Sunday 20 June 2010

Here comes the... groom?!

It's almost too easy to forget about the groom when planning a wedding. Practically by default, the bride becomes the centre of attention. It's usually her dream, her big day - the big dress, the flowers, the lovely venue. But let's not forget about the poor groom. It is his big day, too. I have noticed as I attempt to find my way through this strange land of wedding preparation that I'm the one who gets asked how the plans are progressing, I'm the one all the wedding magazines and websites are aimed at. The amount of pages devoted to the groom is very slim. And it's a real shame. Traditionally, it's true, the groom might just sit back and let his beautiful wife to be organise everything, with his job being just to turn up to the church on time. But more and more often today you do find couples planning their wedding together, especially if they are paying for it themselves or are already living together.

I know I'm lucky that J is just as excited about our big day as I am, and he was very involved in the initial planning and research stage. He still is involved with the details and final preparations, although admittedly I am taking more responsibility. Probably because, as stated earlier, the groom is hardly mentioned. But I am endeavouring to keep J as included as possible, and he is glad of that. If I tend to over-do the organising and a hint of bridzilla-ness appears, he can pull me back, and then I can pass certain tasks over to him.

To me, the pinnacle of the down-playing of the groom is the attitude towards the outfits the happy couple wears. The bride will spend months searching for the perfect dress, choosing the right accessories, shoes, hair and make-up. There are fittings and further fittings, and a fortune is spent on an outfit that will only be worn once.

The groom, on the other hand, has to go to a good department store a few weeks before the wedding and order a suit. To hire. That then gets returned. The only decision might be the colour - black or grey, and the exact style - morning suit or not?

J, never one to just run with the crowd, has decided to put his own outfit together. He has therefore found a gorgeous Regency-style jacket and purple waistcoat (to match our colour scheme), and has bought trousers and a shirt he will wear again. In fact, he will likely wear the jacket and/or waistcoat again, perhaps on our honeymoon. It's original, it's flattering, it's very J, and he will have it for years to come. He will stand out on our big day as much as I will, he will hopefully feel somewhat special and unique, and the photographs should look brilliant!

Until next time...

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