How to Prepare For Your Wedding Appointment at M.J. Bale
Step 1: Book an Appointment
In your booking, feel free to state your type of wedding and what your budget is so that we can put together options quickly within your price range. If you’re looking for custom suiting (created individually for the wearer), it pays to come in at least 3–4 months before the big day.
Step 2: Research
Once you’ve booked a date and time to see us, do a little research. A little bit of research helps, even if it’s just some images you like on Instagram of guys in suits.
Step 3: Welcome to M.J. Bale
We will be pressing our noses against the store windows waiting for you because we love dressing guys for weddings (it does make our day). Once the groom and groomsmen are here, we’ll take them into our private area.
It doesn’t matter whether the groom and groomsmen know what they want — we’ll take them through all the best options. As a rule of thumb, we try to make sure there are at least two points of difference between what the groom and groomsmen are wearing. This could be slightly different suits or different ties or bow ties. Still, our priority is making sure the groom looks number one, and the groomsmen are a supporting cast of handsome devils.
Step 4: Fits So Good
Depending on what suiting option the guys go for (custom, made-to-measure or ready-to-wear suits), we may need the guys to come back for another fitting.
If the guys are purchasing ready-to-wear suits (off the rack), we prefer to make alterations to ensure the suit is 100% magnificently tapered to their bodies. Every man has different proportions, so “one size fits all” never really applies to men’s suits — unless you’re marrying a model who is a sample size (in which case, good for you!).
We also like grooms and groomsmen to come in at least three weeks before the big day to double-check suit sizing (really, we just want to make sure no one has been hitting the beers or carbs too hard). Warning: alterations can take anywhere from 5–7 days to be returned, so don’t leave it until two days before the wedding.
Step 5: Shotgun?
In saying that, we can also do shotgun weddings and have previously helped out gents who have come in on a Thursday and are getting married on Saturday. However, this puts our alteration guys and us under a tremendous amount of stress, and it usually ends in tears (for us) and a bigger alterations bill (for you).
Step 6: Bliss
You should now be good to go for the wedding. Have a great day, don’t stress about anything on the day (yes, you shouldn’t have invited the third cousins, but let it gooooo), and our heartfelt best wishes for the most beautiful, long-lasting marriage.
May you and your betrothed one day have your faces on the $100 note, voted Australia’s Best Ever Married Couple.