Wedding Day Tips For the Groom
Future husbands this one’s for you… The months of planning (albeit usually by your fiancé) are over and your wedding day is finally here, but have you thought about your role on the day itself? Being the groom on a wedding day is hardly something you can practice & there’s no right or wrong way to be a Groom… There are however a few tips and tricks which can help you avoid any niggles & have the most amazing wedding day.
1. Be involved in the wedding planning
Typically it’s the Bride who undergoes the bulk of the planning but it makes such a difference to the day itself when the Groom has been involved. Planning a wedding can be stressful, so being present, supportive and helping with the key decisions are super important. Show an interest, don’t just say ‘yes’ to everything, have an opinion and put your stamp on things too. Groom’s who are actively involved and know what’s going on will enjoy their day even more and your bride to be will definitely appreciate it.
2. Physical and Mental Preparation
First things first, get a good night’s rest! Make sure you get your eight hours the night before. It’s one of the biggest day of your life so you want to be feeling good. Getting plenty of sleep, eating proper meals and staying hydrated will help with this. The temptation may be there to have ‘just one more’ on the eve of the wedding but I can guarantee you will regret it.
Pack your snacks and HYDRATE! Make sure you have snacks, hydrate and eat, pace yourself and don’t drink too much. If you don’t eat in the morning, you’re going to have to wait a LONG time until your next meal. It’ll help with any nerves and make you a happier person overall. Make sure you eat plenty and stay hydrated so you can endure the hours of partying ahead.
3. Manage the Schedule and Stay Organised
Time flies on a wedding day, there’s so much going on it’s easy to lose track. Factoring in a bit of extra time or buffer time is a great way to keep things on time & nice & relaxed. The wedding day schedule should be a detailed document for yourselves, your venue, vendors, and the bridal party. So everyone knows what to do and when to do it.
Get any wedding morning errands done as soon as you can, start getting dressed half an hour before you had planned and set off to the venue ahead of schedule. It is definitely better to be early rather than rushed and there may be delays which are beyond your control like the traffic etc. Anticipate there may be set backs and allow yourself a bit of bonus time to make sure you’re comfortably on time.
4. Prepare Your Attire and Small Details
Choose a suit, suitable for the season. Make sure your suit is going to be comfortable in the weather & temperature you’re likely to get. We will often focus on the style we want & how it looks but it’s important to consider how appropriate a suit is for the weather you’d expect to have.
Furthermore, know how to tie your tie, or bowtie. Just make sure you and/or your groomsmen practice before the big day or have your favorite YouTube video ready to go on the big day! Keep your pockets empty. There’s nothing worse than the imprint of a mobile phone hone on a Groom’s trouser leg in a photo. You don’t want to spend all that money on a tailored suit for it to be ruined by a pocket full of stuff.
For photography purposes, have all your details ready when the photographer arrives. Having your belt or suspenders, your tie/bowtie, your cufflinks, your shoes and your pocket squares ready for me to photograph is going to help us breeze through your part.
| Detail Category | Items to have ready |
|---|---|
| Clothing Accessories | Belt or suspenders, Tie/bowtie, Pocket squares |
| Personal Items | Cufflinks, Shoes, Watch |
| Sentimentals | Gifts to the wedding party, Gift from and to your partner |
5. Delegate to Your Groomsmen
Your Best Man & Groomsmen are your team, make sure you use them and they know what they should be doing. Delegate any little errands you may have to them. Make sure you tell them when & where they need to be as well as what they need to be doing. Pro tip: give your wedding party a fake time to be ready, so everyone’s ready at least 15-30 minutes before they need to be.
6. Practice Your Vows and Speech
Write your vows no later than the day before your wedding day. Vows are an important part of any wedding day. You don’t want to be scrambling to make sure you have the perfect thing. This may seem like an obvious one, but it’s more obvious when a groom hasn’t practiced their vows or speech. Read it out aloud to your fiancee or a friend. Practicing will give you confidence and on the day you’ll be glad you did it.