Most of the time, wedding mornings are pretty laidback for the guys and/or masculine/male identifying counterparts. Most of the time, you won’t be worrying about hair or make-up or shaving your legs. In general, it’s pretty stress free. There are definitely some things that grooms need to consider for the morning of the wedding day to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. SO! I’m sharing my wedding day tips for the groom, so you can have the best wedding day possible!
First things first, get a good night’s rest!
Make sure you get your eight hours the night before. Take care of you! You and your partner are literally the most important people on your wedding day. So, make sure you are well rested the night before your big day. That’s my number one tip for grooms on wedding day! Make sure you take care of you and your partner first. That way when you show up the next day you aren’t just a zombie on a coffee kick! You want to remember this day, I can promise you that!
Pack your snacks and HYDRATE!
Make sure you have snacks, hydrate and eat, pace yourself and don’t drink too much. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had groups blitzed off their lizards half way in to family photos. Nothing will piss your partner off more than being drunk in front of grandma on the wedding day/ceremony! If you don’t eat in the morning, you’re going to have to wait a LONG time until your next meal. It’ll help with any nerves and make you a happier person overall. The last thing that you want to be on this amazing day is hungry! Make sure you eat plenty and stay hydrated so you can endure the hours of partying ahead. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!!
Know how to tie your tie, or bowtie
You may not have to put on hair and make up, but you have a job I consider just as hard. Tying your tie! I can’t count the number of times I’ve watched YouTube videos with the groom and groomsmen the morning of the wedding. You’d think by now I could tie a tie but I can’t…. and there’s no shame if you can’t either. Just make sure you and/or your groomsmen practice before the big day or have your favorite YouTube video ready to go on the big day! OR get a clip-on! AND, if this applies, make sure you know how to put on your boutonnieres. Always know that I am more than willing to put my hands to work. I put on my fair share as a wedding photographer. So, can’t tie your tie or need some help… I gotchu!
Have your small details ready
If you’re giving wedding party gifts, save it for when I get there because we love a photo of that. Have all your details ready when I get there- and don’t have them on! When I arrive to the groom prep location I’m going to want to photograph your details first. This is before you are wearing them. Having your belt or suspenders, your tie/bowtie, your cufflinks, your shoes and your pocket squares ready for me to photograph is going to help us breeze through your part. Then you can get back to celebrating a lot faster!
Additional things I love to have to tell the story are your gifts to the wedding party (If applicable) and your gift from and to your partner (if applicable). Bonus points if you have your small details or things that matter most to you ready, so that I can grab a quick picture to make sure you remember them when you look back on the day! But I promise to always bring them back!
Write your Vows, no seriously
Write your vows no later than the day before your wedding day. Vows are an important part of any wedding day. You don’t want to be scrambling to make sure you have the perfect thing. So set aside time in the weeks, months or days before to actually put how you feel down on paper or write your partner a sweet note if you’re doing traditional vows with your partner. It’s also a bonus if you want to write them on a nice sheet of paper or in a journal. It makes for a great photo, and is a fun gift for your partner.
Prepare the groomsmen/wedding party
One of my biggest wedding day tips for the groom is to make sure the groomsmen are all present and ready. There’s always that one guy who’s late to the party (Tom and Mandy, I’m looking at you 😉 just kidding, but really) Pro tip: give your wedding party a fake time to be ready, so everyone’s ready at least 15-30 minutes before they need to be. I know sometimes celebrating your big day can get a little rowdy and exciting.
When I arrive, the wedding party should be fully dressed except for their final touches, like suit jackets, coats, etc. They’ll probably just get too hot if they put them on for the whole day, so we don’t want any one sweating through their shirts before the party gets started! They should have their shoes, pants, shirt and ties on when we arrive so they’re ready to help you and everyone looks spiffy during prep photos. Once we’re done photographing the details, the wedding party will help the groom get ready.
Clean the Room
Make sure the room is clean! I know when people are gettin ready, things end up where they shouldn’t be! Especially if you’re partying day of, things could get rowdy! I don’t care if you have to hide that ish under the bed, in the closet or in the bathtub, but just make sure any and all things are out of sight and out of mind when I get there. We don’t want it to look like a bomb went off in the background of your photos, so give the room a quick clean!
Decide on sunglasses or no sunglasses.
I know it can be tough when it’s a bright day outside and you have to pose for photos with the sun right in your eyes. Decide ahead of time if you’ll be grinning and bearing it or make sure everyone has them! There have been so many times where we go to take groomsmen photos and someone forgot their sunglasses. It’s best to decide before hand whether you’re all having sunglasses, or no one is having sunglasses, then remember to bring them when you leave the hotel. It’s all or nothing guys, either everyone has them or no one does!
Leave non-essentials behind
Another really important wedding day tip for a groom is to leave anything you don’t really need in your hotel room or with someone you trust! Wedding days are usually filled with a lot of moving parts and going to different places. Wedding days have us traveling all over the place and give you lots of places to lose things. If you don’t need your wallet or phone, leave them somewhere safe or with one of your groomsmen.
If I have to be all be super annoying day of saying everything out of your pockets a jillion times, so if you don’t want me to be that annoying bird on your shoulder leave those non-essentials in the room. When we go to take pictures, if you do have these items with you make sure you and your groomsmen hide them well. Think about putting them all in your back pocket so they’re not noticeable in the pictures! You don’t want to be that guy with that weird bulge that’s really your wallet and keys distracting from your gorgeous photos. So, everything out of your pockets! Once more for the people in the back, everything out of your pockets!!
Pack an emergency kit
The bride usually has an emergency kit and you really should too! It might seem unnecessary, but that’s why it’s just for emergencies. Keep only the essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving cream, deodorant, bandaids if you cut yourself shaving, a razor, mouth wash, gum. You get the idea! Bring the emergency kit with you to the hotel or prep location. Oh, and don’t forget water! I know every groom wants to be fresh to death day of, so pack that emergency kit so you can snip those stray threads or lint roll all that dog hair off your clean cut suit on your wedding day! Emergency kit suggestions: Tylenol, contacts, contact solution and did I mention WATER?!?! Electrolytes too! Get your blue gatorade on, I can not express how many times I’ve had a drunk groom on wedding day embarrassing their partner in front of grandpa… don’t be THAT guy!
BONUS TIP for a destination wedding: If you’re heading to Hawaii or somewhere with a lot of sun, the make sure you wear sunscreen. I can tell you right now, there is nothing worse than having tomato face on your wedding day!
Have your suits pressed the week of, not the same day
As you get closer to the wedding day, things will get hectic and busy. But one thing that needs to be on the top of your to-do is getting your suit pressed. There have been a few times where the groom or groomsmen are frantically ironing their suits and their ties. I never knew you could iron a tie but it actually ruined it- so don’t do that! We want your morning spent hanging with your friends, not ironing your suits or worrying about wrinkles in photos. You want to look and feel confident, and pressing your suit is part of that! Also hot tip, literally – think about an undershirt or whatever you need for the conditions you’re in! Maybe bring an extra shirt as well, if you’re a heavy sweater!
Choose the right socks
Socks are just as important as any of your other accessories. They complete an outfit. Whether you choose black socks or colored socks to match the attire of the wedding, or a fun pattern that expresses your personality make sure you have the right ones with you. You wouldn’t want to forget them and have to wear (gasp!) white socks like damn goober! If your pants are too short, just about the worst thing would be seeing those glaring white socks in the pictures! That being said, maybe bring an extra pair of socks for that forgetful groomsmen who we all know will be that goober with ugly socks or forgets the matching groomsmen/wedding party item!
Break in your shoes
Speaking of feet, there is nothing worse than having sore feet and blisters at the end of your amazing day you’ve been planning for months. So make sure to break those nice shoes in before you get to your big day. If you don’t have time to do that then definitely pack some bandaids so you can protect the most sensitive parts of your feet. That way you’ll make it through the night without wanting to chuck your shoes into the ocean, and you can make it through to the end of family photos without squirming and wincing every five seconds!
Choose one: belt or suspenders.
While you may love the look of both of these, each of these accessories do the same job. You don’t need both, so choose one. I personally LOVE how suspenders look on a wedding day. I think it gives such a timeless look to the groom and the groomsmen, especially when they’re wearing tuxedos or have really cool looking suspenders. They make you look super suave, I promise. But if you’re not a huge fan of suspenders, then a simple belt fits well with any look.
Give the rings to the most responsible party to begin the day
If you’re getting ready in the same general location of the bride (same hotel, at the venue in different rooms) then make sure the bride OR the most responsible party has the rings and not the best man! When I get to the wedding, ring shots are generally first and foremost when I plan what details I need to get during our day together. Then comes the getting ready photos with the groom. So in order to cut out the middle man, start the day with the rings with the bride and then I can bring them back to your location just as soon as we finish up!
Last but definitely least: have fun!
This one goes without saying, but I’m saying it anyways! This is about you and your love, and keeping you stress-free is just as important as anything else that day. If you make sure to handle all of these things ahead of time, you will definitely have a great wedding morning with your guys.
There you have it, my 16 wedding day tips for the groom. This can truly make or break your wedding day timeline and your stress levels so be sure to follow these simple steps for a great morning with your guys! This is truly a special time for you, your friends and your family. Cherish this time and have fun the morning of. One thing you can check off your list is a photographer, I’ll be there capturing every single moment for you. This means that all you have to worry about is making memories on this big day!
Let’s get you started down the road to a stress-free wedding, contact me through my website or follow me on Instagram to get inspiration for your special day!
Check out my Pinterest for some Hawaii and Seattle elopement and wedding inspiration. But, if you’re ready to see what I can do for you, head to my Instagram or my contact page for more information. Let’s rock your wedding day and make it a day you won’t forget!
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