When Michael and I got married, neither one of us would have dreamed about renting suits online for our wedding. Forget the fact that it was basically… not possible at the time. What was available for suit rentals generally felt really old school. The last time he’d rented a suit specifically for a wedding, it was baggy and oversized and he looked like he was swimming in it. So instead, we went through the arduous task of trying to find a modern wedding outfit—something with a little personality—that most importantly, actually fit his tall, skinny self.
Luckily, there are now lots of companies that offer modern, stylish online suit rentals for weddings (including Generation Tux, who we’re partnering with all year to bring you tips and advice for proper suit style). But it turns out? The problem was never really with the suits. It’s that every time Michael has rented or purchased a suit in the past, that’s all he’s done—order it and call it a day. And the secret to renting suits online and having them look the way you want is you actually have to put a little effort into it. (Don’t worry, not too much.) So here’s what you need to know about renting suits online:
Find a place that takes actual measurements: There are benefits and drawbacks both to renting a suit online and buying one for keeps. On the one hand, if you’re buying a suit, you do get to keep it. But if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t even know where to find a tailor, then you’re actually going to get a better fitting suit renting from a place like Generation Tux because they take your measurements before sending anything out, and tailor your rental specifically to your body, rather than selling a standard size suit that you then have to go get tailored yourself.
Look at real weddings: Online suit rental companies know that renting a suit online can often feel like an unknown quantity. How can you be sure that what you see on the model will actually look good on you? Or fit right? Which is why places like Generation Tux go to painstaking lengths to show you examples of real weddings featuring their clients. So before you order, poke around and see how each suit or tux looks on the different body types that might end up in your wedding party.
Make sure everyone knows their deadlines: Renting a suit online means you can’t just place your order and cross your fingers for two day shipping (that’s the trade-off for getting it tailored to your measurements). So make sure your procrastinator friend knows when the deadline to order is, and then if you’re working with a place like Generation Tux, let the rental company be the bad guy of reminding them when the due date is nigh. Once you create your event and let them know who’s involved, they’ll take care of getting in touch with everyone and making sure shit gets done.
Change it up: It might not seem like you have a lot of options when renting suits online (black, navy, tan, grey?). But since places like Generation Tux offer both suits and accessories with each rental (suits alone are $95 and the whole shebang is $150 including shirt, shoes and accessories), there’s a lot of room for changing things up to fit your personal taste. Want something modern for an evening wedding, but not too formal? Try a navy suit with a black tie. Springy, but not too casual? Try a light grey tux with a pastel tie. Or mix things up with mismatched accessories for each person. For example, this tux:
Looks totally different from this tux:
And all he did was change up a tie.
Give yourself a margin for error: Even though online suit rentals are made to measure, things happen. You might gain or lose weight, or realize that you mismeasured ever so slightly. So make sure you give yourself enough time for extra tailoring if it’s needed. Some places, like Generation Tux, will make it easy on you. (They deliver suits seven days in advance, and have on-call tailors who will come to your house if the fit isn’t right. Plus their shirts and pants are made with a special design that allows for a little extra wiggle room.) But if all else fails, a quick search through Yelp should find you a tailor in your area who can take care of any changes in time for your event.
So if you’re deciding between buying or renting a suit for your wedding, and you fall into the “I just want the best fitting suit and I want to do the least amount of work to get it that way” category, then an online suit rental might be just what the doctor ordered. And once you’ve got that figured out, here are four more tips on how to rock a suit like an adult (and by adult, I mean like you’re not going to the junior prom).
This post was sponsored by Generation Tux. Founded by George Zimmer (who you might remember as the founder of Men’s Wearhouse), Generation Tux is a new destination for online suit and tuxedo rentals and they are shaking up the way tux rentals are done. Generation Tux’s styles are modern and the prices are affordable ($95 for a suit or tuxedo rental, or $150 for the whole outfit including shirt, shoes and accessories.) Plus, Generation Tux prides themselves on making sure everyone’s suit or tux fits like a glove, and they will even coordinate with your wedding party so you don’t have to. Click here to see their full line of suit and tuxedo rentals.
