Gentlemen, this is it! It’s the big day, the one you’ve been waiting for. All the planning (which you’ve hopefully been a helpful part of) has finally paid off, and you’re about to say “I do” to the one you love. Before you walk down that aisle, though, here are a few more words of advice to consider that will make your wedding day the best it can be. Specifically, avoid these common pitfalls for grooms:
Don’t Be Late for the Ceremony
Not to stereotype, but punctuality is frequently not a guy’s strong suit. Even if you’re usually an on-time guy, there are enough moving pieces in a wedding that you might roll up a few minutes late. But grooms trust me on this: the very last thing a bride (or a bridesmaid, or the bride’s mother) wants to worry about on the wedding day is whether the groom’s showing up or not. Even five minutes of wondering will seem like an eternity. So you should plan to be there at least a half-hour early and already dressed and ready to go for the wedding.
Don’t Get Hammered at the Reception
Did you know more than half of newly married couples don’t consummate the wedding on their wedding night? And that for most of the couples that didn’t make it happen, it’s because the groom was too drunk? Look, we know the reception’s a party, but it’s not a frat party. Get a good buzz going and nurse it throughout the evening, sure. But if you’re throwing up behind a dumpster in back of the venue, it’s going to diminish the chances of having a memorable wedding night. The goal is to make memories, not drown them.
Don’t Neglect the Bride at the Reception
We’ve been to too many weddings where we never saw the bride and groom in the same place after the cake-cutting. Sure, you want to spend time with your best buds, and you want to be a good host to all the guests. But make sure you take some time to check in with your new bride every now and again. She just got married; she’s got a glow going, and you don’t want to extinguish it by ignoring her. This one’s really important, grooms, so please follow this advice.
Don’t Forget to Hug Your Parents
This is a huge day for you, and nobody’s saying it’s not your day. But take a minute to think about it from your parents’ perspective. They took care of you for eighteen years while you grew up and figured yourself out, and the wedding day is kind of the end of a journey for them. It’s bittersweet watching your child getting ready to start a family of their own. Make sure they know how much you love them, especially on this day.
Don’t Neglect the Dance Floor
Even if dancing isn’t your thing, part of your duties as a groom is to make sure the party gets started. Enlist a few bold groomsmen to help pack that dance floor and show everyone how it’s done. If you can’t dance, don’t sweat it. You’re a married man now and no longer just a groom; you’ve got nothing to prove. Your bride already knows if you can’t dance and she married you anyway.
And above all else, don’t sweat the idea that everything is going to change now that you’re married. Weddings are great fun, but marriages are incredibly awesome, too. Here’s hoping yours lasts a lifetime.
