The Fool-Proof Guide to Wedding Planning for Men

When it comes to wedding planning, the level of excitement women feel crosses charts, in comparison to the men folk, who probably don’t even make it to the charts, I say. Little girls dreaming about their fairy tale weddings might be a bit of a cliché, but women kind in general love weddings, so much so that every wedding becomes a tear jerking, over emotional event for us. And what do boys love? Cars, video games, gadgets, sports equipment? Cliché again you say. Well, we are about to break that stereotype. Here’s how the macho men folk can become wonderful wedding planning partners and work alongside the would be Mrs, her family and the extended family to put together the nuptial of her dreams.

The contemporary wedding scene is witnessing a sea change in how weddings are being planned in India in the context of the groom’s involvement. Enter, the Groomzilla! Yes, the modern grooms’ job in wedding planning has broadened significantly. They’re now seen not just lending a little hand here and a little hand there, but seriously getting their hands deeply tangled into what can make their wedding most memorable for them too. However, a groom is not required to have his say in every aspect of the wedding. Democracy is best left to the matters of the state. Sometimes.

Read on to know the areas a groom should and SHOULD NOT DARE to get himself involved in, while making the wedding all about ‘them’ and not just ‘her’. Here is our fool-proof guide to wedding planning for men.

Do’s

Know Your Role : It’s very important for you to know what a grooms’ role in wedding planning is all about. To begin with, do not just be the guy who becomes the one who has the check book. Know what you’re paying for. Manage the budgets yourself. No, we’re not saying that the brides suck at math. We’re just trying to cue you in to know if at all you’re being charged a bomb for a centrepiece or invites which you can actually do-it-yourself.

Decide the date with your fiancé. As we mentioned earlier it’s not all about her. You’ll both can sit together and discuss which date, month or season could be best to celebrate your union. You may not have a specific date in mind, but surely an idea of which season or month is most preferred by both.  

Help in preparing the guest list. Know who all need to and/or will be there at your wedding. That will largely determine your wedding budget.

Scout for venues together once you have the guest list and budget sorted.  This way you’ll have a good idea of what kind of venue will be perfect for your reception or pre-wedding functions. You definitely don’t want to be clueless about your venue on your wedding day. Don’t just simply choose one online or go by recommendations, do a recce yourself.

Show off your creative side by offering help in personalising things like the invites or wedding favors. If planning to set up a photo booth at your pre-wedding or wedding function, display your innovative skills through DIY backdrops and props.

Sort your Bridal Party : The bride may have all her gal pals helping her out with her couture, makeup and the works. You should get your chuddy-buddies to work with you. Be it shopping, helping with vendor arrangements or simply chilling to beat the wedding stress off, choose your groomsmen wisely. The ones whom you can call your “YES Man/Men”, with whom discussing the details of your wedding preps or cold feet worries won’t trap you into having a sissy boy tag.  

Offer Help in the Fun Stuff : A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Yeah, we know you’ve heard this a lot, but we just couldn’t resist mentioning this before moving onto another job you can take on in wedding preparations. If you’re a foodie then prepare yourself to a treat! Raise your hand high up to let your bride know that you will be more than delighted to decide on the food menu.  Well, if she thinks your food choices are the best and lets you go ahead with it, you’ve just earned yourself some brownie point and a whole lot of brownies.

If you have a good taste in music, (which we are sure, that’s why she decided to say yes, right?) sit to compile a playlist you would love to have at your wedding festivities. This job in the wedding planning process is quite effortless as all you need to do is lay around lazily browsing through song selections. Your match maybe made in heaven, but automobiles and boys is a well-known concept of made-for-each-other sorts. Going by this notion, we’d suggest you to decide on what transportation you would want to book for you and your bride, as well the bridal party.

Use Your Mastermind with the Vendors : Undoubtedly, women can be really good at bargaining, but men are a notch higher when it comes to convincing with calmness. Aren’t ya’ll great negotiators? Oh did we say too much in the process of wanting to pawn off this one rather difficult task to you? Vendors can be put to control when dealing with men rather than women, so use that hidden talent and backslap your way into lowering your overall budget and ensure smooth arrangements for your big day.

Plan your Honeymoon : While your lady love is busy with hundreds, perhaps a thousand other things for the D-Day (after all it’s her biggest transition in life) you could take on the responsibility of arranging your honeymoon. From travel arrangements-to hotel bookings-to what activities you both would be interested in at your honeymoon, you could be hands-on with this to make your honeymoon dreamy for you wifey-to-be.

Take Time Off : Though you may not be heavily involved in the planning, we understand the commitment stress a man can go through. Take time off not thinking or discussing the wedding. Go for drinks with your boys and simply be silly, be you. Of course, the safe kind of mad fun, if you don’t want to be doing the rounds of jail prior to your big day.

Don’ts

Bridal Wear: Yes, you can give suggestions, but you cannot impose your thoughts and ideas when it comes to what your bride will be wearing on the wedding day or for her pre-wedding functions. The best you can do is matching your outfit to hers to complement her choice. 

Décor: Imagine you and flowers together, not a pretty picture eh? Then stay miles away from the décor, consider it to be a deep red zone where you wouldn’t want to plunge in. Unless of course you are a professional architect, interior decorator or set designer. What are the odds, right?

Want To Earn Some Brownie Points?

Plan A Date: Surprise your spouse-to-be by taking her out on a romantic date or a weekend getaway. Whisk her away from all the mad planning surrounding your wedding, this will not only help her relax, but you as well. And great opportunity for that pre wedding photo shoot!

Avoid Sarcastic Comments: Wedding planning is a sensitive subject for everyone involved. You may take that wedding humour in your stride, but you don’t know if others will. A sarcastic comment, albeit funny from your perspective, may not be appreciated when she is busting her shins trying to plan this wedding so you can marry her.

Get Her A Bridal Gift: A bride may not say it aloud (or even if she does), she does expect a bridal gift from her hubby on the first wedding night. Be a darling and get her the finest present you can think of. It needn’t be anything expensive, personalised gifts are very well appreciated too. Remember it’s the thought and not the gift that matters. Your thoughts and the time investment in getting that gift for her will melt her heart instantly, so do give it utmost importance.

Phew! Not a lot for you we hope. Loved our wedding planning guide for men? Let us know at content@weddingz.in.

Good luck planning boys!