007 ways to look your Bond-like best on your wedding day
Congratulations! You’re getting married, and the time has come to start thinking about your suit for the big day. We know you’ll be wanting to look hotter than James Bond, so we’ve come up with 007 ways to wow your guests and, most importantly, your bride.
With a perfect fit and details customised to your preferences, you have far more control of your look than if you chose a ready-to-wear suit. It’s our job – and pleasure – at Alexandra Wood to ensure that you’re receiving the very best service. This is your suit, your experience, and your once-in-a-lifetime chance (hopefully) to look incredible. And that’s what excites us. So, let’s double-oh go …
001 WHAT IS MADE TO MEASURE?
First thing’s first: what is made to measure? A MTM suit is crafted from an existing ‘block’ that is modified to fit you in a way that is far superior to ready-to-wear suits. At Alexandra Wood our exclusive ‘block’ has been designed to make you look a more incredible version of you. The exact details will remain a secret, but your suit will be designed exclusively for you, with your body shape, skin tone and lifestyle front of mind. Nothing makes buying a suit more painless than handing the task over to someone with experience, expertise and a passion for making you look amazing.
You can expect your suit to be fully made, as if ready to wear, but created to your specific requirements around an Alexandra Wood design, with extra attention to the details that really count. This is what will make the real difference for your special day. The primary reason most grooms choose the made-to-measure option is they don’t want to miss out on the unique opportunity to have a truly special, personalised suit to mark the big occasion. This is your chance to indulge yourself and feel confident in your outfit to make it an even more enjoyable, memorable event.
002 THE POWER ‘CUT’
The cut is the single-most-important element of your suit. When done properly, it will hide your flaws while enhancing your attributes. When done incorrectly, you run the risk of looking shapeless with no visible improvement. We want more for you than that. Much more.
Here is our lowdown on how your suit should be cut:
A sharp shoulder
The seam of your shoulders should be cut to a perfect right angle, but at the same time should not slope – not even a centimetre. Where the shoulders sit makes an enormous difference to your overall look, as it’s the first thing the eye is drawn to and signifies a well-cut suit. When cut to precision, it makes you look sharp and impactful.
Waist not, want not
Your waistline is more important than you may have ever imagined. By choosing a jacket that is cut slightly longer that skims the bottom of your bottom it creates a more flattering shape on your waistline. It’s much more flattering for your body than a straight-cut jacket or one that is too short. We’ve a number of other magical style secrets – missed by most tailors and designers – to achieve your sartorial success here at Alexandra Wood that are placed firmly up our sleeves.
We’ve got your back
The fabric on your jacket should be cut cleverly so that you have a subtle curve into your back. The fabric should not ‘float’. This is a clear sign that you’ve had something made especially for you and a detail that many miss. You look at the front of your suit but not often the back. We see every angle of your suit and make it all count. This transforms your suit jacket from being potentially shapeless to both flattering and head turning.
These are just some of the many elements of your cut that, while complicated to explain, we pay great attention to and that make all the difference. Simply: get dressed, turn heads. When the compliments start pouring in, you’ll know you’ve made a great investment.
“Superb service and suit to match. After much searching for my wedding suit I came across Alexandra and was instantly hooked. Alex could see my vision and easily put it together so I could imagine the final piece. She produced an amazing three-piece dinner suit. I experienced so many compliments on the day. The suit was everything I had hoped for and the quality was second to none.” Chris Hancock
003 DESTINATION & VENUE
Some of the most important information to help us build yoursuit isthe wedding venue, the time of year and the destination. It’s useful to set the scene and make sure you look the part. Think about what colour scheme will work best for your special day, and the different light if you’re marrying in a sunny destination abroad compared to, for example, winter in the UK. This will help you decide whether you choose a cream suit for summer, or a rich burgundy smoking jacket or dinner suit for winter. It will also help you select your accessory colours, too, and whether you’ll choose a classic look or really go for it, with something no one will ever have seen before.
“Tailoring my wedding suit could easily be a highly stressful venture, but it was a joy thanks to Alexandra’s impeccable customer service and talent.” Zaraf Singh
004 YOUR STYLE
The world is your oyster when it comes to choosing the style of your wedding suit. Gone are the days of restrictive, formal wedding attire that was limited to either a classic three-piece suit or morning suit. Designs have become a little more experimental, with grooms choosing tweeds, colour or contrasting waistcoats – and in this sweet spot that we work with you to create what will have you looking your very best all day long.
At Alexandra Wood we have noticed that the dinner suit has been the firm favourite over recent years. However, it’s worth considering whether you’d like to wear your suit again for other smart occasions.
As tailors who incorporate an eye for design into our work, we instantly know what will work for you and what won’t. Offering you clever alternatives or ideas to enhance your ideas further, we will balance your body shape to perfection and help you to create your own personal, head-turning wedding suit. You’ll be getting just as many compliments as the bride – if not more. Just see what our happy customers say.
“I think I got more compliments than my bride – don’t tell her though.” James Harris
005 IT’S A MATERIAL WORLD
You can’t have a suit made without using an amazing fabric. It’s the star of the suit and is something you should be proud of on your wedding day. If you short-change yourself, then it will become visibly obvious when the suit looks stiff or starts to shine. You can tell a fabric will shine or not hang well instantly if it has a mix of polyester or some sort of synthetic fabric. We here at Alexandra Wood never use any synthetic fabrics to make our suits and only offer you the finest selection to choose from.
Your suit will cost more due to the quality of the fabric, but we believe that this is something you simply can’t compromise on – and if you do you’ll quickly realise the mistake you’ve made.
Whether you’re getting married in a church in Stockport or abroad in Santorini we want to help you choose the best fabric for your special day. We’ll ask you all the right questions to save time and determine the fabrics that work best for you, leaving you to sweat about the stuff you need to for your big day, and not in your suit.
We hold over 500 lining choices so you can select something that perfectly matches your suit and personal style. The lining of the suit is where you can let a little more creative and have some fun.
“The experience with this tailor was exceptional. I had Alexandra make me a made-to-measure suit for my wedding, and I am so pleased with it. When I tried on the finished suit it was perfect and made me feel a million dollars. I highly recommend and I will be back again in the future.” Luke Nicholls
006 SUITABLE TIMING
James Bond never shows up without an impeccably fitting suit, so we can’t have you turning up on your wedding day without looking your finest either. Timing is key – as with most things in life – and this is the main job you have for the wedding. You’ll need to think about whether you’d like to buy a ready-to-wear suit or choose a made-to-measure tailored suit to really set you apart.
For ready to wear you will want to start your research around six months before your wedding date. A great start is to ask your fiancée if she has any particular views about what she’d like to see you in and tips on the style of your wedding day that you can consider when buying a suit.
If you’ve decided that you want to invest in a made-to-measure suit then you’ll want to book your appointment in at least three months prior to your wedding day at least – some grooms order one year in advance, so it’s never too early. While the actual production time is between six and eight weeks, peak times of the year become very busy and so lead times can be longer.
007 FINISHING TOUCHES
To complete that drop-dead gorgeous look, it’s all about the accessories – and there are a few things you’ll want to check …
Do you have a colour theme or are you opting for a more eclectic look? Does your fiancé have any preferences?
It’s best to start these discussions prior to your first suit fitting, so that when you do come in to try your suit, you will have in mind the accessories you’d like to try on in order to fit the style of both the suit and of your wedding day.
Accessories can make or break a look. Therefore, you’ll want to think about whether you’d like to match or the scheme or to choose your own look. We can advise what to put with your look or design an exclusive tie and pocket square for your day.
Your Suit – Your Experience
As well as owning a suit which will make you look a million dollars – without spending anywhere near that amount – we also know that your experience is the luxury wrapping around your exquisite gift.
We want you to enjoy and indulge; this is your time to treat yourself. We also understand that you will have many questions before your first consultation– everyone does. Here are some answers to our most frequently asked questions.
How long will my first consultation take?
We like to spend an hour getting to know you and your requirements. This is where we take our crucial notes and create your personalised style, by choosing the best fabric, cut, colour and texture to make you look incredible. Your consultation is then rounded up with your measurements being taken, with your order confirmed.
How long will my suit take to make?
Depending on the options chosen and fittings required, your made-to-measure suit will be ready for your first fitting with us and takes between six and eight weeks.
How many fittings will I need?
We will usually require customers to visit us for two or three fittings for a made-to-measure suit, and these take between 20-30 minutes each time.
What do I need to pay?
We require a 70% deposit to confirm your order. Your balance is then due on your first fitting with us.
To discover more about how we can help to create your dream made to measure suit step this way.
