Dapper Formalwear have been in Dorking for 25 years and know everything there is to know about choosing the right groomswear for your wedding. Below are their top tips for getting these very important outfits right for your big day.
When to select your suits
You can start any time from a year ahead of your wedding date, but we do recommend that you’ve confirmed your order by not less than four to six months ahead of the date; the sooner the better. This means that you can rest easy that there won’t be any availability issues.
How to choose
Have some ideas in mind. Do a bit of advance research using our website and social media pages, general searching with Google, Pinterest etc. If you have a starting point in mind, it will make your journey a lot easier. In particular, know your colour theme if you have one, and bring colour samples with you if possible (if you don’t have fabric samples of, say, bridesmaids dresses, try using paint selector strips from a DIY store).
The appointment process
Your first appointment with us is what we call your “selection” appointment, typically an hour to an hour and a half is enough (but we won’t kick you out if we overrun!). This is when one of our team will spend time with you, helping you to choose and try on as many outfits and combinations as are necessary.
Please come to this appointment with your partner (if they’re going to have a say in your selection; or even the power of veto!). That way, you won’t be wasting your time having to make a second appointment to go through everything again. It can also be helpful to have one of your groomsmen with you. Alternatively, if your partner is leaving everything to you, bring a trusted friend or two to help you decide. Keep in mind, though, that too many opinions can be unhelpful, and you’ll end up pleasing others rather than yourself.
Your follow up appointment(s), ideally not later than three months before your date, will be so that we can do detailed suit fittings with you and your group. It’s best if this is limited to a maximum of four per appointment. More than this can make it a little chaotic in the shop and might make it difficult for us to concentrate fully on your fittings. We don’t want any mistakes. If any of you are changing size and shape between then and the wedding date, we’re happy to do a final fitting with you around four weeks before collection, just to check if anything needs to be changed.
How much will it cost?
Know your budget (but only if you’ve done your homework). “How long is a piece of string” is an alternative way to answer the cost question. There are so many differing options open to you; hiring versus buying, formal versus informal, classic versus contemporary, and the prices will vary accordingly. Don’t set yourself a guesswork budget; you might guess wrong. If you’ve over-estimated, you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you find out the cost of your order, and that’s great! If you’ve under-estimated, you might have to be prepared to increase your spending or worse, you might be disappointed because you can’t really afford what you really fell in love with. So, if you’re working to a budget, tell us. We can help you stay within it, or we’ll tell you if we can’t.
Taking and sending pictures from your appointment
Don’t rely on pictures from a phone, they will never give you an accurate representation of the colours. If you need to get the exact colour or shade approved by someone else, the phone won’t do the job. You need to have the person with you in the shop so they can see everything in real life. Also, when you’re trying on different suits, look at yourself in the mirror; we have lots of mirrors and that’s what they’re for! The phone images will never give you the real impression of the way you look in that particular outfit.
To benefit from Dapper’s expert knowledge go and see them in their store on Dorking High Street, full details here. Dapper Formalwear are running ‘Suit up and Spin’, where, if the groom places an order for four or more suits then they get to spin the wheel and win a prize. Just visit Dapper for your chance to win!
