A Custom Suit for Your Groom
Is a custom suit right for you? Suit engineer Gary Jones of Jones Select shares his step-by-step process for building a groom's personalized look from the ground up.jonesselect.com
Before you contact Jones, ask yourself: Will your wedding be modern or classic? What kind of color palette is at play? What's your body type (and those of your groomsmen, if they're going custom, too)? And is this a suit you'll continue to wear after the wedding? Lastly, make sure you know how much you're willing to spend. Jones' suits start at around $1,000, but there's always wiggle room.
Jones often turns around suits in four to six weeks, but he prefers at least twice as much time for weddings. "For you, this is the day," he says. "The closer you get, a whole lot of stress is involved. You want this suit to be perfect, and you want that process completely out of the way with enough time."
After your preliminary talk, you'll meet with Jones in-person to go over a package he's prepared-fabrics, ties, socks-tailored to your wedding. "This is a conversation to see if we're on the same page," Jones says. "I don't charge for that." Once a plan is in place, you'll make a $60 to $70 down payment and schedule the first fitting.
About six weeks after your initial talk, your suit will be ready for fitting. (If your groomsmen also need fittings, Jones can schedule with everyone individually.) At this stage, Jones finds suits are typically "90 percent there, with a very few small tweaks." A week later, your revised suit should be ready.
"We really go over everything to make sure it's what we wanted," Jones says of the final fitting. And if it is, you're ready for your big day.
Bonus: For a small fee, Jones will be your wedding-day stylist. "I did [a wedding] recently in New Albany where I was there with the groom and groomsmen, going through each one, making sure everything fit and looked right, tying ties, prepping for pictures-everything," he says. "If it's your wedding and I've taken it on, I'll be there to see you through it."