Even if your name isn't William, your big day is a big deal. In fact, it's arguably a bigger one for those not second in line to the throne, since thanks to protocol at least HRH doesn't have to worry about what he's wearing. GQ.com visited military garb specialist Gieves & Hawkes at No.1 Savile Row - AKA that place opposite Abercrombie & Fitch - where in the fragrant confines of the bespoke room we asked head cutter Kathryn Sargent for her ten tips on buying a wedding suit.

Make it different from your work suit

"A wedding suit is really a suit that you'll look good in standing up. So all the normal rules of going about your day-to-day life in it go out of the window. That means we can make it fit beautifully and look great in photographs, because it's less about function. The shape of the lapel and the pocket details also tend to differ, so instead of what you might find on a very formal or classic suit, people will do something a bit more fun with their styling. For example they might go for a dinner suit style, one-button, with angled pockets and peak lapels, or they might do a shawl collar in cloth: something that's individual rather than corporate."

Decide if you want to wear it again

"Most of the younger people who come here for a wedding suit want something they can wear again. But you'll also get those who will come and spend a fortune and just have it for that day. If it's the former, I'd avoid anything too twee or that you'll look back on and think, "Oh God, why did I do that?" Like having your fiancé's initials or the date embroidered inside, that sort of thing. I did a Edwardian-style wedding suit for a young guy a few years ago and he had the loop on the back of the neck inside the jacket and a pocket square made of the same fabric as the bride's dress. That's nice and subtle. I always try and talk people out of going for different-coloured buttonholes. That's my taste really, but I think you'd regret that in years to come. You can say a lot with the cut of the suit rather than all the add-ons."

Think about fabrics

"I always think you should go for impact when choosing fabric for a wedding suit: something that's a bit heavier and will hold its shape. If it's a morning suit or a dinner suit you either go for barathea or wool mohair. They both create very sharp silhouettes. Alternatively you can create a very draped, soft

look. It depends what the client wants and what will flatter his figure. I'm making three or four suits at the moment for people's weddings and they're all different styles. One's a Sixties-style three-piece

in lightweight tweed - yes, for summer! It's a very lightweight herringbone. He's wearing it with a narrow knitted tie and a textured shirt with a standard collar, not a cutaway, so it like he's just left his

flock. He's a younger, funky guy and a relaxed dresser so he just wanted a really nice suit that he'll

have all his life. He can pair the jacket off with jeans and wear it for different occasions. We also get

a lot of people coming in who want to coordinate the wedding party, so they'll have the groom wear one thing and his best man and father of the bride in something different with a theme running through."

Summer wedding? Lighten up

"Light greys are very formal and British - you can't go wrong really with grey. Think of Prince Charles - that kind of colour is really elegant and will suit most skin tones. Don't go for a navy either - try more a mid-blue or grey blue, they come up really fresh. You've got to think differently to business. If you're getting a casual suit and not a morning or dinner suit, what's the point of getting married in a dark cloth in the summer? I've got one client who I've had for ten years who's getting married later in the year somewhere very hot. He said to me, 'I want you to think differently. This is my fun suit.' He showed me a picture of his wife-to-be's dress and asked me to find a cloth that would complement it but not look businesslike. We've gone for a steely-blue colour, something you can wear with an openneck shirt as it's so hot. We're doing the jacket a different length, making the lapels very different. He doesn't want it to look like his normal suits but he wants to have that fitted look. I suggested a linen because it's really hot but that's too casual so we've gone for a lightweight wool with a bit of grain in it. It looks linen-like but isn't."

Avoid white on white-on-white shirt and tie

"I really like a nice crisp white shirt, you can't go wrong. I wouldn't go for anything too bold in terms

of cloth. White collar and cuffs can look really formal. It depends if you want a formal look or a

relaxed look. I like dressiness. Shirt, tie, accessories, all the whistles and bells. I think you can do a

lot with that. White tie on white shirt is the sort of thing I don't like. It's a bit Spandau ballet.

Anything that emulates the Eighties is wrong. If you look at slim ties or the way ties are fastened…

You can do a lot with texture as well as pattern on pattern."

Treat it like getting your hair cut

"Younger people tend to do their research. Older people tend to know their own style a bit more,

clients who are used to having bespoke and know the process. You can guide the ones who don't to

what you think will look good. You do get people bringing in pictures of Prince Charles or Steve

McQueen from The Thomas Crown Affair or from magazines such as GQ and saying, 'This is the sort of thing I was looking at.' [GQ's former Art Editor took along this Alexander Rodchenko photograph of natty Russian Futurist Vladimir Mayakovsky when he had his wedding suit made at Gieves.] I always encourage that because if you haven't got a starting point, there's a world of information out there. I always compare the job that I do to being a hairdresser because you have to really understand each client and how they want to be perceived as well as advising them. It's like a meeting of minds, the bespoke process. Do you need to make small talk? Some are in and out in five minutes, some want to spend an afternoon here. It's down to the individual. "

Don't forget your footwear

"Anything too brogue-y I would steer clear of, unless it's a country wedding. I prefer simple, elegant

shoes, especially if you're going for a dinner suit or something more traditional. If you're going for

something a bit more fun you can get shoes to match. We have a shoeshine service so you can come

here and we can shine them so you can see your reflection. We also have a range of shoes which we

didn't used to have. Again, it depends on the cloth you choose as to whether you wear brown or

black. If you're a traditionalist then it should always be black."

Consider uniform even if you’re not military

"Michael Jackson had all his uniforms made here in his late Eighties heyday. He came to London and his people asked Robert Gieves who was fifth-generation Gieves family to create something unique for him so as not to offend any regiments, as dressy as possible. There's a famous portrait of him wearing a military jacket by Annie Leibovitz which is just on the wall outside this room. When he died we recreated that uniform from the original details and put it in a case next to it."

But treat uniform with respect

"The majority of suits we do are business but probably half are special occasions: uniforms, morning wear, evening tails. Most people who will wear a uniform for a wedding are royal family or overseas royal family. Normally they'll have them made for other occasions, for example when they become a certain rank, then they will wear them at their wedding. A uniform again is mostly ceremonial, nots something that you'd go into battle wearing. They are made to look good and be as fitted as they can be so you shouldn't be able to move very much in them. The materials are heavier to to take the embellishment and embroidery. Overall they're very tailored, very sharp and hold you while you stand up straight. If you apply that philosophy to cutting suits for weddings, it has kind of evolved from uniform, as have most suits. With a uniform it's great because you don't have to think about the wearer's comfort too much. It's more about looking pristine, even at the height of summer. If you look at the trooping of the colour and the guys who are out there on horseback in blazing heat, they're trained and used to wearing uniforms in those situations where you or I might struggle."

Make an appointment – and plan ahead

"We do have some walk-ins and we try and accommodate them as best we can but it's better to make an appointment so we can manage our days. We do go to people if it's inconvenient for them to come in. I travel to see clients a lot - the good ones. Getting a suit made takes around eight to 12 weeks. If you're London-based it's a lot easier for us but once we've got a good pattern we should be able to do something a bit quicker. Bu for that first one, and especially if it's your wedding, you don't want to leave it to the last minute. I like it when people are really organised and come in six months ahead…"

Source: www.gq-magazine.co.uk

By: Jamie Millar