There’s a lot of pressure to make your wedding perfect. But remember, perfection is the enemy of good. So if you try to be perfect, you’ll end up with a day neither you nor your bride will ever forget. So don’t sweat the small stuff.
On your wedding day, there are a few things you can do as the groom that will make the event more enjoyable for you and your bride. And, if you do a few simple things, you can make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch and your day is as special as you both want it to be.
1. Make the most of the day
So many things going on at once that most couples get swept up in the emotion of the day that they don’t have time to stop and breathe. Make sure you keep reminding yourself throughout the day to do that deep breathing so you’ll be ready to enjoy those special moments with all the clarity they deserve.
2. Happy wife, happy life
Your fiancée is the most important person in your life and she should be treated with respect at all times, especially by you. The wedding day is your opportunity to make your wife happy from the off.
And yes, drinking too much, being scruffy or unkempt, will ensure starting married life the wrong way. So do your best to avoid doing either of these things on your special day.
3. Keep the bridesmaid and best man busy
It’s your day, not theirs. I think the most important thing you can do for your wedding day is to relax and enjoy it! And the best way for you and your bride to enjoy the day is to not have to worry about a damn thing. So if you don’t have a wedding planner, ask one of your maid-of-honour or another good friend to act as director and wedding planner for the day.
If you do have a wedding planner, you should definitely insist she or he be there on the day of to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. But other than that, my advice is to let your bride do what she does best… which is, be the bride!
4. Have the stag do in advance
Never have the stag do too close to the wedding, and don’t get hammered the night before either. Primarily because you don’t want to be the guy who staggers up to the altar with a hangover on his wedding day!.
If you show up to your own wedding hungover, you will have to live with the fact that everyone will remember it; including your kids, grandchildren, friends, co-workers, boss, and especially your spouse! Not exactly a great beginning to wedded bliss.
5. Give your new bride a gift the night before
Give your sweetheart a meaningful and memorable gift that will be a constant reminder of how much you care… and how well you plan!
There is an endless supply of ideas for you! Maybe a picture frame with a photo of the two of you together or one of the places you have enjoyed travelling or a collage of snapshots that illustrate your relationship through time. Or how about a personalised necklace or bracelet with the date.
6. Bring all official paperwork for the day
This is something even newlyweds tend to overlook. But, you need to make sure you do have your wedding license handy because it needs to be signed and then sent in by your local officiant in order for you to be legally wed.
7. Make sure the best man has a well worded speech
Many try to impress the wedding guests with clever toasts that show off their wit and humour. However, they can cause offence when they try to discuss topics that are not in good taste.
That’s why the best man should give a more formal toast that makes people sit up and pay attention. He should do this by reminding the guests of the significance of the event, by talking about how the couple has put a lot of thought into their wedding plans and what each of the guests can expect from the upcoming marriage.
8. Smile and enjoy the day
If you don’t naturally smile, try to force yourself to smile more often on your wedding day, because the pictures will be viewed by future generations of your family, and they’ll be astonished at how little emotion you had when you said “I do”. Many people don’t smile easily, or at all, but if you don’t you’ll always be the odd man out when it comes to looking at photos of your friends and relatives. Practice smiling often and the results will amaze you.
