How to Find Wedding Suits for Brides
Know you’d feel more comfortable in a suit or a tux? Start here to find the perfect wedding suit for your big day.
Pants for brides are officially a thing, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy to find. From flirty white jumpsuits to tailored tuxedos for transmasculine people, there are multiple instances where you might be looking for wedding suits for the bride. Wedding suits for women can be tricky territory, though. Just ask Daniel Friedman, founder of Bindle & Keep, a bespoke tailor in Brooklyn, NY who developed a unique technique to fit female-assigned bodies for androgynous, gender-neutral suits.
“Really the whole process of what we do, it’s really a psychology more than tailoring in the sense that we really sit down and investigate how people feel about their bodies,” said Friedman, who starred in HBO’s documentary Suited about his largely LGBTQ clientele. “When people put on suits, everyone has very different triggers regarding their bodies and how clothes should fit on their body.”
Learn more about how (and where) to be fitted for wedding suits for brides.
Find the right retailer.
Depending on what you’re searching for, locating the bridal suit of your dreams may not be a cakewalk. Bridal separates and jumpsuits designed for women are available at bridal shops along with dresses and gowns. Suits, suit separates and tuxedos are harder. You can find a great suit off the rack and tailor it to fit your body. In general, slim fit and extra-slim fit styles are more versatile for women’s bodies. Another option is to find a custom tailor, like Bindle & Keep, to build a suit for your body. This is much more expensive and can take months from start to finish.
Give yourself lots of time for alterations.
Even if you’re not ordering a custom suit, it’s difficult to find great proportions on wedding suits for brides. Knowing your measurements will get you close to a proper fit, but some areas will likely need to be altered for your frame. No matter your wedding timeline, put shopping for a wedding suit at the top to achieve the fit and look you desire.
Know the two-inch difference.
As a rule, the same body mass and the same height will net a two-inch difference in the shoulder width of a male-assigned person and a female-assigned person, according to Friedman.
What ends up happening, Friedman explained, is women go looking for menswear based on their bust size. A woman with a 36-inch bust may find a 36 short suit that fits great in the sleeves and other places, but is too broad in the shoulders and won’t close over her bust.
Sizing up isn’t recommended because shoulder alterations are very difficult and costly. If you find yourself with a problem closing jackets over your bust, look for styles made with narrow shoulders to begin with. Designs from parts of the world where men are slimmer, like Japan or Italy, may naturally give you a better fit. Otherwise, talk to a menswear specialist about brands or cuts that will work best for your frame.
Don’t be afraid of the boys section.
Boys suits (yes, we mean suits for children) are a great option for smaller women, Friedman advised. Larger stores like Brooks Brothers work particularly well for wedding suits for a bride since you can buy women’s pants and match the fabric to a boys jacket.
