To rent or buy a suit?!

[ToRecordOnlyWater]

Hope this is the right place to post!

Husband has been asked to be best man at our friend’s wedding, he’s chuffed but brings with it the conundrum of suits! He doesn’t own one and we can’t work out if it’s better to buy a basic one or rent 😬

If buying one, what’s a good budget suit shop? Is there anything we need to know about fit, etc.?
Or is renting one better cost-wise? My main worry with renting one is spending the day worrying about getting a mark on it and having to pay a fortune if we do. And having to return it really early the following day as we are staying over for the wedding. Our local suit rental shop needs them back by 10am which isn’t happening!

And finally, what are your thoughts on this as a dress for a guest? Paired with plain tights or no tights- I am quite alternative and have fallen is love with this one but don’t want to accidentally pull off a spectacular wedding guest faux pas without knowing. It’s the firthat wedding I’ve attended not pregnant so want to wear something nice!

And

[ZipZapZoom]

If he's part of the wedding party then surely the groom is paying for his suit?

As for the dress I really don't think it's wedding appropriate.

[2024namechange]

When is the wedding OP? Velvet isn’t really appropriate unless it is a winter wedding in which case I think it might be okay.

[ToRecordOnlyWater]

Thank you for the replies! The wedding is quite laid-back, sent a pic to bride and she said dress is lovely and not a problem that it’s velvet 😁 Will keep looking for something more suitable though, I hadn’t realised the fabric wasn’t appropriate. Wedding is early April.
Groom has paid for our hotel for the night, as it’s quite informal (husband was told he could wear a t-shirt and jeans if he wanted) so isn’t paying for a suit. That’s more our preference as husband has never been a best man before and wants to wear something nice for it. X

[HoppingPavlova]

Personally I wouldn’t wear that dress. It’s too ‘out there’ for a wedding where the focus is meant to be on the bride. It’s a dress designed to make a ‘look at me’ statement (and people may think you are on your way to a Hogwarts reunion where you were a proud Slytherin). Let the focus be on the bride for this occasion. It’s a very nice dress, just not for this occasion.

[Mindymomo]

I think that dress is fine, so long as the split isn’t that much, but you could easily put a safety pin in to stop it gaping open. Matalan do some nice suits, quite cheap. My Son got one online from Moss Bros in the sale, much cheaper than hiring.

[CrotchetyQuaver]

My DH had this suit conundrum and he's a bit old and tubby these days TBH so a lot of places didn't have anything that fitted him. He found an independent menswear shop in the next town which turned out to have loads of stuff that fitted him, awful window displays, he only went in there out of desperation. They had some really nice stuff inside - I went along for final pre purchase approval. They sorted him out brilliantly and we all thought he looked fantastic at the wedding. He's worn both suit and (flowery) shirt a few times since so it's turning out they were a pretty good buy. I think suit was £250 and shirt £50.
Cheap suits can be a bit hit or miss, probably best to try on in a shop rather than mess about having to do returns and wait for refunds.

[ToRecordOnlyWater]

@Mindymomo Thank you! Was going to pin the slit and the chest so it’s a bit more covering. I’d normally have something a bit shorter etc. but since I had my baby I feel a bit of a frumpy mum so as pathetic as it sounds kind of want to feel pretty again!Matalan is a great shout, thank you!

@CrotchetyQuaver Agreed totally with trying it on rather than buying online, DH wants something flattering and as he has very broad shoulders and big arms it’s hard to find things that fit him so he can still move his arms, and are flattering on the stomach too. There’s a little suit shop in the village where we live so I may go and poke my head in for some rough prices! Would save the worry of getting any marks on it if it’s not a rental suit. X

[Toddlerteaplease]

The dress is lovely, but the slit is a bit far up. I can't see an issue with wearing for a wedding.

[mitogoshi]

For ready to wear suits M&S is mid range price wise. Larger supermarkets may have them ( do sometimes) and charity shops have barely worn ones often,