Articles

Groom

What is your job

The level of involvement from the groom in wedding preparations varies greatly from nods of approval while watching TV to carefully timed and wall mounted wedding countdowns. If you would like to be more involved in the planning of your wedding then do so and make sure that family members who may try to take over don't leave you out in the cold. Your bride may assume that you will have no interest in things such as flowers, wedding stationery and menus, and you may not, but a good idea would be to think of what aspects of the day you will have a significant contribution to and then let your bride know that you are ready to help.

One of the first and most important things that you will have to do is choose who you would like to be your best man. Traditionally it is your brother who is usually best man however if you do not have a brother or are not especially close to him then your closest friend is a good candidate. If you have two really close friends then don't worry there is nothing stopping you from having two best men. Other friends, brothers or cousins can be given the job of ushers. Give your best man plenty of notice so he can start preparing the famous best mans speech and also drop hints about what sort of stag night you would like. It is a good idea to make sure your best man is not going to be someone who is likely to leave you stranded or tied to a pole naked on your stag night. On the day itself ask your best man and ushers to help with directing guests around areas of the venue and gathering groups for photographs when required.

It is important that you talk to your fiancée about the type of wedding you both would like. A lot of grooms want the bride to have her dream day however there may be certain things that you envisioned and that's fine discuss these with her. Make sure you visit potential venues together; important decisions like this should be made together. When you know how many guests you can have help your bride compile a guest list, perhaps you could call your parents to confirm whom to invite from your side of the family. Other decisions that should be made together are the choosing of the music, photographer and the honeymoon. If you have an artistic or creative background you may wish to be more involved in the table decorations and favours etc.

Practical duties will include checking that the legalities are in place for whatever type of wedding you are having. You will need to apply for a marriage license so check when this has to be done. If it is a civil wedding you will have to contact the superintendent registrar for the district you are marrying in to obtain marriage notice forms, one for each of you. This declare that you are legally free to get married and it must be signed and returned with birth certificate and any other relevant documents. For a religious wedding the schedule must be collected in person not more than a week before the service. This must be given to the minister before the service.
The groom traditionally organises the wedding rings, buttonholes for himself and the best man, and also the cars. It is best if you do some research first through magazines and websites so you have an idea of the different options out there. The buttonholes are normally pretty easy to organise with the help and advice from a good florist. When organising the cars and rings you may want to take your bride with you.
You should also buy gifts for your best man and ushers to show your appreciation for their help. This could be anything from a leather wallet to vouchers for sports events or dinner. The mothers of both you and your bride traditionally get presented with bouquets of flowers at the reception so it would be a good idea to check that the arrangements have been made for these to be delivered to the venue. A nice unexpected gift for you bride would certainly be a nice treat for her before the wedding day.

What you and your best man will be wearing on the day is obviously another decision to be made by you. You can choose from the traditional morning suit to the full highland dress.
All that is left for you to organise now is your own speech. Thank everyone for their contributions in helping and for sharing with you, the most special and memorable day in you and your wife's life. Also you should give the mums their gifts, toast the beautiful bridesmaids and then head off to the dance floor with your gorgeous bride.

The Grooms Outfit - Morning Wear

The traditional attire for a wedding is a morning suit although now a days there are many other options. For weddings morning coats should be black, blue or shades of grey. The trousers should be either plain grey or black or striped in charcoal or navy. As part of morning dress a waistcoat should be worn and this should be, traditionally in either grey or buff, however increasingly other colours are being worn, especially popular is gold. It is a good idea for you to check with the bride on colours for the buttonhole to ensure colour co-ordination for the day. Your shoes on the day should also be black leather and very well polished and socks should be black or grey.

The Grooms Outfit - Black Tie

Black tie is normally worn at formal dinners and balls and where it has been specified 'black tie'. For this you should wear a black suit, which consists of a double or single breast black jacket with ribbed silk or satin-faced lapels, and trousers with a single braid or satin stripe down the outside leg. In warmer climates a white tuxedo jacket is normally worn, so this could be a good idea if you are marrying abroad in a warm climate. Underneath the jacket you should wear a Marcella or pleated white shirt with a classic or wing collar with a black bow tie. You could modernise and co-ordinate more with the colour theme of your wedding by adding more vivid colours of waistcoats or bow ties. Complete your outfit with a pair of black highly-polished plain, toe-capped or patent leather shoes.

The Grooms Outfit - White Tie

White tie is the most formal attire for the most formal occasions, and is worn at civic events such as banquets, balls and some ambassadorial dinners and even sometimes to the opera. A full outfit consists of a black tailcoat worn with matching double braided trousers, semi stiff, studded front white Marcella bow tie and waistcoat, and black patent leather evening shoes. A silver-topped cane, black top hat and white gloves are optional extras.
The Grooms Outfit - Smoking Jacket
Traditionally smoking jackets were worn only at home or in a private club, it is now however an acceptable alternative to a dinner jacket at a less formal dinner and ball. They are worn with evening trousers of family tartan trews. Velvet jackets are available ready-to-wear or personally tailored in a variety of colours. You can wear this with a reversible Ascot or a traditional cravat or bow tie, dress shirt, and suede or patent leather shoes.

The Grooms Outfit - Highland Wear

More and more, both in and outside of Scotland, the kilt is becoming a very popular choice for grooms to get married in. There is a whole range of tartans to choose from and page-boy outfits. The full Highland dress can be bought or hired and within this theme you can be as subtle or as flamboyant as you like. Wearing your own family tartan (or that of a close relative) can be worn with Prince Charlie jacket and vest, this is probably the most popular choice however there are lots of additions and alternatives to this choice. Such as plaids, Argyll jackets, Jacobean shirts and tartan trews. The beautiful kilt pins, buckles and plaid brooches could make really nice gifts for your best man and ushers.

A kilt is worn with a sporran and fastened with a kilt pin; evening highland wear should be worn with a black tie and a wing collar. The skean-dhu is a traditional ceremonial dagger and is worn on your right leg if you are right handed and vice versa. Black-laced brogues should be worn tied up the legs over cream dress socks held up with garters and coloured flashes. The kilt should come just level with the tops of your knees.
For the really contemporary groom there is now an alternative kilt style. There are now kilt makers such as Edinburgh based 21st Century Kilts, who have completely revamped the traditional kilt. The kilts can now come in fabrics ranging from tweed, hemp and leather to silver snakeskin PVC and denim. So now you can wear a kilt but have it in any material you like and in any colour.

The Grooms Outfit - Day Wear

If you would rather be less formal and more comfortable on your wedding day then perhaps you would prefer Day wear. Lounge suits offer such an alternative. There are lots of sharp suits, classic tailoring and luxury accessories out there in a wide range of specialist menswear stores, department stores and designer shops. Most of them offer fitting services and style advice. A designer suit is an investment as it can be worn well after the day. If you choose to have a suit specially tailored for you, do remember that a bespoke suit can be around two months in the making so make sure you make arrangements early on.

Do's And Dont's At Weddings

1. Only the groom may wear a grey morning suit at a wedding, unless of course you are royalty.
2. Top hats should be carried at weddings and never worn.
3. Tuck a smart handkerchief into your breast pocket; however keep it simple if you are wearing a buttonhole.
4. The groom should stand out and look different from the rest of the wedding party, it is customary to do this by wearing a different tie or waistcoat.

Male Grooming

It is your wedding day so you should make a bit of an effort with your appearance. There are lots of male grooming products available in shops so before your wedding day get yourself into a routine of taking care of your skin and overall appearance. It is not only girls who can get pampered before their big day; there is now a selection of male grooming salons. Some men do go to woman salons but probably feel quite uncomfortable but now, these guys' only sanctuaries provide the ultimate one-stop pampering service for men. Treatments available range from shaving, hairdressing, facials, body treatments, tanning, waxing, massage, hand and foot grooming to even botox and electrolysis. The most popular treatments so far seem to be facials, shaving, massage and waxing. Smooth backs, shoulders and upper arms help to enhance muscle definition. So why not try one of these salons out and help make yourself feel good about your appearance, not only on your wedding day but on your wedding night also and give your bride a surprise.

Wedding Stationery by Leonico Designs Ltd
http://www.uk-wedding-stationery.co.uk/