Grooms! A guide to Do's and definitely please Don'ts...

Dont forget to enjoy yourself :)

Right from the start, the wedding day is extremely busy for your partner. From finalising details to indulging in pampering and grooming, the day is typically scheduled to the minute. For grooms, however, there's only one common expectation: 'arrive on time'. With all the attention on your partner, many overlook what the groom is up to before the wedding. The type of groom you are will significantly influence your pre-wedding activities.

Breakfast - Do's...

If the groom has supportive friends or perhaps a smothering mother, then the day begins with a hearty breakfast. After all, folklore says a big breakfast can help settle the stomach and the butterflies before the main event.

Of course, there will be some chaps that’ll wake up with butterflies so ferocious that they cannot stomach anything else. We’ll call these grooms the ‘bags of nerves.’

Don't...The liquid breakfast, on the other hand, will be apt for those who are middling between nervous and excited. The liquid breakfast may also be required in ‘the hair of the dog’ format if the last night as a ‘free man’ was a big one.

Advice – Be wise about your pre-ceremony drinks. A Bloody Mary for the hangover, maybe a beer or two to mull over the big day or perhaps the hip flask whisky shot. For the bride’s sake (and the suit’s) know your limits; there is a long day ahead.

Don't forget...?

The Morning Activities

If the wedding doesn’t start until the afternoon and showering and suiting take just ten minutes, there is plenty of time to kill. If you are the obedient groom, there will no doubt be a checklist of final preparations to see to. If you’re a practical groom, then mowing the lawn, clearing up from the night before and sorting out the kitchen may be in order, especially if the honeymoon starts the next day.

DO!... for an amazing start and to be in the good books at the Start of the Day - send your partner some fresh flowers for the room they are getting ready in, complete with a private note...

Send your partner flowers where they are getting ready with a special note...

For the bags of nerves, exercise is always preferable to clock-watching and re-reading the speeches for the thousandth time. Get the groomsmen out for some golf, go for a run, or sweat it out in the gym. Make sure to relax after in the pool and sauna, the stiff-robot walk with your new bride will not look good in the wedding video. On that note, the robot doesn’t look good in the wedding dance either, unless you’re a pro, Peter Crouch or a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

While exercise is great to get rid of the jitters, wake you up and get you stoked for the ceremony, your partner will expect you in one piece. It may be best to avoid the extreme sports until you’re hitched and perhaps don’t mention how long you were in the clubhouse at the golf course…

Do... make sure your flowers are perfect - they will be in all the photos.

Buttonholes

Suits have a sewn slot on the lapel where the flowers used to be placed through - these days, the buttonhole slot is often false, so flowers need to be pinned on, or you can ask for magnets (as long as you dont have a pacemaker!)

Please make sure your flowers are placed on your suit in line with the lapel - if you are unsure, ask your wedding planner or parents to help. Your flowers will be visible in ALL photos - we have lost count of seeing wedding photos where the groom's flowers (after a few hugs were tipping over or squashed...)

Ask your florist for a "Pocket Square" buttonhole - they sit within the breast pocket and look lovely. Plus, ask for a spare buttonhole to be supplied for photos later in the day.

Pocket Square alternative to a Buttonhole...

Pampering

Consider a spa experience, which is perfect for everyone. Indulge in a gentleman’s shave or a final haircut and styling session with a professional. Those unsteady pre-wedding hands can easily result in nicks and cuts with a razor, which won’t look good in photos. Relax with a barber alongside your friends and enjoy some personal time. They’ll complete your treatment with a pleasantly scented aftershave that your new partner will surely appreciate.

Not into grooming? Have you been restricted from physical activities until you’ve made your way down the aisle? Why not gather your groomsmen for a high-stakes poker game? Each groomsman can contribute a prize, like cigars or a bottle of bourbon, and the winner takes all.

Don't... Make sure the stakes aren’t too high, though; you don’t want to risk a pre-wedding fallout or punch-up. Practising your poker face is a great way to keep calm and make sure you can keep your emotions in check in preparation for the main event.

Finally:

·DO! Set an alarm for the time you MUST get ready by and make sure it is 30 minutes before what you think.

DO! Give your partner a beautiful "First look" - yes, you can be emotional, they will love you even more.

Beautiful wedding at South Downs Manor

· Don’t forget the rings! No, seriously, don’t.

· Remember to be present – enjoy the private moments with your bride and meaningful moments throughout the day, even before the big event.

· Say thanks to everyone a lot.

· Relax and enjoy it!

Be present throughout the day - it will fly by!

What Type of Groom Are You?

Mr. Happy - Organised And Efficient

Mr. Bag of Nerves

Mr Over Emotional - it's just hitting me now what I'm doing...

Mr. There’s Plenty of Time...

Mr Continual Pocket-Frisker :)

Mr. Pacing the Corridors

Mr. Should’ve Paced Myself Better

Mr O.M.G.

Finally, don’t wake up the day after the Wedding and say, “Where am I?”

Let us know! E:chirpeeflowers@gmail.com, we love to hear your wedding stories and see your photos!

Tim aka Chirpee Flowers www.chirpee.net

All photos from our lovely weddings. If you spot your photo, give us a shout!