What To Do If Your Wedding Suit Gets Stained

Thankfully, all the weddings I’ve been to have been civilised affairs. No sign of food fights or drinking games gone awry. But that said, it doesn’t take much for someone to spoil their outfit, whether it’s a drop of wine or an entire wedding breakfast in the lap.

Whether you have opted for an off-the-peg outfit, or treated yourself to a made-to-measure or handmade bespoke suit, you won’t be wanting stains. Either you will loose your deposit, or ruin your latest investment.

To make sure you are prepared for any such upsets, here are my top tips to remove (or at least ameliorate) the most common stains.

Be very careful indeed if the stain is on the suit itself!

With any kind of quality suit, which would usually require dry cleaning, you are going to have to act very gently. Dab lightly with an absorbent cloth or paper towel, removing as much excess liquid as possible. Be extremely delicate and dab with water.

Be sure that if you have spilt on a white fabric you use a cloth as equally pale to avoid the dye leaking from the cloth on to the damaged fabric. Whatever you do, don’t soak it right through – you may get the stain out but you’ll ruin the suit.

But if it’s a washable shirt which has received the worst of the damage, here are some ideas:

Removing Drink Stains

Blot the stain to remove excess wine using a cloth or paper towel. Run cold water over the stain immediately to dilute it. Otherwise, sprinkle some water over the stain to keep it wet. If it dries, it will be harder to get out later. Salt won’t remove any of the dye but may stop the liquid from spreading.

Finish by soaking the garment in a bowl of water with an oxygen-based stain remover, following the instructions on the box.

Removing Greasy Stains (or Candle Wax)

If a greasy mark forms, first scrape the surface with a spoon or knife to remove excess oil. If you get candle grease on a suit, when you get home (this probably wouldn’t be too easy at most wedding venues), lay some brown paper on top of the effected area. Get a hot iron (but not too hot) and run it gently over the brown paper. The grease should transfer to the brown paper.

Removing Blood

First of all, I’m glad to say I’ve not been to a wedding where blood has been an issue, but it is best to be prepared. Quickly dab a damp sponge on the mark to remove excess blood. Rub the area very gently with undiluted vinegar, then dab with cold, (not warm) water.

Of course, none of these are fool proof and it’s all too easy to ruin your outfit altogether by getting a bit vigorous with the stain removal. But this is where wonderful new technology comes in – if you opt for our Nanoblock fabric from Holland & Sherry which is water and stain resistant, excluding some kind of bizarre engine oil or wet paint incident, you’re safe whatever the spillage.

At Hemingway we also offer a full aftercare service which as well as cleaning suits, includes pressing ties, replacing buttons and valeting shoes, so you can keep your wardrobe in tip-top condition without lifting a finger. Your suit could even be waiting for you after your honeymoon, clean and pristine like that incident with the bottle of red wine never happened at all.

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3. Blog – Hemingway’s Suit In A Box
4. How Your Wedding Suit Can Make You Look Slim
5. Wearing Trainers With Your Wedding Suit