely casual. For more options, see where men can buy suits under £200.

Guest sweet spot: £150–£350 (M&S, Next, Moss Bros)
Always budget £30–£50 for tailoring — fit is everything
Navy or mid-grey: safe, reusable, photographs well
Hire (£70–£100) only if you’ll truly never wear it again

Wedding party and groom: when to spend more

Groomsmen: coordinate with the groom, don’t freelance. Usually the groom dictates (matching suits, often hired as a group for uniformity — group hire discounts are standard, ask). Budget £100–£200 for hire or a contribution arrangement; if buying, choose something you’ll wear again rather than a costume you’ll resent.

Grooms: this is the one suit worth spending on — you’ll wear it in photos forever, and “the suit I got married in” has sentimental value that justifies more. £400–£800 buys an excellent made-to-measure or high-end off-the-peg suit (Suit Supply, Reiss, Moss Bros bespoke lines) with proper fabric and personal details. Full bespoke on Savile Row (£1,500–£5,000+) is the dream option; made-to-measure (£500–£1,200) gets you 90% of the benefit — personal measurements, fabric choice, styling details — at a fraction of the price.

Groom style notes: the suit should reflect the wedding’s formality and your personality — a relaxed barn wedding doesn’t need morning dress. Consider the season (linen blends for summer, heavier wool for winter), and break in the shoes well beforehand. Nothing ruins wedding photos like the groom wincing. Coordinate with your partner’s outfit in tone and formality, and decide on the “hero” detail (a pocket square, interesting lining, engraved cufflinks) that makes it yours.

Women: wedding guest suits and tailoring

Women wearing suits to weddings is increasingly common and looks superb — a well-cut suit in an interesting colour (not white) or a sleek jumpsuit is modern, comfortable, and dance-floor-proof. Budget £100–£300: M&S, Hobbs, and & Other Stories do excellent women’s suiting; tailoring matters as much as for men (£20–£40 for hemming and taking in).

For the traditional wedding guest outfit question (dresses, costs, rewearing), see wedding guest outfit costs and wearing the same dress to two weddings. The principles are the same: dress for the dress code, don’t upstage, and prioritise something you’ll wear again.

Making any suit look expensive

The secrets are all in the details: tailoring (said thrice because it matters thrice), a crisp white or light blue shirt (£20–£35, M&S), a proper pocket square (£10–£15 — the cheapest elegance upgrade there is), polished shoes, and a good belt. Press or steam the suit the night before; wrinkles photograph terribly.

Fit checklist: jacket shoulders end at your shoulder bone, sleeves show 1–2cm of shirt cuff, trousers break once on the shoe (no pooling), waistcoat (if worn) covers the trouser waistband, and you can pinch no more than 2–3cm of fabric at the sides. If buying off the peg, try the next size down too — men routinely buy suits a size too big. And whatever you spend, wear it at least once before the wedding — a full day in new shoes and a new suit is how blisters and discomfort happen.

The groom’s timeline: when to sort the suit

Grooms: start 4–6 months out for made-to-measure or bespoke (multiple fittings, fabric ordering, buffer for changes). For off-the-peg, 2–3 months is plenty — buy, tailor, break in shoes, done. Hiring: reserve 2–3 months ahead, final fitting 1–2 weeks before. Last-minute suits are how grooms end up in ill-fitting panic purchases; the timeline is the whole game.

Coordinate early with the wedding party: decide hire vs buy, communicate the plan clearly (with costs — groomsmen shouldn’t discover a £200 hire bill late), and arrange group fittings. One often-missed detail: the groom’s suit should be a half-step smarter than the groomsmen’s — same palette, slightly elevated (better fabric, waistcoat, details). It photographs as intentional rather than identical.

Two weeks before: full dress rehearsal — suit, shirt, shoes, everything — worn for an evening at home. You’ll find the niggles (tight collar, unbroken shoes, missing button) while there’s time to fix them. The wedding day is not the time to discover problems. And appoint someone (best man, planner) to hold the emergency kit: stain remover, sewing kit, painkillers, plasters for shoe bites.