Who Pays For Grooms Suit? [Is the Groom Expected To Cover It?]

Just as a bride needs an elegant dress, the groom needs a stylish suit. But who should pay for it? While in the process of planning our own wedding, I realized I wasn’t quite sure about who is responsible and how we should approach it. I decided to spend some time researching and would like to share my findings with you here today.

So, who pays for the grooms suit? The groom traditionally pays for his own suit. This is typically from his own personal finances, although may come from a shared bank account with the bride or the overall wedding fund. The choice of suit is often his own, along with the choice of attire for the best man and the groomsmen.

If the groom has the money, he may even decide to pay for his best man and groomsmen suits, although this is not the expectation or the reality for most.

When it comes to wedding finances; there are a lot of different factors to consider!

A lot depends on preferences, circumstances and of course what you can realistically afford.

Besides, not all wedding traditions necessarily need to be followed, and there is a lot of nuances in relation to each one.

Let us now take a closer look at what the groom is traditionally expected to pay for, before turning to some of the other expenses and who can cover them.

How Much Does The Grooms Suit Cost?

A Grooms suit can cost anywhere from $50-$2500 depending on whether it is rented or purchased and the quality desired.

Moreover, the price is largely dependent on a range of other factors. This includes: your location, the type of suit required, the tailor, and if any discounts are provided for several orders.

Here are some general typical costs:

• On the low end a grooms suit costs between $50-$200 to rent.
• Buying a nice suit typically costs between $250-$750
• Buying a premium suit can cost anywhere from $1000-$2500, on average.

Although, the average price paid for a groom suit is $197, according to the Bridal Association of America.

You also need to consider some additional costs too such as:

• Shirt ($50-$150)
• Tie ($10-$50)
• Cufflinks ($10-$250)
• Suit alterations ($25-$150)

Again, the Bridal Association of America calculated that the average spent on accessories is $116.

One other thing to consider is potential discounts.

If the groom is to purchase or rent their suit along with a number of other groomsmen, it is likely some level of discount will be provided. Or, the grooms suit may even go free.

What Does The Groom Pay For?

Despite couples typically splitting up the wedding bill, or even getting financial assistance from parents, there are some purchases that – tradition dictates – are made by the groom.

The following are examples:

• Grooms suit and any associated accessories,
• The best man and ushers suits
• Ceremony transportation on the wedding day for the groom and his best man,
• Transportation from the reception to wedding night accommodation,
• The cost of the venue, church or registry office,
• The honeymoon in its entirety; including any associated costs such as passports,
• Engagement and wedding band for the bride,
• Gifts for the ushers, bridesmaids and best man
• The wedding night accommodations

Of course not all of these traditions are still followed, nor need to be followed.

What Is The Groom Supposed To Wear?

What the groom will wear depends mostly on the level of formality of your wedding, any themes and the venue.

For example, a wedding on a beach will have a very different attire than that would one of a church, or a barn.

Again, factors such as the location, time and the weather will be very important too; a ceremony that is to be held outside or at night will need some extra consideration.

That being said, there are generally four different options for a groom: morning dress, tuxedo, tailcoat or a three-piece suit.

Each of which look quite different, so it is important to consider personal style and preferences upon making any decision.

• Morning dresses are generally the most formal and are typically worn during daytime weddings, comprising of a morning or half morning coat, waistcoat and trousers.
• Tuxedos are again very formal; they are better suited to evening weddings (no pun intended). This is a quintessential ands vintage look.
• Three-piece suits are perhaps the most modern, and integrate both style and tradition. Typically these are seen as the least formal but still look smart and sophisticated. They include a jacket (single-breasted, trousers and a waistcoat.

In terms of suit colors, the most suitable and commonly worn include:

• Blue
• Grey
• Black

If you are not sure what to choose exactly, these following tips should help:

1. Your choice of suit or tuxedo should match the formality,
2. The grooms attire should coordinate with the brides,
3. The grooms body type/shape and dimensions should be taken into consideration,
4. The grooms suit should fit properly,
5. The groomsmen should coordinate accordingly,

Once a style has been decided, its then a matter of choice as to whether the suit will be purchased or rented.

When it comes to where you can purchase; there are actually several options. They can either be made bespoke, be purchased directly from a tailor, made to order, or you can either seek out a second hand, vintage piece.

Either way, some form of tailoring will also be likely.

What Accessories Do Grooms Need?

A groom will typically require the following accessories: shoes, pocket square, boutonnière, necktie, braces and cufflinks to go with his suit.

Of course, what is needed and the style of such will mostly depend on the suit that is chosen.

Let us quickly look at a few suggestions for each:

• Shoes; should be either black or brown depending on the color suit (black suit, blue shoes. Blue suit, brown shoes). Leather lace ups are typically worn and should be well polished/new. It also comes advised to purchase shoes with a leather sole as these look smarter.
• Pocket square; adds a bit of color but should be chosen in relation to suit color and wedding theme,
• Boutonnière; small flowers that should be real and fresh
• Necktie; should not be too flamboyant or extravagant, and the colors should pull the attire together rather than contrast,
• Braces; belts are mostly to be avoided due to the impact they can have on a grooms look. Whereas braces can be concealed and generally look smarter if exposed.
• Cufflinks; help round off the look; gold or silver work particularly well.

In terms of choices, it ultimately all comes down to preference, along with consideration of the wedding theme.

Where Does The Groom Get Ready?

Where the groom gets ready will depend mostly on the venue, location, and the type of ceremony.

Some venues have a grooms suite that is purposely designed and prepared for the groom, best man, and fellow groomsmen to get ready. This is considered ideal because it means they are all on-site ahead of the ceremony.

Other venues may even have others rooms that you can book for the same purpose.

However, this will not be possible for all grooms.

For hotel weddings, a room is typically booked separate, and specifically for the groom and his best man and groomsmen. Again, this should mean they can get to the ceremony relatively quickly!

Otherwise, and what is typically the case for church weddings, is that the groom gets ready at either the home they share with their partner, or a family home. They will then travel to the venue accordingly.

For more on where the groom gets ready, read our article here.

Finally

The groom has traditionally paid for his suit, along with a range of other aspects of the wedding.

However, times have certainly changed and whether or not this tradition is still followed is going to depend on circumstances.

Joint bank accounts and financial support from parents are two such examples where the groom may not need to pay.

Or the bride may even want to pay for the suit – she will likely see it before the wedding anyway!

Nevertheless, it is important that the groom has a say in what he wears, taking into account his own personal style and preferences.