Tailored for the moment

Allow around an hour for a first appointment. That covers a conversation about your venue, season and style, the cloth selection, every design decision from lapel to lining, and the full set of measurements. The final fitting is shorter, usually twenty to thirty minutes.

Ensure you’re booking in the same season as your wedding so that we have our most up to date selection of seasonal fabrics. Ideally, allow 8 to 10 weeks between your first appointment and the big day. Construction alone takes around six weeks, and the months ahead of that give you room to consider cloth, coordinate the wedding party and schedule the final fitting comfortably.

 Brush the cloth after wearing and air the suit on a wide wooden hanger for a day before it goes back. Dry clean sparingly, as frequent cleaning flattens the wool. Store it in a breathable cotton cover with room around it. Treated this way, a wedding suit gives years of further wear.

Louis Copeland & Sons keep tailors on site in store, and your suit is cut with inlay in the seams so it can be adjusted as your shape changes over the years. Bring the suit back whenever it wants attention and the team will look after it.

Cloth is the largest factor: mill, composition and rarity all carry through, so cashmere, silk blends and the premium English and Italian mills sit above a classic worsted wool. Beyond that, a three piece over a two piece, a second pair of trousers, working cuffs, hand-finished buttonholes, silk linings and monogramming each add to the total.

Navy pairs handsomely with dark brown or oxblood, and with black for the most formal register. A mid or brighter blue lifts with tan and mid brown. Grey works with black for formality and oxblood for warmth. Green suits brown in every shade. A polished oxford remains the traditional wedding choice.

Many grooms find the shirt makes as much difference as the suit. Collar height is set against your neck, sleeve length is cut to your arm, and the body is shaped so it stays tidy beneath a waistcoat through a long day. You also choose the collar style, the cuff for cufflinks, and the cloth weight for comfort.

Aim for three to four weeks before the wedding. That leaves comfortable time for the in-house tailors to complete any amendments and for you to collect the suit well ahead of the day. Grooms travelling to a wedding abroad usually bring the final fitting forward a further week to allow for packing and travel.

The first appointment covers measurements, cloth and every design decision. When the finished suit arrives in store, you return for a final fitting, where the in-house tailors mark any refinements needed. Most grooms complete the process across those two visits, with a short third visit to collect the suit once the amendments are made.

Construction takes approximately six weeks from the day the order is placed. Louis Copeland & Sons recommend booking four to six months before the wedding, which leaves room for the fabric decision, the make, the final fitting and any refinements. Grooms coordinating a full wedding party benefit from the longer end of that window.

Yes. Grooms regularly add their initials, the wedding date, or a short phrase that carries meaning. Louis Copeland & Sons embroider it discreetly inside the jacket or under the back of the collar, so the detail belongs to you and appears only when you choose to show it. It becomes a keepsake long after the day.

Off the peg sizing follows an average relationship between chest, waist and height. Made to measure sets each of those independently. Jacket length, sleeve length, shoulder width, waist suppression, trouser rise and lapel proportion all move to suit your frame, which is why a tall, broad or shorter man sees the biggest difference in a made to measure garment.

Expect between twenty and thirty measurements, taken across the chest, shoulders, back, arms, waist, seat and leg. Alongside the figures, your tailoring specialist records posture notes: shoulder slope, stance, blade prominence and how you carry your weight. Those observations are what turn a set of numbers into a suit that fits you specifically.

A single breasted five or six-button waistcoat is the everyday classic and sits cleanly under a fastened jacket. A lapelled waistcoat adds formality and looks considered once the jacket comes off. A double breasted waistcoat makes the boldest statement and flatters a slimmer frame. A scoop-front waistcoat belongs with morning dress.

A three piece earns its place at an Irish wedding. Once the jacket comes off for dinner and dancing, the waistcoat keeps the look complete and the shirt tidy, and it gives the groom a distinct silhouette in photographs. A two piece suits a warm-weather or relaxed wedding, where comfort across a long day matters most.

For heat, choose an open, high-twist weave around 240g to 270g: fresco, tropical wool, or a wool-linen blend. Air moves through the cloth while the wool holds the shape. Lighter colours such as stone, mid-grey, sand or soft blue reflect the sun and stay comfortable. A half or quarter-lined jacket adds further comfort for a ceremony outdoors.

Louis Copeland & Sons hold roughly 3,500 individual cloths in the made to measure range, spanning weight, weave, colour and composition. That breadth is the reason two grooms sitting at the same table can each arrive at something entirely their own. Your tailoring specialist narrows the selection to a handful based on your venue, your season and the look you have in mind.

For an Irish autumn or winter wedding, Louis Copeland & Sons recommend a cloth between 300g and 360g. Flannel, twill and wool-cashmere blends hold warmth through a church ceremony and an outdoor photograph session in low temperatures. The extra weight also improves the drape of the jacket, so the suit keeps its line from the morning through to the last dance.

Yes. Lightweight and casual jackets are designed for regular use across work and leisure.

Yes. Louis Copeland & Sons regularly host the full wedding party together, and many grooms treat it as part of the celebration. Let the store know how many are coming when you book, so the time and the tailoring specialists are set aside for the group. Fathers of the bride and groom are welcome in the same appointment.

Off the peg needs far less lead time than made to measure. Louis Copeland & Sons recommend calling into any store at least three to four weeks before the wedding date. That window allows the team to source your size across the six branches and complete any alterations required, carried out free of charge by the tailors on site.

Irish summers rarely bring the heat associated with weddings elsewhere in Europe, so velvet gets asked about often. It remains an autumn and winter fabric. The weight of the cloth and the density of the pile hold warmth in, which suits a wedding in the colder months and becomes a lot to wear through a summer day. For an autumn or winter wedding, velvet looks excellent under evening light.

For a black tie wedding, a groom typically wears a black tuxedo with a white double cuff dress shirt and a black bow tie. The tuxedo can be cut with a peak or shawl lapel, and in a single or double breasted style. Dress shirts vary too, with options such as a plissé or marcella bib on the front. The team at Louis Copeland & Sons are always happy to guide you through a black tie dress code in store.

Yes. The team at Louis Copeland & Sons are delighted to help you put together an outfit for the second day of your wedding. They'll tie in themes from your wedding suit and bring in your own vision and colour schemes, so day two feels connected to the wedding day itself.

You're welcome to arrive with just yourself, though any ideas you have are a great help. Bring along photos, the colours or theme of the wedding, or a suit that caught your eye, and your tailor at Louis Copeland & Sons will take it from there on the day.