Guide For The Groom

If you think all that’s required of you is to turn up on the day and be told where to stand and when to say “I do”…. please think again.

• Decide on your wedding budget with your fiancee
• Choose your best man, groomsmen and ushers.
• Make an appointment with your celebrant and attend to all legal requirements.
• Make appointments to visit formal wear stores with your fiancee to decide on styles.
• Decide on the style of buttonholes for you and your party.
• Organise to have your wedding bands engraved.
• Discuss honeymoon plans with your fiancée and set a budget.
• Discuss with your fiancée whether you would like to use a bridal registry service and go with her to choose the gifts.
• Make all honeymoon arrangements.
• Enroll yourself and your fiancée in dancing lessons for that all-important first dance.
• Book accommodation for your wedding night.
• Make sure your home is stocked with essentials for when you return from your honeymoon.
• Gather maps, brochures and travel schedules for your out of town guests.
• Make transport arrangements for you, the wedding party, and both sets of parents, including transport from the reception to where you will be spending your wedding night.
• Organise purchase of liquor, wines and champagne for the reception (if not provided by your venue)
• Delegate someone responsible to collect gifts from the reception and look after them for you.
• Review all contracts with providers of wedding services and offer to confirm all arrangements for your fiancée
• Choose a special toast to your bride
• Prepare (and practise) your speech.
• Make a list of favourite songs to discuss with your fiancée and choose one for the bridal dance.
• Organise appointments for formal wear fittings for all the men in your party.
• In the stressful months leading up to the day, surprise your fiancee with romantic dinners, with the stipulation that you both cannot mention the wedding during the entire evening.
• Attend to all fees for the Celebrant, the musicians, the photographers, etc.
• Surprise your fiancée by arranging for flowers, champagne and chocolates to be delivered to your hotel room on your wedding night.
• When you collect your wedding rings from the jeweller, take your fiancée’s engagement ring along and have it professionally cleaned.
• Review all insurance policies (home, car, life, medical etc) and make any adjustments necessary.
• Delegate someone responsible to look after your wedding certificate once it has been signed and presented to you.
• Buy gifts for the men in your bridal party and last, but by no means least, buy a very special gift for your bride

And Don’t Forget

• The buttonhole flowers are worn on the left lapel — flower up
• With single breasted suits, do up the top button only when there are two buttons on the suit, and do up the middle button only when there are three buttons.
• The pleats on the cummerbunds are worn facing up.
• The groomsmen should all be wearing matching shoes. Most formal wear stores have a hire range of black lace-up and slip-on shoes.
• Why should girls have all the fun? When you book in for a final suit fitting, why not take all of your groomsmen to the hairdressers for a style cut, and then buy them lunch to thank them for their support and friendship.
• Wear a subtle aftershave or fragrance so as not to overpower your bride’s perfume and the subtle fragrance of her bouquet.
• Have your hair trimmed approximately one to two weeks before the wedding so that it doesn’t have that “just cut” look.
• Have a facial a few days before the wedding, after all you will not have the luxury of layers of makeup to give you a perfect complexion.
• Take a stick of cover-up foundation with you on the day for you and your groomsmen to use to hide any blemishes or shaving rashes.
• For best photographic results, shave 2-3 days before the wedding and then wait until the morning of the wedding to have your last shave as a single man.
• Have a manicure two days before the wedding. On the wedding day use a nail brush to clean your hands and nails. Do not apply hand lotion you will be shaking hands with a lot of people and there is nothing like a wet, oily handshake.