Last week we brought you an article with tips for the first time MC, today we’re shifting focus to the dashing groom. If you have a groom in your life, feel free to send this his way. If you are a groom, read on.
You are about to get married to the woman you love. Together you have spent months and months pouring over Pinterest pictures and blog posts, gathering inspiration. Then decision time came and you skipped off arm in arm (right?) to cake tastings, site visits and vendor appointments. Finally…the day has arrived and it’s GO TIME!
While I am sure that you have been very active in the planning and preparations of the big day, it often happens that the bride is a bit more ‘on it’ than you are when it comes to the wedding details.
So… it’s the morning of the wedding. Suddenly you have a gazillion questions for her, but you’ve been banished to opposite ends of the wedding venue to get ready, threatened with castration if you make an attempt at contact. Now what?? Well, my friend, we’re here to answer those questions for you..
1. What time am I expected to be at the ceremony site?
According to wedding planner Joelene of Oh Happy Day, a groom and his groomsmen should be at the ceremony site at least 30 minutes prior to the start time on the invitation to welcome wedding guests. We would like to suggest that you make a visit some time in the morning as well to ensure that everything is OK (i.e. No windows were smashed by falling trees in the night, or vagrants doing their business in the door way. These things can happen)
2. Boutonnière. What are they and where the heck do they go?
According to Wikipedia: It is a floral decoration worn by men, typically a single flower or bud. Boutonnière is the French word for “buttonhole”. So it’s a jacket decoration guys. Remember that it goes on the left lapel, and that the Mothers might have one too so be careful not to wear theirs by accident–they are normally more lush and pretty.
3. My photographer encouraged us to get whiskey/beers ready for some morning portrait shots. Is it OK to be consuming alcohol the morning of my wedding?
Yes, as long as you are able to give consent willingly, then in the eyes of the law you may get married after having a few drinks. We can’t speak for the opinions of your wife-to-be though, so maybe run this by her before arriving at your wedding with whiskey breath and glossy eyes.
Please note that being wasted is a bit different. If one of the parties is thought to lack the capacity to consent, the marriage might be considered void from the beginning and would then be annulled. This was the situation when everyone’s favourite Mickey Mouse club member, Britney Spears, drunkenly got hitched to her childhood friend one crazy Vegas night back in 2004. Her marriage was annulled a few days later on account of her being intoxicated to the point where she could not appreciate her actions.
4. Where do I stand while I wait for my bride?
You will need to stand right up front, to the right of the alter. This is is because, back in the day, a groom needed to have his right hand free to valiantly grab his sword and defend his bride from other suitors who might try to whisk her away. The tradition sort of just stuck, but there is no real need for you to follow suit. So if for some reason you wish to mix it up, by all means…be our guest.
5. Groom’s speech – what do I need to remember?
I’m going to make this easy for you: Thank your in-laws, mention your parents, compliment your new wife. Those are the three most important things to do. Even if you fancy yourself a great public speaker, don’t wing it. It never ends well. Prepare a speech and practice saying it to a friend at least once. Even if you are a funny guy, try to approach the speech with sincerity, and talk TO the people you are addressing. Even if you are having a celebrity wedding with 5000 guests, you should be able to single out your wife and make some decent eye contact as you tell her how happy you are to be spending the remainder of your days with her.
6. Garter. What is that thing, and do I really need to go up my Mrs’s dress in front of everyone.
Firstly, no – you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. As for the tradition behind the garter toss…back in the day when consummation needed to be proven for a wedding to be legitimate, those present during said consummation (YUK!) would often take a piece of the undergarments, like the garter, as proof of the act and as a ‘lil token of good luck. Because brides and grooms alike began to have an issue with this, the tradition slowly moved from the bedroom to the reception where the garter was willingly tossed to the guests.
So, there you have it…
If you found this article useful, you might enjoy It’s All Relevant, which has more interesting facts and useful pieces of information.
The post For the Bridal Couple | Gentlemen, we’ve got you covered appeared first on Hooray Weddings.