by chris easter of themanregistry.com

At The Man Registry, we get the chance to meet lots of newlyweds, and more specifically, grooms. Over the past year, we’ve talked to hundreds of men who have taken “the plunge” and gotten married.  We always like to ask them what they liked, disliked and wish they had known about the wedding experience beforehand. We do get some pretty interesting answers (some of which can’t be shared here); however there are a few things that seem to come up over and over again.

We thought we’d help future grooms out there a bit by sharing some of these things so they can be better prepared. Here is our list of top five things that grooms wish they had known before planning their wedding.

Vendor’s gratuity
If gratuity isn’t included in your contract with a wedding vendor, it’s considered courtesy to tip a wedding vendor. For the groom’s side of the wedding, this would include caterers at the rehearsal dinner, the limo driver, and a DJ or band. Tipping the Wedding Officiants isn’t necessary, but it’s nice to present them with a donation to the church.

Fathers’ Tuxes
If you’re renting tuxes, another common courtesy is to pick up the tab for the father-of-the-groom and father-of-the-bride. A lot of tux shops will give you a free rental if you book a certain number of tuxedos. Many grooms just pass the free rental on to one of the fathers.

Drink slowly at the reception
We’re not telling you to cut back on your fun at the reception, but just keep in mind that anytime anyone sees you with an empty hand at the reception, they’ll promptly fill it with a drink. By the end of the night, it’s easy to be feeling shaky and wonder how it happened.

Get in on the shower fun
A lot of guys assume that the wedding shower festivities are just for the bride. All grooms should be aware of the growing trend of couples and “man” wedding showers and the many wedding gifts for men that are out there to be had.

Destination weddings are affordable
It’s natural to hear the word “destination wedding” and immediately think that it’s out of your price range. The truth is quite the contrary. While you do pay for travel and lodging, most resorts do offer packages that include everything you will need. Think of all the money that will be saved that would normally go to wedding vendors.

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Chris Easter is co-founder of TheManRegistry.com  – the leading online resource and wedding registry for engaged men. The site offers a unique wedding registry for men, personalized gift ideas and a wealth of content aimed at helping men make it through the wedding planning process in one piece.

We were able to eat yummy cupcakes and check out the garters all at the same time!  I loved meeting Penny, the owner of Hello Cupcake, and eating a yummy carrot cake cupcake!  Aren’t Penny and Julianne cuties!  Cupcakes and garters – how could you go wrong????

Ivy Robinson came up from Charlotte for the event.  Ivy is our Charlotte Couture Wedding Consortium Director and she has been featured several times on Whose Wedding is it Anyway? and on the new series Hitched or Ditched!  

I want to also send a quick thanks to Shannon from Sevan Photography for taking the photos and sending them to us so quickly!  We were truly excited to be invited to the event and one of our brides go to be among the exclusive “10 brides only” list to check out the garters and meet wedding professionals from around the area!  

Julianne’s motto:  Embrace the Garter Tradition, With Style.

She is able to custom coordinate your colors with your garter!  Check out her website today!

****Katie Martin

This photo comes from Jennifer Hughes.  A fantastic photographer that has a great way of capturing color.  Of course she has a ton of other talents!  I am big on color when it comes to weddings (as opposed to themes).  I find that colors can be used to create a mood or a feeling and in this photo – I see happy color and I see fun!  Weddings should be all about fun and love and for me – color!!!!  Love it Jennifer!

This next photo comes from Barbara Salisbury of The Observatory.  The Observatory and owner Andrea Jacobson are new to the consortium, but not new to DC!   I just basically like being around Andrea and her team!  Andrea has to be one of the sweetest photographers that I have gotten to know!  Their attention to detail is what catches my eye in particular.  This photo is about the details to me. In this photo,  you can feel the excitement!  I was actually the planner for this wedding (at the Decatur House Museum) and I remember how much in love this couple was and how much fun they had.  They had so much fun and you can see it in the photos from their wedding.  The detail here is the groom and the guys right next to him- priceless photo! Makes me smile and I remember this moment as if I were still there (click on the photo to see it enlarged). LOVE IT!

Here is a photo from Documentary Associates.  Tom Van Veen and I set up a photo shoot at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (www.nmwa.org).  Without going into too much detail as to the reason why we had the photo shoot – I will tell you why I love this photo.  It is the lighting and the city backdrop.  For those of you that did not know,  I was born in DC (at a hospital which is no longer in existence).  I love DC – I think it is the best city in the world.  Call me crazy – but that is how I feel! I find this photo to be beautiful and interesting all at the same time.  The beautiful bride, beautiful flowers and the lighting are all great…however it is what is going on outside the window that makes me smile.  I have a feeling that if it were 2 or 3 other photographers that I know, they would photoshop out the building’s address that is outside the 2 right pieces of window glass.  I love it!  You can tell that the bride is in a beautiful place inside a big city.  That is what your photographer should represent and document the day of your wedding. Those are the details in a photo that will make your grandchildren wonder where that photo was taken.  I know – I am rambling, but I love this photo!  Thanks Tom (you know I loved all the photos that day right?)  :)  A big thank you to the Tom & Ashlee, the museum staff, Carola Myers, Jessica Fox from Promise for the Savvy Bride, and the crew (especially my sweetheart!).

Hoping everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and these photos were a bit of eye candy for your “eyebuds”!

* Katie Martin