How to coordinate groomsmen suits

Where to start

Start from the groom

We build the party's look around the groom's suit — cloth, colour and lapel — then decide how closely the groomsmen match or deliberately contrast. Photographs are the real test, so we plan for how the group reads together.

Match, do not clone

The parties that photograph best put the groom in something subtly distinct — a different lapel, a waistcoat when the others have none, a half-shade lighter in the same family. Six identical suits on six different builds flatten the photographs and flatter almost nobody, because six men are six different shapes.

Coordinated colour, individual cut. A groomsman in a badly fitting suit is far more visible in the photographs than a marginally different shade would be.

Cloth, and the same-bolt rule

One cloth, many bodies

We hold a single cloth and cut it to each person individually, so the party matches in colour and texture while every suit fits the man wearing it.

The same-bolt rule

If you take one thing from this page: order the whole party from the same bolt of cloth. Two navy jackets cut from different batches can read visibly different in the same photograph, and it is the single most common complaint people have about their own wedding photos.

It costs nothing to get right and it cannot be fixed afterwards. It also means the party has to be ordered together rather than person by person as people arrive.

Timeline and logistics

One timeline

Everyone is measured and fitted on a schedule mapped backwards from your wedding day. Book early for the calmest run; express options exist for tighter dates and out-of-town groomsmen.

Logistics that decide the outcome

Nominate one person to hold the schedule — traditionally the best man, and for good reason. The groom has enough to think about, and a group order needs someone chasing arrival times.

Collect at least 48 hours before the ceremony. We build that margin in deliberately so a last correction never happens on the morning.

Guests arriving on different days is normal and easily scheduled around. Someone landing the night before is not — tell us early and we will say honestly what is achievable.

Details that get forgotten

A working lapel buttonhole with a stem loop behind it if there are boutonnières — five minutes at the time, impossible afterwards. Half-lined or unlined jackets for anything outdoors in this climate. Shirt collars with enough structure to stand open if nobody is wearing a tie. A slightly shorter trouser break than office wear. And shoes and socks decided early — they appear in more photographs than anyone expects.

Full service detail on wedding and groom suits.

Common questions