Written by Menswear Style in Events on the 12th July 2016

Think of the planning involved in putting a wedding together and one naturally thinks of the bride. After all, she’s been planning this in her mind for her entire life, from the magnificent venue to the colours of the dresses of the bridesmaids, right through to the flowers on the table and the favours for guests.

However, someone else is involved in the process, and while he may be willing to sit back and let the bride plan the vast majority of the day and its aftermath, the groom can and should be taking part in at least some aspects of getting married. Think about it; the day is an event of celebration for both of you, and one which should therefore bear the hallmarks of both. Here are several ways in which the groom can add their stamp to a wedding without treading on anyone’s bridal shoes.

Date and venue 

Setting the date is not as simple as it seems. Will it be this year, next, or later still? Grooms might know what potential guests might be doing on a given date (“No good, Uncle Bill always goes to Glastonbury then”) and therefore work accordingly to come up with the best possible date. In addition, the groom might be able to look into venue choices for the ceremony and reception.

Invites 

One of the earliest aspects of the entire process are the wedding invitations, and it’s a time for creative grooms to get stuck in with a catchy design and good writing that begs for sharing - view some of the examples on PhotoBox for inspiration. There are rules to the entire exercise, but a designer and/or writer can really show their skills; even if it’s ‘just’ the cover or the words inside, or working to a brief set by their other half, the bride might be happy for the input.

Theme 

Unless they’re mindless automatons, the bride and groom will think differently. They might want divergent details within the wedding; some will be vital, some negotiable, and some unimportant. There’s a huge number of inspirational websites that could help with the choice – coffee, butterflies or peacocks anyone? Once the overall theme is decided, and this decision in itself might take some debate, the duo can start pooling their minds towards the look and feel of the wedding. If you need help in creating your dream wedding theme, professionals like Married can definitely help you plan the wedding theme.

Guests 

No groom should be left in the dark about who is coming to the wedding – as we’ve already seen, both parties will know who’s doing what, and when, and who they want to attend. With a budget that dictates the numbers, the couple should arrive at an agreed number of guests together.

Speeches 

If the groom can’t be bothered to write their own speech, there really is trouble in store. No-one’s asking for an epic monologue, just a heart-felt and interesting speech that sums up the day and wedding itself.

Honeymoon 

An absolutely non-negotiable part of the wedding – the groom must be involved in the decision, by finding options and attending visits to travel agents if used. You might both feel that a beach holiday in Magaluf or a trek through Samoan forests is fine for the perfect honeymoon, which is fine. It’s only when there are disputes about what you are both looking for that trouble brews, and negotiation is called for. Enjoy the wedding!

We discuss how the groom can help the bride to leave his stamp on a wedding. We discuss venues, themes, honeymoons and more.