Ok, you did it!  You planned and pulled off that proposal to the most important person in your life. Let’s face it, getting that proposal down is quite exciting and nerve-racking all on its own.  Lucky for you, the answer was YES!  Now you and your fiancé start your Wedding Journey.   Both of you focusing and planning your future life together will be center stage for the next six to eighteen months, depending on the length of your engagement.  The keyword for this journey is “together.”

In case you don’t know yet, being a groom is hard work, and we here at A Wedding Journey are excited to be here to help you become the most fabulous Groom you can be.  First, let me say, from my first-hand experience, I was the bride of the most amazing Groom throughout our wedding journey. He is still by my side almost 20 years later and working with me on this wedding blog.  He is the masculine voice guiding me through this Groom Blog.  So let’s get started! We want to help both of you navigate through your wedding journey with the least amount of stress.

Be There to Make Your Brides Life Easier

Since you proposed, your fiancée has already started a minimal stress load.  Whether you agree with the reasons behind her stress doesn’t matter.  Your job is to lessen the gravity of that stress any way you can.  The months leading up to your wedding are going to be stressful for your bride, no doubt. Don’t leave her with all the details, even if it seems like she is ok with it.  My husband remembers being involved in all decisions of our wedding journey except for two:  impute on which bridal gown and the bridal shower.  He was there for all of the other choices we needed to make.  From his experience of being a groom, he feels there are real advantages for grooms to be involved in as many decisions as possible.   The more communication you and your bride-to-be can have will help pull together a fantastic wedding day you both will cherish forever.

Be Willing to Communicate Your Opinion

One of the first opinions I remember my husband-to-be had was a specific look for his tuxedo and his groomsmen’s tuxedos.  We had already chosen our wedding theme and the colors, which were all the fall colors (October wedding).    As I was looking for inspiration on the groomsmen’s tuxedos, I mentioned an idea for their vests, and I got this “deer in the headlight look” from my fiancée that got his point across.  Clearly, we weren’t on the same page for this subject, but I could see he had given deep thought to what he was trying to tell me.  His attention to detail on this tuxedo decision was refreshing for me to hear. Realizing this was my second wedding and his first wedding, I listened to his ideas. We went back to the drawing board on the colors he wanted for himself and the guys.  You know what?  It looked great once we contacted the tuxedo company, told them what we wanted, and came up with something that did the trick. I knew this choice was important to him. So, as the Groom, you need to speak up concerning an idea or item that is important to you. Your bride-to-be can’t read your mind.

To help you be a Fabulous Groom, we at A Wedding Journey have put together a simple list of Grooms’ typical responsibilities.  Please understand that many of these tasks will need discussion between both of you before finalizing.  Then, you will take the reins and handle the reservations, booking, licenses, tickets, etc., of the tasks for you, the Groom.

A Fabulous Grooms’ Simple To-Do List:

12  –  9 Months out:

• Select your Team – Best Man, Groomsmen, and Ushers. Select your Best Man first, and then you could plan a groomsman get-together and formally ask them to be in your wedding. These men will be your go-to sources for your sanity during this journey.  They are your resources for running errands, asking for advice, or being your extra arms and legs assisting you to stay focused as you go forward.
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• Get Fit. – Get yourself in the best shape you can be so you look good in your tux or other wedding apparel. Besides yourself, your bride, and the Officiant, the most important person is your photographer. Once the wedding is over, all you have left are the wedding pictures.   

7 – 9 Months Out:

• Rehearsal Dinner – This is a big one, Grooms, and you are ready for it. The rehearsal dinner is traditionally an expense of the Groom and or his parents. By now, you will know the number of attendants included in the bridal party.  Add to the count everyone attending the rehearsal, usually the night before the actual wedding.  All of those in attendance should be invited to the dinner once the rehearsal is over.  Some couples send out a rehearsal invitation; it’s your choice. Choose a venue or restaurant that will adequately handle the meal for your size group.  Discuss the menu and bar available for your guests and your wedding budget.  Use this time together to give your gifts to your best man, groomsmen, and any ushers.  Some take this time to share their gifts with their parents for their help with your wedding journey. The evening is an excellent time for the best man and maid/matron of honor to give their speeches. Finally, it’s a great time to relax now that your wedding journey is almost over.  Have fun, don’t overindulge, and have some relaxing time together before the big day.
• Honeymoon – Discuss with your Bride-to-be the Honeymoon location and budget. Once you’ve agreed, it’s your turn to take it off her plate.
• Save the Dates – This can be a trial run before the actual wedding invitations later in the journey. Again, once you both have the Engagement pictures you need for the Save-the-Date cards, set up a time for you and your bride to get these ready to be mail. It’s a big step and an excellent rehearsal for the wedding invitations.  Make it fun!  She will love you more for it.
• Order Invitations: You and your bride-to-be need to choose your wedding invitations and get those ordered.
• Out of Town Guests – Reserve accommodations for guests at a local hotel close to your venue. Reach out to a hotel of your choice’s Event Planner and set up pricing for a room block and discounts for guests using the hotel for the wedding. Ensure you have all of the hotel’s contact information and the name or number assigned to the wedding block.  Once you have all the information, place this directly on your Wedding Website to make it super easy for your guests to retrieve this information and make their plans easier to configure.

Now to carry this home to the wedding day, please see next week’s blog for the complete publication of Look’s Like A Fabulous Groom’s Exclusive 12 Month Out Timeline.  Its release will be on October 11, 2021. Again, thank you, and I hope this has given you some valuable insight.