It's All About Men {Day 4} - Top 5 Groom's Attire Trends for 2011



photo via The Knot


1. For formal weddings, there's a real trend toward slim fit one-button midnight blue tuxedo with peak lapels. Dark blue looks richer under evening light and provides a better contrast against the black satin on the lapels. When the jacket is cut trim through the waist, the peak lapels help accentuate the shoulders for a flattering silhouette.


2. We are also seeing a strong trend toward less formal weddings. Roughly half of the wedding outfits are suits instead of tuxedos. For destination weddings and daytime summer weddings, we see a lot of cotton and linen suits. For evening weddings, it's a lot of charcoal grey and midnight blue suits.

3. We are also seeing very few tuxedo shirts with traditional pleats or a bib front. Most guys are opting for a more simple, updated style. The most popular is a classic spread collar shirt made in a rich piqué fabric that gives the shirt a more luxurious and formal appearance. The hidden button front offers a clean, formal look and eliminates the need for tuxedo studs.

4. A return to the bowtie. For the past few years, long black ties had eclipsed the traditional bowtie in popularity, but we have seen the bowtie come back strong this year. Opt for an oversized velvet bowtie to make a statement.

5. The perfect groomsman gift: matching custom shirts and ties. It gives a degree of consistency to the wedding party while still being personalized to each groomsman.

photo via josevilla & epblog

It's All About Men {Day 3} - The Groom's Cake

Even though its 2011, we know only a very select few grooms have actually heard of "the groom's cake" and I will say a great number of them have had the pleasure of having one.  The groom's cake was created as a way of honoring the groom on the big day.  While it isn't common at a more traditional wedding, the groom's cake makes an appearance every now and again.

Now what is the big deal of a groom's cake anyway?  It's a cake for men, it's the groom's chance to have a cake just for him (& his groomsmen) that honors his role in the wedding - as most wedding cakes are chosen by the bride.  Groom's cakes often reflects the groom's hobbies or interest and is often a gift from the bride to the groom.  Their flavors are often simple & bold: (often chocolate or liquor-soaked).  The cake can be served during the rehearsal dinner or at the wedding reception, along with the traditional wedding cake.  His and Hers.  It can also be boxed up and served as favors.  If you go this route, take advantage of the opportunity to get creative with the packaging -- an additional way to reflect your bridal style.

It's All About Men {Day 1}- Is Your Man a Groomzilla?

In honor of Father's Day on Sunday, we will focus on men this week.  We always hear about the Bride being a bridezilla, but have you noticed that your Groom is turning into a groomzilla.  Take a few minutes and check out this quiz courtesy of Wedding Channel.  Was he normal when you started planning and now suddenly has an opinion on everything from the napkins to the color of your bouquet? Take this short quiz and find out if you've got a real life groomzilla on your hands!

Photo via Wedding Channel

1. My groom has been involved in the wedding planning...


A. What wedding planning? He just wants to know when he has to show up.

B. A little. We booked our vendors together, and he even came along with me to pick out our flowers. I know I can count on him to take care of suits for the groomsmen too.

C. A lot! We always clash on our ideas when it comes to the wedding; he seems to have the whole day completely figured out.

2. My fiance and I fight about wedding decisions...

A. Never. How can you argue when the other person doesn't have an opinion?

B. Sometimes. Wedding planning can be stressful, and I think we’re both a little more on edge than we would be like to admit.

C. Several times a week. We get along fine otherwise, but when it comes to the wedding, we're both just so opinionated!

3. When we registered...

A. I was by myself.

B. We looked around together. We both picked out our wish list items, but we mostly registered for things we both wanted.

C. I handed the scanning gun to him. He came in with a complete list of all the things we should get.

4. Imagine this -- it's the wedding day and your groom is a little late to the altar. Your first thought is...

A. "I knew I should have checked in on him!"

B. "I hope he's OK. Probably just stuck in traffic."

C. "He probably made a few calls to the venue this morning making sure everything was perfect."

5. For your wedding cake, he says he'd love to have a banana filling. The only problem is you hate bananas. He...

A. Says it's fine, the cake doesn't really matter anyway. There will be an open bar, right?

B. Looks a little disappointed, but you're able to compromise on a flavor you both like.

C. Insists that he get his own groom's cake -- it's his day too.

6. You and your future mother-in-law are having a disagreement over where the rehearsal dinner should be held. You go to your fiance for help and he...

A. Shakes his head and refuses to get involved. Does it really matter where you have it?

B. Says he'll try talking to his mom, there has to be a happy medium.

C. Immediately sides with his mom and questions why you aren't.

7. You need some help finishing up the seating arrangements for the reception. You ask for his opinion on where to seat a few people and he...

A. Shrugs. And asks what you'd like for dinner.

B. Shrugs. And says he really doesn't think it will be a big deal; everyone gets along pretty well.

C. Shrugs. And refuses to help since you didn't ask for his opinion in the first place.

8. When it came time to plan the honeymoon, you and your fiance...

A. Looked at a few places together before he left the final vote up to you. This may have been the one thing he enjoyed doing.

B. Had so much fun checking out all the romantic Caribbean beaches together. You both can't wait for the honeymoon.

C. Got into a fight. You really wanted to go to Europe, and he really wanted the Caribbean. Neither one of you was willing to budge.

9. When you go to pick out invitations, your groom...

A. Didn't go. You picked them out with your maid of honor.

B. Came along but admits he didn’t really care about the difference between eggshell and ecru papers.

C. Drove you up the wall -- he spent hours looking over the options.

10. You're most looking forward to...

A. When the wedding is over. Then you can both share the same hobbies again.

B. When the ceremony is over. You both planned a killer reception.

C. When the honeymoon is over. Hopefully then he'll stop being such a diva.

Mostly As: The Laid-Back Groom

Groomzilla? That's not even part of his vocabulary. He's the type of guy that if you said "ecru," he'd think you were sneezing. There's nothing wrong with a laid-back groom, but it also wouldn't hurt for him to help out once in a while. Planning a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most people and chances are, once he gets involved, he'll find there's a lot more to it than just flowers and dresses. What's more, planning together can help you each discover more about your personal likes and dislikes. Tell your guy it would mean so much to you if he came along, just one time, and tried to keep an open mind. You might be surprised at what happens next.

Mostly Bs: The Involved Groom

Looks like you’ve got yourself a real catch. This is the type of guy who's happy to help out, but admits that he doesn't know much when it comes to planning a wedding. Encourage him throughout the process and admit that you'll both be learning together. Try to keep each other in check by leaving some tasks entirely to him (like picking his suit and the groomsmens' suits), while you do other ones together (like picking out the music). The balance means you'll be less stressed throughout the process and he'll keep from becoming the dreaded groomzilla.

Mostly Cs: Run for Your Life! It's Groonmzilla!

All right, you have the real deal on your hands. It is probably time you have a heart-to-heart with him before you get to the altar. Tell your beau you don’t appreciate how demanding he is when it comes to the wedding. Remind him of all the qualities you do like (and how you'd like to see more of them), and remind him that you're in this together. Take a few deep breaths and chances are it will all come together in the end.

Article courtesy of Wedding Channel

What Grooms Should Do For Weddings

We're always talking about things that appeal to the bride, today we're switching it up and focusing on the groom.  The wedding is a really big deal for both man and woman. Today we're giving you some helpful tips for the groom so you don’t face the wedding pressure and to make your wedding go smooth.

The most important thing for you is to understand your fiancée, as she's thought about this dream wedding since she was little girl. Every girl dreams about their wedding and playing “dress up” bride when they were little. Now as you can understand that you are the man of that dream. You will also notice lots of changes in her. She will be pumped up and worried about lots of things such as, how would she look, will the guests have good time, would anyone like her idea and things like that.

You’re Options
As it is you’re wedding too, you should have some opinions and options. You can give some ideas about flowers, food, photos and things like that. You don’t have to be expert at china patterns and flowers for this but it is wise to share your ideas. It will also make your fiancée think that she is not alone doing everything and you also care about the wedding.

Brides always talks about the wedding
As I stated earlier, a women has always dreamed about her wedding since she was a little girl. So, your fiancée will be talking about the wedding all the time. Listen to her, help her out. Throw some of your ideas too and if you don’t understand what she's talking about, then ask her to explain. She would be happy to do that. Let her know that you are also excited about the wedding too.

Give her timeout
If she is doing all the major work and planning for the wedding, then give her a break. Too much pressure may cause her illness. You definately don’t want to see her looking sickish while she is walking down the aisle. Cook her dinner, do the dishes, rent her favorite movie. Do anything to please her and give her a good time.

The questions

Okay, now your fiancée may come up to you and ask you questions like “what wedding theme would you like?”, “what colors should the flowers be?”, “what type of music should be played during dinner?” and things like that. Don’t be afraid of these kinds of questions and don’t feel bad if you don’t know the answer. Ask her and she will be happy to explain it to you.

Take some responsibility
You will find that your fiancée is working really hard and making plans about the wedding. And your mom will probably call her every hour and talk about the wedding too. Try to fit in the conversation and planning with mom and fiancée. Tell your mom that, it’s your wedding too and you do want to make some suggestions.

Parents
Believe it or not but both your parents and your fiancée’s parents can be a disaster at the wedding. But there is no denying that these guys raised and cared for you. But the wedding is completely yours and you don’t want it messed up. You can take some of there ideas if you like. Pick your arguments very carefully and make sure your arguments don’t collide with others.

Get some re-enforcement
Weddings is a kind of arrangement where you will discover your finances will hit the wall. Planning the wedding is really hard and you and your bride will both face the problem with time and money. The best suggestion is to hire a consultant who will plan every little detail that you and your bride both probably missed.

The best thing is to have fun and make sure things goes well. Stick to the plan and give the bride support, things should go well.

Happy Planning!!!!