Top 3 things most grooms have trouble with
As a wedding photographer I’ve come across quite a few fun and interesting things about Adelaide weddings that you may not realise, and in this case it may be something that all you prospective brides out there might want to train your groom on. Of course it’s not always good to stereotype, but quite a few grooms and their groomsmen tend to not know a lot about getting ready for their big day and it’s some that grooms have trouble with. Now that I think of it actually, they are things that the women in their life wouldnt have had much to do with either. The things I’m listing here are things that grooms have trouble with but it seems that nobody had taught them anything about them beforehand. Perhaps thats a huge shoutout to all those lovely mums out there who help their sons get ready? But even having an astute Mum often doesnt help with these three things that grooms have trouble with.
Through my observations these are the..
Top 3 things grooms have trouble with
1. How to tie a necktie
It never surprises me when I visit a groom’s house to come across a groom and his groomsmen having trouble tying their ties and I end up doing it myself. It’s quite common I hear the comment of the bride having asked the boys to tie their ties in a specific way, the most common being a double windsor knot , but the boys obviously just smile and nod to humor the girl’s request having no idea how or what a double windsor is! Well for those of you reading this and worried that your groom cannot tie one, just follow this easy video. Most of the time the groomsmen, or at least one of them know how to tie a simple half windsor (otherwise known as the schoolboy knot) which usually does the job. But tying a tie is definitely something grooms have trouble with.
2. How to use cufflinks
This is one that is kind of excusable as not many of us get the opportunity to wear cufflinks often as they are quite a classy fashion statement. Even the bride and her helpers often get this wrong by providing the boys with shirts not suited for cufflinks, and this just makes things worse. Not really their fault though as they’d never have had the pleasure of putting these little buggers on. One thing to remember is that cufflinks generally aren’t supposed to be simple replacements for buttons, which is the main mistake I see while shooting preparation wedding photos.
See the difference? Grooms have trouble as the usually correct way to wear cufflinks goes against what they have been taught since they were little boys! the cufflinks are supposed to go through the top part of one side of the sleeve and emerge on top of the opposite of the sleeve, the opposite of what a button does. Simply speaking you should see the outside of the entire circumference of the sleeve, and none of the inside.
3. Boutonniere flowers (Groomsmen flowers)
A couple of reasons why grooms have trouble here, the first being how to attache the damn things using those horribly fiddly pins that feel as though you’re going to stab whoever they are going to be attached to. Usually the flowers come with 2 long, straight pins you’re then supposed to use to attach to the groom’s and groomsmen’s lapel or shirt. The best way I’ve found to do it is to use one straight down, weaving in and out of the flowers and lapel, with the second on an angle doing the same so as to stop the flowers from moving about.
The second being how big the flowers are. As is often the case with hot Australian weddings, the bride opts to have her boys dressed only in shirts, but when shopping for flowers she selects the biggest, most beautiful ones causing the men’s boutonniere flowers to weigh down on their shirts.
And finally, which side to put it on? Generally the tradition in Australia dictates that the flower should be on the left side, the closest to the groom’s heart. However I have come across some traditions where that changes to the right or left depending on various circumstances.
Please feel free to comment below on any other ways you’ve seen grooms have trouble with their wedding preparation. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I’m sure even I haven’t seen everything that people have trouble with while preparing. 🙂
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