Hello, this is Mr. Linen.
Recently (October 2024), I had my own wedding ceremony.
And of course, I showed up dressed head-to-toe in linen.
Since it was October, the weather was perfect for wearing a linen suit.
Well… actually, I scheduled the wedding in October specifically so I could wear a linen suit.
As you may have noticed, I’m the kind of groom who spends more time thinking about his outfit than the bride.
I genuinely feel sorry for the bride who ended up marrying someone like me.
In this article, I’d like to introduce the outfit I wore for my wedding.
I’m certainly not claiming this is the “correct” way to dress for a wedding.
If anything, this outfit breaks quite a few traditional formalwear rules.
This article is simply my way of sharing the charm of linen.
The Actual Outfit
First of all, let me show you the actual outfit.
Honestly, isn’t this linen absolutely beautiful?
An off-white linen suit glowing under the sunlight.
White leather shoes adding even more freshness to the look.
The shirt, tie, and pocket square are all made from 100% linen as well.
Everything is in soft beige tones, creating a monochromatic look from head to toe.
The tie leans slightly yellow compared to the rest, giving it just enough presence. Since each item has a slightly different shade, the overall outfit feels more interesting than if everything matched perfectly.
Please allow me a little self-indulgence for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion.
The Suit
Let me briefly introduce each item.
The suit was made by a tailor called Michele & Shin using Irish linen fabric from Spence Bryson.
The jacket is double-breasted with patch pockets.
The lapels are quite wide at 13 cm (5.1 inches), and the jacket is made without vents.
The buttons are light brown buffalo horn.
The trousers feature turn-up cuffs, double inward pleats, and side adjusters. For the wedding, I wore them with suspenders.
The suspenders are from the British brand Albert Thurston.
They’re made from classic wool felt, the most traditional type of suspender material. The leather parts are white, making them easy to pair with any shoe color. Since I wore white shoes, they worked especially well.
If I wanted to follow formalwear rules more strictly, I probably shouldn’t have chosen patch pockets, and perhaps mother-of-pearl buttons would have been more appropriate.
The trousers also would have been more formal with plain hems instead of turn-ups.
But I didn’t want to create a suit that could only be worn once for a wedding.
Ordering a suit for a single occasion felt wasteful, and light-colored garments tend to yellow over time if they just sit in storage for years.
I wanted something I could continue wearing casually afterward, which is why I chose these details.
If this had been a highly traditional wedding with strict dress code expectations, I might have received some criticism. But since it was a small family ceremony, I felt comfortable dressing this way.
To be honest, I actually had this suit made long before marriage was even on my mind. I never imagined I would eventually wear it for my own wedding.
I simply loved the idea of an off-white suit, and luckily it ended up being perfect for the occasion.
The Shirt
The shirt was custom-made by a shirtmaker called Atelier Berun.
It’s a very standard wide-collar shirt.
I brought the suit shown above to Atelier Berun and asked them to make a shirt that would work perfectly with it.
Since the suit itself is fairly casual, I initially considered adding some formality with French cuffs. However, I was advised that French cuffs wouldn’t suit a linen shirt very well, so I chose regular cuffs instead.
In my understanding, Atelier Berun specializes in classic British-style shirting, and true to that philosophy, the result was a shirt that felt “safe” in the best possible way.
As expected from a custom shirtmaker, the fit was excellent, and the color matched the suit perfectly.
The Tie
Linen ties are surprisingly difficult to find, so this part took some effort.
I had always associated weddings with bow ties, so I searched for an off-white or beige linen bow tie. But whether new or secondhand, there were almost no options available.
I could find the color, but not in linen.
After searching for several weeks, I finally found this one at United Arrows.
It wasn’t the classic self-tie style, but a pre-tied version fastened with a pin. Since I planned to wear a normal collar shirt rather than a wing collar shirt, I figured the pin would be hidden and decided to compromise.
Besides, I didn’t even know how to tie a bow tie myself…
Feeling relieved, I tried it on with the suit and shirt — only to realize the bow tie looked too large.
To be fair, the size itself was normal. But because the jacket is double-breasted with a narrow V-shaped opening, the bow tie stuck out awkwardly.
And honestly, seeing myself in a bow tie for the first time made me feel like I was wearing a costume rather than actual clothing.
I felt uncomfortable enough that I knew I wouldn’t be able to stand confidently at the ceremony, so despite buying it, I decided not to wear it.
Once I switched from a bow tie to a regular necktie, the options were still limited — beige and linen is not a common combination — but at least there were a few possibilities.
I managed to find a secondhand linen tie from the brand BREUER.
When paired with the suit, the slightly yellow tone of the tie actually worked perfectly, adding just enough contrast and character.
The Shoes
The shoes are white loafers from a Japanese brand called Oriental.
The model is called “Albers.”
The leather has a subtle grain texture that gives it some character, and since they’re loafers, they don’t feel overly formal. I liked that I could also wear them casually afterward.
They were painful at first, but I spent about three months breaking them in by taking 30-minute walks every morning in them. Eventually, they became very comfortable.
I think brown shoes would also have worked fine, but I felt white shoes would bring out the brightness of the off-white linen suit the best.
Traditionally, formalwear calls for lace-up shoes, of course, but I personally avoid shoelaces whenever possible, so loafers were really my only option.
Although they’re loafers, the toe shape is slightly elongated compared to something like a classic J.M. Weston loafer, so they still retain a somewhat dressy appearance.
I think they strike a very versatile balance between casual and formal.
Final Thoughts
We were lucky enough to have our ceremony on a beautiful autumn day with temperatures around 25°C (77°F).
That said, even at that temperature, I was sweating heavily inside the suit.
Heavy linen really isn’t a cool fabric, after all.
If your priority is staying cool, lightweight wool or mohair blends are probably better choices.
Still, linen is easy to wash, looks visually cool and refreshing, and every time I wear it, I’m reminded how wonderful linen suits really are.
Out of curiosity, I also looked at the tuxedo rental options offered by the wedding venue. Unsurprisingly, not a single one was made from linen.
I’m not saying every groom should wear a personal linen suit to their wedding. But I do wish linen were at least included as one of the rental options.
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