What we can make for your Wedding
Every wedding garment is made to your design and measurements, so it can be as traditional or as individual as you like. Tweed is our speciality: we have been making tweed wedding suits since Barrington Ayre began in 2008, and we keep one of the widest selections of British cloth you will find in a Cotswold tailor, including tweeds from small independent mills that most tailors never stock.
Bespoke Tweed Wedding Suits
The classic Cotswold wedding look. Herringbone, barleycorn, windowpane or a bold estate check, in a weight to suit a June marquee or a December church.
We carry over 2000 different tweeds from a variety of British tweed mills in a selection of weights so we are confident that we can find your perfect tweed.
Bespoke Morning Coats
Traditional morning dress for formal church and country-house weddings, with waistcoats and striped or checked trousers to complete it.
Whether it is a traditional black coat or a navy blue, we can add your personality to this classic form of dress.
We also carry a huge selection of coloured fabrics, perfect for any waistcoats.
Wedding Lounge Suits
Navy, grey and lightweight summer cloths for grooms who want something sharp they will wear for years afterwards.
If it is a classic suit that you are looking for to get married in that you can then wear time after time in the office or casually, we have a huge selection of fabrics that will be perfect for you.
Dinner Jackets / Tuxedos
A range of classic dinner jackets / Tuxedos for those who are looking for a black tie Wedding.
Whether it is double or single breasted, wide lapelled or a very traditional style, we can help you make the perfect Wedding suit.
Velvet Jackets
Why not add a bit more personality to your black tie Wedding by having the Wedding party and the Groom in either matching or different colour velvet jackets.
LGBTQI+ Weddings
Two grooms in matching tweed, two brides in tailored suits, or a look that sits outside menswear and womenswear altogether: we make wedding clothing for every couple. Because everything is cut to your measurements rather than to a men's or women's size chart, we can tailor any garment, from a morning coat to a three-piece suit, to fit your body and suit your style.
Your consultation is relaxed and private, and you can bring your partner, friends or family along, or come on your own. Tell us how you would like to look on the day, and we will help you get there.
What to wear to a Cotswold wedding: a groom's guide
Cotswold weddings range from a village church and a marquee on the lawn to a country-house black tie dinner. Here is how we help grooms decide.
Morning dress
A tailcoat, waistcoat and striped or checked trousers, worn for formal daytime weddings, especially in church. Black or grey coats are traditional, and the waistcoat is where you can add colour or a touch of tweed. If the invitation says morning dress, this is what it means.
Tweed
The quintessential Cotswold wedding suit, and our speciality. A three-piece tweed suit looks right in a barn, a marquee or a country church, and photographs beautifully against Cotswold stone. Cloth weight matters more than anything: lighter, more open tweeds of around 10 to 12oz wear comfortably from late spring to early autumn, while heavier cloths of 14oz and up are ideal for an autumn or winter wedding. A tweed waistcoat with a plain worsted suit is a good halfway house for ushers.
Lounge suits
A two- or three-piece suit in navy, grey or a soft summer colour. The most versatile choice, and one you will wear again long after the wedding. For summer, a high-twist wool or a wool, silk and linen blend stays crisper in photographs than pure linen, which creases quickly.
Black tie
For an evening reception or a formal country-house wedding. A dinner suit in black or midnight blue is the classic, or a velvet or tweed dinner jacket for something more individual.
A few tips from the showroom
Allow for the weather: a Cotswold summer evening can turn cool and damp, so a waistcoat earns its place. Choose shoes that cope with lawns and gravel paths. Have two shirts made, so you can change into a fresh one before the evening. And if your wedding party are travelling from across the country, our visiting tailor can measure them where they are.
Our wedding cloths
We use British cloth wherever we can, starting closest to home with William Bliss Cotswold Country Tweed, woven at Chipping Norton, alongside tweeds from small independent mills that you will not find in most tailors.
LGBTQI+ weddings
Two grooms in matching tweed, two brides in tailored suits, or a look that sits outside menswear and womenswear altogether: we make wedding clothing for every couple. Because everything is cut to your measurements rather than to a men's or women's size chart, we can tailor any garment, from a morning coat to a three-piece suit, to fit your body and suit your style.
Your consultation is relaxed and private, and you can bring your partner, friends or family along, or come on your own. Tell us how you would like to look on the day, and we will help you get there.
How it works, and when to start
Wedding garments take around eight weeks to make once your cloth and measurements are confirmed. We recommend your first consultation at least four months before the wedding, and earlier for a large wedding party or a spring or summer date, when our diary is busiest.
1. Consultation
Come to the showroom in Cirencester, or book our visiting tailor. We talk through the venue, the season, the look you want and who needs dressing.
2. Choose your cloth
Browse our tweeds and suitings in person. You can also bring your own cloth or an estate tweed.
3. Measuring and design
We take a full set of measurements and agree every detail: cut, lapels, pockets, buttons, lining and monogram.
4. Making and fittings
Your garments are made to your measurements, with fittings to perfect the fit before the day.
5. Collection
A final check, a final press, and your suit is ready in good time for the wedding
Wedding tailoring questions
How far in advance should I order my wedding suit?
We recommend booking your first consultation at least four months before the wedding. Garments take around eight weeks to make once cloth and measurements are confirmed, and allowing extra time leaves room for fittings and for dressing ushers.
Do you make tweed wedding suits?
Yes. Tweed wedding suits are our speciality. We make three-piece tweed suits, jackets and waistcoats for grooms and wedding parties, using British tweeds including William Bliss Cotswold Country Tweed woven in the UK, using the archive tweeds from the Chipping Norton mill.
Is a tweed suit too warm for a summer wedding?
Not if the cloth is right. Lighter-weight tweeds and open weaves wear comfortably in an English summer, and we will guide you to a weight that suits your date and venue.
What is the difference between bespoke and made to measure?
A bespoke suit is built from a pattern drafted for you alone, with fittings along the way. Made to order applies your measurements to an established Barrington Ayre style. Both are made in your chosen cloth and details.
Can you dress the whole wedding party?
Yes. We regularly make matching or coordinated suits and waistcoats for grooms, best men, ushers and fathers, and our visiting tailor can measure members of the party who live elsewhere in the UK.
Do you make morning suits?
Yes. We make traditional morning coats with waistcoats and trousers for formal church and country-house weddings.
Do you make wedding outfits for women?
Yes. We make suits, jackets, coats and dresses for brides, mothers of the bride and groom, and guests.
Do you tailor for same-sex and LGBTQI+ weddings?
Yes. We make wedding clothing for every couple, including two grooms, two brides and non-binary partners. Everything is cut to your own measurements rather than a men's or women's size chart, so any garment can be tailored to fit you.
What should a groom wear to a Cotswold wedding?
It depends on the venue and time of day. Morning dress suits a formal daytime church wedding, a three-piece tweed suit is the classic choice for barns, marquees and country churches, a lounge suit is the most versatile option, and black tie suits an evening or formal country-house reception. Choose a cloth weight that matches the season.
Where are you based?
Our showroom is at 11–17 Market Place, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 2PB. We also offer a visiting tailor service across the Cotswolds, the South West and London, and the rest of the UK by appointment.