Wedding Week “I Do’s” and “I Don’ts” for the Groom

by: Pepper Montero

While planning a wedding can leave one harrowed by “the big day,” there are some strategies both brides and grooms can use to make events go as smoothly as possible. Common sense needs to rule the day no matter what goes wrong; and rest assured, all won’t go exactly as planned. If both brides and grooms are on board with making the wedding day go as smoothly as possible, even the mishaps can be seen as favorite memories in the days and years to come.

In most situations, brides have planned most of the wedding. This fact does not mean, however, that the groom can just sit back and watch while the bride works herself into a frenzy by the wedding day.

If you as a groom do not know what to do to help, just ask! Ask your bride for a list of things that you can do to help her. If she says she’ll handle it all herself, it may be time to put in a call to her mother. Those extra brownie points never hurt, anyway. If you are the recipient of a to-do list, just do it! Even if the items don’t seem important to you, complete the list in its entirety, on time.

If we look at the traditional role for the groom in planning a wedding, we’ll see that the groom is usually responsible for planning the honeymoon. If this is the case for you, make sure to confirm every single reservation you have made for the trip. For more tips on honeymoon planning, be sure to check out www.travelblogger.info.

The day before the wedding, make sure to pack everything you need for the ceremony, reception, and honeymoon. If you don’t know what you need, ask for help. If the bride is too busy, ask a female friend or your own mother. Everything needs to be done before the day of the wedding. If nothing else, it will start you marriage out on the right foot!

An important responsibility for the groom before the wedding is purchasing a gift for your bride. Make sure this gift, along with the ring and all honeymoon documents, is packed in a secure place. Write the location down on your hand if you have to, just don’t forget where you put these necessities.

During the rehearsal dinner, make sure you give a toast to your future in-laws. Again, the brownie points! Tell them how wonderful they must be in order to raise such a wonderful daughter, etc. Don’t forget your own parents in the toast either. Be sure to thank them for all they’ve done for you.

A key point of advice is to severely limit, if not curtail all together, consuming alcoholic beverages the day before and the day of the wedding. Being respectful to your bride, family, and guests is extremely important. You don’t want your guests feeling sorry for your bride for marrying an inconsiderate lush!

On the day of the wedding, be to the church exactly as scheduled. Photographers usually start taking pictures two hours before the ceremony. The photographer will photograph the bride for about 45 minutes and the groom for about 30 minutes. Even if you think you’ll just be sitting around (which may happen), be there on time anyway. Now would be a good time to get in a last game of poker with your buddies before getting married if you find yourself with nothing to do.

Truly, the groom’s responsibilities for the week of the wedding can be summed up in one word: courtesy. Show courtesy to your bride by being available to assist her any way you can. Show courtesy to your family by remembering them in toasts. Show courtesy to your guests by being on your best behavior. Finally, show courtesy to yourself. You will have to live with every decision you make during the week and day of your wedding. Be the kind of person you would want your daughter to marry some day.

Pepper Montero

About The Author

Pepper Montero and her husband run a wedding coordination business in the Upstate of South Carolina. They have been coordinating weddings for the last two years.

This article may be reprinted freely as long as all links remain active.

http://www.bridalblog.info
http://www.travelblogger.info
http://www.thewebllama.com

Wedding Week “I Do’s” and “I Don’ts” for the “On Schedule” Mother of the Bride

by: Pepper Montero

If you are reading this article, congratulations are in order! You’ve made it to the final count down of your daughter’s wedding. This accomplishment is no small feat, as I am sure you are well aware. However, even though that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is shining brightly, there is still work to be done.

If all has gone according to schedule, there should be precious little for you to do this week. If all has not gone according to schedule, it’s time to jump into action! I’ll address the first situation in this article and the second situation in a subsequent article, as they both require vastly different approaches. In addition to these articles, be sure to check out www.bridalblog.info for more information.

If you fit into the “according to schedule” category, your main duties are in the emotional realm to the bride. No matter what the relationship is between you and your daughter, she needs you know more than ever. Even if you are going to write your own article entitled “My Daughter, the Bridezilla,” you must remain calm, attentive, and helpful. If you aren’t sure exactly what your daughter needs right now, just ask. She’ll either be more than happy to give you some assignments, or you’ll draw back a nub. Either way, you can always say that you did try to help as the play-by-play of the final week is rehashed over and over again in years to come. If you are asked to help, do your duties cheerfully without giving any opinion of them (unless, of course, you are asked).

In addition to supporting your daughter, you also need to remember that you are about to play hostess to out of town guests. Of course, since you are in the “according to schedule” category, you already have all reservations booked and confirmed. Use this final week to prepare some sort of gift basket to place in the guests’ rooms. This basket can be as fancy or plain as you would like it to be. Whatever you choose, it is always a good idea to include maps and lists of local activities and attractions. Even if you are going to be busy the entire wedding weekend, your guests may only be occupied for four or five hours. Hosting a nice brunch the morning after the wedding is also a very considerate gesture. If you just can’t get this together on your own, call a few girlfriends. They’ll probably be glad that they have a task to do that will truly help you out.

So, the wedding day is finally here. Yet again, you’re not quite ready to relax yet. There are some hard and fast rules you should abide by today:

1.The only opinion you should give is a positive one.

2.Speak only kind words of high praise concerning your daughter and new son-in-law, no matter what your opinion of them really is.

3.Think of a friendly, appropriate, personal remark for everyone that you see.

4.Be dressed and ready before the schedule dictates in order to show your daughter how important this day is to you.

5.If you are married to your daughter’s father, make sure he is ready early, too.

6.Keep the focus on your daughter. Now is not the time to create any drama of any sort. If someone starts to argue with you about anything (including your daughter), don’t become defensive. Just smile, pat the person on the arm, and say that you need to keep mingling.

I wish I could add in these rules to enjoy yourself, but that’s just not your job for the day. If you are able to do all of the above and enjoy yourself at the same time, that’s wonderful. However, your enjoyment is not to come at the expense of your daughter and her needs. Just remember, this is her day. Let her have this day to fill with many positive memories of friends and family. What better gift could you give this marvel you have raised since her birth? She is a miracle and she deserves to have her day in the sun.

About The Author

Pepper and her husband run a wedding coordination business in the Upstate of South Carolina. They have been coordinating weddings for the last two years.

This article may be reprinted freely as long as all links remain active.
http://www.bridalblog.info
http://www.travelblogger.info
http://www.thewebllama.com
http://www.healthydietmagazine.com