Category Archives: Groom

5 intimate weddings

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Modest guest lists lend themselves to unusual and exceptional wedding venues. Be inspired by our top 5 venues for small and chic weddings in the UK.

1. Temple of Apollo, Stourhead, Wiltshire

Who for: Romantic couples who want a beautiful, classic and intimate ceremony. The garden temple will seat 30 guests to witness your wedding

What: A tranquil paradise. Situated in one of the finest landscape gardens in the world, the stone built Temple of Apollo, built in 1765, is truly stunning. Looks familiar? You may well have seen it in the proposal seen in remake of Pride and Prejudice. If it’s good enough for Keira Knightley Matthew MacFadyen…

Why: It’s timelessly beautiful and will provide a magnificent backdrop for your wedding photographs.

2. Millbrook Estate, High Bickington, Devon

Who for: Nature lovers who want to be married hidden away, in a breath taking valley. Millbrook specialises in weddings for up to 20 guests, they also do ‘Runaway Weddings’ for less than four guests…

Why: Stunning and very private, Millbrook is set within a valley location of 32 acres of beautiful countryside with lakes, wild flower meadows and mature woodland. Marry in the extremely intimate secret garden conservatory or in the summerhouse, which has enormous folding doors to let the outside in, and a huge fireplace for roaring log fires in the winter months. The venue even offers private dinning for true romantics.

3. Forter Castle, Perthshire, Scotland

Who for: The Bride and Groom who want a venue fit for a King and Queen. The castle can accommodate 16 for a sit down meal or up to 24 for a buffet and sleeps up to 12.

What: This16th century fortified tower is like something from a fairy-tale – it’s been lovingly restored from a ruin to retain its original character and charm, but with opulent modern-day comforts and even boasts its very own chapel. The surrounding highlands are unspoilt and sure to impress.

Why: It’s dramatic and intimate at the same time.

4. Nash Point Lighthouse, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales

Who for: Quirky couples looking for a unique place to tie the knot. The spectacular Lighthouse can hold 25 guests, over two floors.

What: One of the few operational lighthouses where you can get married, beautiful Nash Point Lighthouse is situated on one of the cleanest, sandy coastlines in South Wales and noted for its variety and birdlife. You’ll be treated to a spectacular view while you say ‘I do’ – a great choice for those with an affinity with the sea.

Why: It’s a deliciously different option and a real statement about who you are as a couple.

5. Tunnels Beaches, Ilfracombe, Devon

Who for: Couples who want to a beautiful, informal ceremony at the beach. Tunnels Beaches encourage weddings for up to 60-70 people, with the option of more even guests.

What: A network of hand carved tunnels lead you to a tidal Victorian bathing pool and stunning sheltered beaches, where this chic, contemporary venue lies. Get married in the Thatched Gazebo overlooking the sea, with a sublime view of the rugged coastline and the sound of the sea.

Why: It’s a stunning yet understated choice and the scenery will look fantastic in your photos.

Wedding Night gifts for the Groom

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A hand-written love letter, an engraved keepsake, or something suitably sexy. Here’s some inspiration for meaningful gifts for your groom, from boudoir shoots to honeymoon accessories for every taste and budget, with romantic ideas for how you can make it a night to remember.

Meaningful gifts for your groom are best served up on your wedding night, before the acrobatics begin. It’s the time you finally get to be together, just the two of you, so make it memorable. You should know, better than anyone, what he will appreciate most, whether it’s an act of love or something he can keep forever, or both.

A Bed of Rose Petals and Fairy lights

Set the scene: light the room with gently glowing heart-shaped fairy lights, small scented votives and church candles and scatter the bed with real rose petals as a prelude to your night ahead. Hang the fairy lights around your own bed when you get back home.

A Champagne and Candle-lit Bath

Leave all the drama and spectacle of your wedding day behind you by running a romantic, candle-lit bath and share a bottle of Champagne as you relax together.

Sexy Photograph Surprise

Present him with stunning professional boudoir style photographs of yourself. You will love the experience, which can do wonders for your confidence, and he will love the results. The framed photo can be hung on your bedroom wall when you get back from your honeymoon.

Beautiful Bridal Lingerie

Ask him to help you out of your wedding dress to reveal the sexiest lingerie he has ever seen you in, complete with garter! Alternatively, change out of your ivory bridal lingerie into something befitting your night of passion ahead.

An Engraved Pocket Watch

A vintage pocket watch, with your own engraved message of love for him to see every day is both thoughtful and practical. Add your wedding date and he’ll never be able to forget your anniversary either!

His ‘n’Hers Passport Covers

If practical gifts are more his style, give him a passport cover with matching luggage tags for your honeymoon and get yourself the same!

Whatever you feel he would love most, your wedding night is special, and to mark it in this memorable way shows how thoughtful you are. Just don’t forget to hint that you’re getting him a little something…

The Groom should feel fabulous too

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When planning a wedding so much of the build up to the wedding is about the bride and her beauty regime, whether she decides to do her own wedding makeup or opt for amazing nail art, but what about the groom?

The groom will appear in plenty of pictures on his wedding day, so it’s important to be looking your absolute best.

Consider Your Scent

You’re pretty much guaranteed at least one kiss on your wedding day, but to guarantee you get a few more make sure you smell incredible. Look for an aftershave that comes with a matching moisturiser and shower gel – by using products that all have the same scent, the smell will be stronger. It’s also worth investing in a decent deodorant – test run it ahead of the big day!

Facial Hair

Moustache: To make sure your moustache is in perfect condition, start growing it ahead of the big day. Avoid trimming it above the lip until you’re pleased with the length, and comb through it regularly, brushing the hairs outwards.

Stubble: Designer stubble is big trend  – it’s great news if you struggle to grow a full beard, or can’t be bothered to shave regularly! To make the most of your stubble, allow the hairs to grow until it starts to feel itchy and follow the natural lines on your face to create the shape. Wet shave any of the areas that don’t fit the template. If your face is quite chiselled, fade or taper the stubble so there’s not such a defined outline.

Tight Beard: If want to be on trendy with a beardy look but can’t deal with feeling unkempt, the tight beard is for you. Keep your facial hair trimmed short for this look, as it gives a well-groomed feel. Set your trimmer to 2-3 millimetres and trim evenly all over, before wet shaving the surrounding areas for a well-defined, sharp look.

Short Long Beard: A long beard isn’t for everyone – that trend may be best left to the hipsters. A long beard can appear quite straggly so for a tidy take on the look go for the short long beard. Follow the shape of your face to style this beard and use sharp, groomed lines. Don’t let the beard go past a couple of inches below the chin and leave the hair under the chin and on the neck to grow for a fuller look.

Style Your Hair

Don’t get so caught up in your facial hair that you forget about the hair on your head. See a barber in the run up to your wedding – around two weeks before – to make sure your hair is tidy and in top condition. You may need to trim your neck and hairline just before the big day. Now is not the time to change your trusty hair products in case they don’t result in the desired effect. Stick to your usual style and products.

Get a Manicure

Consider getting a masculine manicure to make sure your nails are looking their very best for the big day. It’s quite likely that your hands will feature in a lot of photos – as you place the wedding ring on your partner’s finger, and as the two of you show off your shiny new rings after the ceremony. By getting a manicure you can make sure your nails look neat, tidy and buffed ready to be captured on camera.

 

The Best Man

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Many years ago, pre medieval times, the groom’s best man stood beside the bride at the altar. He assumed his position at the side of the bride as protection throughout the wedding ceremony. What was the meaning behind the protection? Is it not the best man’s’ job just to throw a huge bachelors party, and say a few kind words at the reception?

The best man was traditionally a friend of the groom, and asked by the groom to be the chief guardian of the bride during the time preceding the wedding. He in turn would appoint mutual friends to help with the duty of protecting the bride and seeing to it that she got to the wedding on time and unscathed. This is the origin of the best man and groomsmen, or traditionally called “The brides knights”.

Of course, scandal wasn’t uncommon in the Anglo-Saxon days of Great Britain. And on occasion it has been told that the Best Man with the assistance of his groomsmen would kidnap the bride. Some could interpret this as being an act of selfishness or unkind, others might detail a different story. Most marriages in the dark ages were still arranged and courtship was granted by the father of the bride to better the family status. Thus, potential suitors would be pitted against each other; similar to applying for a job. Your letter to the father would outline your traits, qualities and suitability to wed his daughter.

Of course, the daughters were still given a lot of freedom and allowed to marry in most instances where they too consented. But in the cases where the parents did not approve, they would see their daughter kidnapped by the groomsmen and guarded until married.

Of course the family would take action and try to dispel the marriage, even whilst the two delinquents were at the altar! Hence you will find that the Groom would stand to the right of the bride at the altar so his sword could be drawn quickly to defend his position in marriage. And the best man would guard the bride by standing on the brides other side until the vows had been completed.

 

Best Man tradition

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The tradition of a best man has its origin with the Germanic Goths, when it was customary and preferable for a man to marry a woman from within his own community. When women came into short supply “locally,” eligible bachelors would have to seek out and capture a bride from a neighboring community.

As you might guess, this was not a one-person operation, and so the future bridegroom would be accompanied by a male companion who would help with the wedding planning. Our custom of the best man is a throwback to that two-man, strong-armed tactic, for, of course the future groom would select only the best man he knew to come along for such an important task.

The role of the best man evolved. By 200 A.D. his task was still more than just safeguarding the wedding ring. There remained a real threat that the bride’s family would attempt to forcibly obtain her return, so the best man remained at the groom’s side throughout the marriage ceremony, alert and well-armed.

He continued his duties after the ceremony by standing guard as sentry outside the newlywed’s home. Much of this is German folklore, but is not without written documentation and physical artifacts. We have records that indicate that beneath the altars of many churches of early peoples (the Huns, Goths, Visigoths, and Vandals) there lay an arsenal of clubs, knives, and spears. The indication is that these were there to protect the groom from possible attack by the bride’s family in an attempt to recapture her.

 

The Wedding Processional Order

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When planning a wedding, we’ve listed the entire processional order starting with mother of the bride and finishing with the bride. Make sure your bridal team know who they should follow and who goes next…

Mother of the bride

The mother of the bride is the first to walk down the aisle to mark the start of the procession. She traditionally takes the first seat in the left hand aisle.

Mother of the groom

The mother of the groom shortly follows, taking the first seat in the front right hand row.

Grandparents of the bride

If both grandparents are attending your wedding it is also tradition for them to be included in the wedding procession. The grandparents of the bride should sit in the front left hand row with the

Mother of the bride.

Grandparents of the groom

Followed by grandparents of the groom who should sit in the front right hand row with the mother of the groom.

Groomsmen

The groomsmen can walk in one by one or together and will stand at the front awaiting the entrance of the Groom.

Best Man & Groom

The best man may walk in with the Groom or as the last of the groomsmen. The best man will stand by the groom’s side during the wedding ceremony and often holds the bride’s ring or both rings.

Officiant

A crucial element to the ceremony, the officiant of the marriage is also honoured with a position in the processional either down the aisle or from another side room. The officiant will stand at the front with the groom.

Bridesmaids & Maid of honour

Traditionally the bridesmaids will walk in together, closely followed by the maid of honour who is the last person to assist the bride with her dress and make sure the bride looks perfect for her entrance.

Flower girls, page boys & ring bearer

Flower girls, page boys and/or the ring bearer will precede the bride down the aisle. This marks the end of the processional, the rings are given to the best man and maid of honour by the ring bearer.

Father of the bride and the bride

Finally, the bride’s father will traditionally walk his daughter down the aisle and give her away to the groom who waits at the altar. The father of the bride will then take his seat next to the mother of the bride.

 

Inviting people

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Planning a wedding guest list can be stressful enough, without the added dilemma of whether to invite people your other half does not approve of.

Honestly is the best policy

Being completely honest with your other half is important from the very beginning, and the sooner you approach the subject, the better. Make them feel completely comfortable, and ensure that you aren’t demanding this person to come, but rather asking if they would be happy with the idea. An ex might feel snubbed if they’re not invited, but in some cases, people may not have been invited to spare their feelings.

Think sensibly

Make sure you think about why your other half to be doesn’t like this person? Was it recent? Worst case scenario is your friend going to ruin your big day by drinking far too much and saying something offensive. People should only invite people to weddings if they think that person will be a positive presence at the wedding.

Be sensitive

Ask yourself why specifically you want that person at your wedding. Often people invite people because they are part of a friendship network and if everyone else is going then why not invite them?

Your other half

There is a chance that your partner will say no. It is as much your day as theirs, so it is only fair that you take their feelings into consideration! After all, your ex is an ex for a reason. Every case is individual, sometimes we have enough trouble when the couples’ parents are divorced or remarried without the added pressure of exes being invited too! As long as the couple have discussed it and have both agreed that they are comfortable with it, then there is no problem!

 

Rope your Groom into helping

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Men aren’t usually as good at multitasking as women and many have a habit of leaving things until the last moment. So not to leave the Groom in the cold and help out the Bride here a last-minute checklist for your new hubby-to-be so he can see at a glance what he has to do and when – and you get the peace of mind of knowing that he’s on the case, hopefully.

Most grooms rise to the occasion of their wedding and dress smartly, even if they don’t go the traditional morning coat and tails look.

Whatever type of suit your fiancé wears, it needs to fit him perfectly and should be cleaned and brushed. He needs to have every aspect of his outfit in place and organised well in advance and absolutely not go shopping the day before.

Take his wedding suit out of its bag and hang it up the night before to air and allow any creases time to fall out. It’s also a good idea for him to have a spare shirt handy, just in case something gets spilled down his front at the last minute.

Wedding accessories are also key to a groom’s look. Firstly, he needs to have some new socks on. They don’t have to be black, if he wants to rock a colour or stripes then let him. Just make sure his socks don’t have holes! Other accessories he’ll need to have are cufflinks for his shirt, his tie or cravat and any other option extra’s that he wants to wear with his outfit.

His shoes should be shiny and polished and if they’re new he needs to wear them in a bit before the big day – just as you have been wearing in your wedding shoes. He might want to wear a tie pin as a piece of jewellery and if you want to give him a gift of jewellery for your day, then this is something to consider.

Just like you, your groom needs to be thinking about his hair on your big day (just think of the wedding photographs you’re going to have taken). He should have it cut no more than a week before the big day. If he wears it longer it needs to be shaped and if it’s short, then it needs to look sharp.

If you want to treat him, you could organise for him to have a cut and shave at a high end hair salon so he feels really special.

A ring is an everlasting symbol of your love and commitment for one another and it’s the groom’s job to get the rings organised. No pressure there then!

Your husband to-be needs to buy wedding rings for both of you and check that they are the correct sizes. If you’re having something bespoke created then you need to be sure that the rings are going to be ready in time, and the pair will need to be cleaned and tucked away somewhere safe until the big day. Your rings are a main event when you tie the knot so it’s essential that they fit correctly and that he has them ready.

Losing the rings may be something that happens in sit-coms but it has been known to happen in real life, too! It’s traditionally the best man’s job to take care of them in the church and hand them over to the groom in time for the ceremony.

 

Buying your Groom a gift

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Seeing as you’ll be wearing your beautiful new wedding dress, and likely new jewellery and shoes, it’s only fair that your groom gets a little something special on the wedding day – apart from the gift of marrying you, of course! There are traditional options for the groom’s gift the morning of the wedding, but never underestimate the appeal of something small but meaningful to your man.

When it comes to planning a wedding, sometimes it’s easy to forget that it’s not just the bride who likes a little romance – a surprise gift for the groom on the wedding morning can set the mood for the day and make him feel loved and appreciated. Here are some of our top picks for grooms’ gifts!

Buying something that reflects his hobbies is always a good idea – if he’s mad about football, why not buy him a season ticket to watch his favourite team play? If he loves a certain band, buy him tickets to see their live concert. It may seem obvious, but these touches will show your husband-to-be just what you mean to him.

Your gift doesn’t need to cost the earth, either. Your man will most likely be feeling a little jittery before the ceremony, so why not send him a bottle of whiskey and a box of cigars to share with his groomsmen and to calm his nerves?

If you want something traditional that you know your groom will love, then you can’t go far wrong with a watch. If he’s an old-school type, then a pocket watch would be a great choice – particularly if you engrave it with his initials or the date of your wedding. For the more modern groom, a wrist watch is the perfect gift for the morning of the wedding. Attach a note with the time of the ceremony (along the lines of ‘See you at 1pm!’) for a personal touch.

Many brides will buy their grooms cufflinks for the big day, as they’re a gift that can be worn on the wedding day and for many years to come – plus they’re easy to personalise! Engrave them with your wedding date and he’ll never forget your anniversary!

If you and your husband-to-be are equally house-proud, then getting something that you can display for all your house guests to see is a sweet idea. We love this framed record of your first dance song – this would be a particularly great gift if your man is a music buff.

If you want to treat your groom to something a little saucy, then you should definitely consider booking in for a boudoir photoshoot. Companies do sexy shoots especially for brides, and package the photographs in a gorgeous keepsake album for you and your groom. Leave it in his bedroom with a note reading ‘Meet me at the altar!’ and he’s sure to be feeling ready for the honeymoon

 

A break from the norm

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From wedding dresses to huge wedding bouquets, more and more brides and grooms are moving away from the usual traditions associated with weddings. Mismatched bridesmaid dresses, cupcakes, sweet tables and mason jar centrepieces; we have seen more couples break free from traditions over the past few years, and it seems that couples are set to push the boundaries even further in 2018 when planning a wedding!

Gifts for the groom

A trend that is really taking off; more brides are choosing to purchase a sentimental keepsake for their husband-to-be for the big day.

Grooms will often purchase an extra something for their bride, but now we are seeing this trend in reverse. Cufflinks have become a hugely popular choice. Practical yet still sentimental and very classic; they allow the groom to wear them on the day, and then they can be worn in the future too.

More personality

Websites such as Pinterest have encouraged brides and grooms to put their own stamp on their wedding. More couples are incorporating their own style into their big day, doing things differently and giving their guests a day to remember.

Weddings have changed. They want personal touches that show off their personalities: they want vintage tea parties, rustic country settings, to wear Converse with traditional wedding dresses and to dance in barns with bunting and hay bale seats. They are creating whole weekend events – mini festivals, almost. The traditional wedding rule book has gone and brides and grooms to be now do whatever they want.

The non-traditional dress

The overarching theme for weddings this year is “being yourself”, and this is no different when it comes to the dress. This year designers have focused on adding small details and embellishments to dresses that have never been seen before, from sheer skirts to bodice illusions, that help brides feel like one-of-a-kind.