Guy's Corner: Stylin' & Profilin'

There are so many ways for a groom to be both handsome and comfortable on the big day.  Modern day grooms and groomsmen have a plethora of options for wedding attire.  I've picked a few of my favorite personalized items to ensure stylish and happy men, enjoy! 

First up, if you like Converse then you might have already seen their newest design idea.  Converse's Create & Customize option allows brides and grooms to personalize wedding day chucks with names, dates and pretty much any words you want.   Check the site for specific pricing and order details, making sure you allow enough time for delivery without cutting it too close to the big day.

 

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For the groom & his guys who want a splash of awesome up top, Cyperoptix offers a wide range of colorful & awesome ties.  This is a great option for wedding attire that is right in between informal and formal.  Attire rules are less rigid now so don't be afraid to dress up suits with a pop of personalization.

Guy's Corner: Formal Event Clothes Made Easy

With wedding season now starting as early as March and going through November & December, it is pretty common for most people to attend at least wedding a year.  From beach to black tie weddings, what to wear is always a concern for all guests.  This Well Groomed Blog post breaks down the age old question that most males face in regards to fashion: which color dress shoes to wear with what color suit.  While males do have some room to make mistakes in day to day work attire, formal events such as weddings are a whole other ballgame.  Sure, if you are a guy with a girlfriend or wife who can help you then you are in luck.  But maybe pass this along to your friends who only have their manly instinct to rely on when getting dressed for a formal event.

The other big question is what color suit to wear in the first place.  The tuxedo is on its way out of the wedding circuit, save for black tie affairs.  Modern groomsmen & male guests are opting for black, tan and gray suits.  And there is always the option of not wearing the full suit, instead sporting a suit vest or casual vest over a button up collared shirt.  I've collected a few images below, both from my Felicity C Weddings clients & ones I found online.  Enjoy!

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Diamond Wedding 5.21.10 Credit: Lindsay Hite/ ReadyLuck

Ford Wedding 9.25.10. Credit: Procopio Photography

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Guy's Corner: Guidelines to Choosing Your Wedding Band

Wedding rings are the universal sympbol of marriage but tend to be overlooked in the first few months of planning of wedding.  Typically the engagement ring is fitted with the wedding ring in mind so they compliment each other.  The jeweler will show the groom-to-be the options for wedding ring settings when he is buying the engagement ring and then the couple can return a few months before the wedding to choose their wedding bands.  While most women have thought about their wedding band and what they want, the guys are usually a bit intimidated by this process.  Most men don't wear a lot of jewelry so this is a big decision.  The basic questions to keep in mind are:

#1. Budget- Make sure that you both know your budget for each ring before you step into the jewelry store.
#2. Basic Aesthetics- Do you like gold or silver?  Silver has many options from the carat amount to platinum vs. regular silver.  But knowing the direction you want to go helps narrow down all the option from the beginning.
#3. Lifestyle- Do you work in manual labor and require a simple design as well as a durable metal? Do you want a sleeker ring that is more formal to compliment all your business suits? Think about the fact that you will wear this ring everyday in plain sight.
#4. Design- Do you want your rings to match, compliment, or neither?  Some mens bands do have diamonds embedded, is this a look that you want?  This is probably a question that doesn't occur to most guys but it is important that you both are happy with both wedding bands. 

Here are a few ideas for options.  There are a lot of articles out there about wedding bands, I really like OffBeat Bride's picks for starters.  Enjoy & happy purchasing!

Engagement ring and wedding band setting

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Guy's Corner: The Sweet Treat Coming Your Way

The groom's cake may be one of the coolest traditions to move North since polo's, khaki shorts, and sandals.  The Southern tradition of the bride "gifting" the groom with a special cake is making its way around the country in a big way and has been growing in popularity in the past few years.  According to the history of a groom's cake, it is "not to be served to the guests while at the wedding reception, but rather it was to be sliced up, placed into packages and given to them as favors when they departed. Single women at the wedding would take their pieces of cake home and sleep with it under their pillows in hopes of dreaming of their future husbands" (source).  Since the idea of sleeping with cake under your pillow is not required, many modern couples do serve the groom's cake at the reception.  The groom's cake is separate from the traditional wedding cake and features the groom's hobbies, favorite sports team, or anything groom-related.

Some brides choose to surprise their grooms with this special cake since honestly, how much do most guys know about wedding details?  This is a small but awesome gesture to show that the wedding day really is about the groom too by honoring his favorite things in a delicious cake.  It is a great addition to the traditional cake or to serve at the rehearsal dinner.  I picked out some truly kick ass cakes to give you inspiration.  Enjoy!

Spectacular replica of the Boston Red Sox's stadium. Source

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Guy Corner: All Things Groom

Does this sound like any recently engaged guy you know?  The proposal was a hit.  He's updated his Facebook profile to state that he is now engaged.  At this point most grooms-to-be are ready to sit back and relax until the big day since they aren't sure how or what they should be doing. Unfairly, a lot of men get stuck in between a rock and a hard place when it comes to wedding planning because they don't have a lot of knowledge on the subject and because it is socially acceptable to have the bride take control.   While most guys aren't concerned with the china patterns his fiancee is registering for, there are a lot of details that most men actually do want a say in.  I have found that the grooms I have worked with have 3 main concerns for the actual wedding day; the food, the music, and the bar.  But there is so much more to enjoy in the entire planning process (hello caterer tastings and registering for cool home gadgets!). 


Luckily, I have found two great resources for grooms; The Man Registry and The Plunge.  These are two pretty awesome websites with articles, checklists and products aimed at grooms.  There are articles about everything from bachelor parties (and non-stripper bachelor parties), groomsmen gifts, etiquette, relationship advice, fashion, and even promotions from approved vendors!  I think the key to both sites is that the content is aimed at guys without any of the wedding "fluff" the brides get from their websites, magazines, and tv shows.  While most guys have at least one friend who is married, its pretty rare that men share insight or advice for the wedding planning part.  And yes, there are "groom" books out there but what guy wants to sit down and read a whole book about weddings?  These websites serve as an expert on a very intimidating subject without forcing extra information.  


Not a groom?  No problem, these sites are not limited to the newly engaged!  For guys needing some direction to "pop the question", The Plunge offers a ring buying guide and he'll probably stumble across the proposal ideas as well.  Or if your man has no clue about being a best man or groomsman for a his friend, you can direct him to the wedding toasts and groomsmen section.  But back to the grooms, after you get that ring on her finger and life has calmed down a bit, head over to these websites and I'm pretty sure it will help you feel less overwhelmed and get more excited about the big day!  Enjoy!

 

Groomsman gift idea: NCAA 550 Grill Topper. Source

Doubts. Buyer’s remorse. Second guessing. Should you be alarmed? Call the whole damn thing off? Find out.

Need advice on cold feet? Source

Want to know what the Groom's responsibilities are?  Source

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Guy Corner: Asking Your Friends To Be In Your Wolfpack*

So, the idea that guys don't care at all about weddings or any of the planning is false.  Absolutely.  Most of my grooms DO care intensely about 3 things: the food/ the bar, the music, and the groomsmen.  Which makes total sense because that is what they remember from the weddings they have been to and those areas will make or break a wedding for most men.  I posted about Allison Kornberg and her "plan my wedding" blog which is a super cool idea.  Well, upon more research/ blog stalking, I found that her fiancé has a few posts on the blog too, from his perspective.  I love his first post the most though.  He details how he asked his friends to be his groomsmen.  Which is something that some guys may prefer to do over Monday Night Football wings & beer and some guys may want to make a big deal out of, like Allison's fiancé. Here is a peek:

I love this because it is simple (read: non-intimidating to most guys) but still is doing something different for the men that the groom is asking to stand beside him on the biggest day of his life.  A lot of brides are being creative when asking their bridesmaids and I'm just a big fan of making an event of something pretty much anytime.  When I put this question out on the Felicity C Weddings facebook page, all the responses were the same; the men were super casual and just issued a phone call.  There was one recent bride (who was a FCW client) that said her now husband asked his best man & groomsman in person and used it as guy bonding time.  I am not saying that every guy should give presents or plan a big event, but it is a good excuse to have all the guys get together.  The possibilities are endless from a buying a slot of time for all the guys at a batting cage or for a paintball session to a night out on the town.  Whatever the method, grooms should know that they are allowed to make some big decisions and this is only the first of many during planning.   If all else fails, check out this funny "will you be my groomsman?" card:

 

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* The 'wolfpack' reference is from "The Hangover".  If you have not seen it, it is hilarious although highly inappropriate.  It is about a bachelor party gone horribly and hilariously wrong in Las Vegas.  Mom, if you are reading this, do NOT watch this movie and just take my word for it. Ok thanks.