Wedding Timeline for You & Your Groom

Heather & Josh Wedding 2010

Wedding engagements are among the many wondrous events of the holidays, so I thought it timely to share my experience in 2010.  Though there is something for everyone in this blog, much of my account is from the GROOM’S perspective, which can be hard to come by.  But ladies, if your man has trouble getting organized this could help  you get  him focused!  Some of this advice has been included in an interview for the Baltimore Bride January issue.  It is on the stands now if you would like additional fun info.

Cooking & Eating

One of the reasons I married Heather is that she and I share a consistent love of good healthy home cooked food.  She gets the credit on shopping and cooking mainly, I still do a lot of dishes, and eating.

I think every relationship starts by eating together.  Shopping, cooking, and cleaning is integral to couple success.  You should do it with love, humor, and romance.  At least one of you should know how to cook so you can teach the other.

How you mature as eating partners will determine much of the rest of your life.  Make a healthy food life part of your vow!

6 Months Out

The Lifestyle Diet

We ate out a lot in that 6 months before our wedding, it can be hard to avoid.  However, we would stick with mainly low carb, seafood, and veggies.

For both:

6 months out say good bye to any late night munch outs, pizza, fries, soda or other indulgent snacks.  Better off to eat some peanut butter, a small piece of dark chocolate, and go to bed.

My groom diet was:

Oatmeal and protein powder in the morning.  Whey is still cheapest solution, but some of the new Veggie proteins are really good.

Snack all day and skip a heavy lunch.  Light to medium calorie high fiber protein bars are good a couple times a day.  Pack fruit with you.  Eat nuts and beans in combination to make complete proteins so you can recover from working out.

Dinner was cooked so deliciously by Heather and packed away for the next day snack or used as repeater dinner for me.  It was usually a combination of:

1 Meat, 1.5 large Veggie Serving.  We skipped the many carbs or kept them miniscule.  Better of to go with a yam or sweet potatoes to fill things out.

To combat hunger, drink water!  1 piece of cheese a little later, 1 piece of Chocolate (so I wouldn’t feel absolutely deprived)  Half a glass of  low-fat Milk, Almond, Soy  and then go to BED.  This part I was not so good at, but I tried!

Heather did a lighter, slighter “choosier” version of my man menu.  Sorry girls you will have to wait for her blog to find out exactly.

Groom Fitness

You should exercise regularly of course.  Assuming you have been doing a good job of staying in general condition, let’s talk shape.

If you want to look like the “big man” on your day (we will pretend it’s your day to for a moment), then stand up straight.

Everyone will have their own way of getting in shape with weights.  The most important thing is that in all cases you think about the shape you are trying to make.  You are going for Superman disguised as Clarke Kent.  Not Return of the Planet of the Apes.  Check out the INLINE Art of Exercise video collection for how to get the fundamentals  right.

Basics done with excellent form, controlled speed, and coordination get great results.  They also keep you injury free and having a good time up until the day of the wedding.

3 Months Out

Mutual Skin Care

The bride is going to find a magical way to look 5 to 7 years younger than she already is.  Modern facial products are amazing.  If the groom is already a little older than she, he may look even more so in the all important wedding pictures.  That gap will continue into the album, onto Facebook, and all else that goes into the digital forever.  By doing a mutual skin care regimen together it will give you something to bond over.  Grooms can also get easy “taking an interest” and “taking care of himself ”credit!

I was a willing participant in the following skin care regimen:

Clarisonic face scrubber thing

I used it in the morning and for some light cleaning in the evening.  In combination with the soaps they make it clears away layers of dead skin like mad.  It feels awesome.  It preps you for the next step.

IS Clinicals magic potion stuff 

A few potent drops of the stuff in the blue bottle, and years of mistreatment evaporate.

Lotion with SPF

Use it every day after shaving and your other treatments.

Night Cream and Eye Cream

The before bed treatment can seem like work when you’re tired but it pays off.  It’s just lotion and disappears; you won’t look like your mom going to bed.

Grooms, START PLANNING HAIRCUTS!

I go once a month so I wanted to be in the middle of a cleaned up growth spurt at the wedding.  You will look back proudly on your once full mane.

2 Months Out

The Suit

Visit the rental shop or order a custom suit.  I used an on online custom suit service called Indochino.  You pick the style, send the measurements.  They send the suit.  You can have it finally altered yourself or you can send it back with new measurements.  Do something fitted to accentuate your hard work in the gym and in standing tall.  There are some excellent modern fitted suit options out there.

1 Month Out

Check your suit still fits!  Things could be going up or down for you…

Drastic Measures

This is also when the bride may begin doing many strange things for which the groom will need to forgive her.  Among them maybe considering injectibles.   Heather did not choose to, but I have trained many brides (even in their 20’s) who have.  Should guy’s consider this option as well to level the playing field?  That is a very personal decision, you will have to decide how important it is to you versus the “everyone” is doing it pressure.

Get Some Color?  You will not be wearing makeup.  The mutual regimen ends there.  Find the least damaging way of slowly adding in sun exposure or use an upscale tanning bed.  Wear sunscreen!  Truly, if you have any history of skin cancer in your family I would just look into spray on or rub in bronzers.  You have to keep it off your clothes, and they don’t always smell so great – but so much better than risking cancer.

Week Of

 Check your suit again and make a last assessment.

If you are still a little on the heavy side you will have to probably cut even more carbs and alcohol all together in the beginning of the week.  Put in some good hard workouts early in the week because you won’t have time at the end.

For others there is a good chance you will be losing weight at this time due to stress.  Get in those early weight workouts and pump up a little the day before.  Make sure you feel fresh and not tired and slouchy.

If you look gaunt from dieting or have no energy eat up a little on the carbs a day or two before so your face fills out a little bit and you liven up.

Day Of

This day will unwind for everyone in its own crazy way. The best advice is that if you are staying in different places the night before, make sure you get all that belongs to you (especially if you have been sharing products).  You may find yourself disturbingly attached to your skin care regimen.  But she will have all the potions when you are trying to get ready!

Follow Thru

Remember all that you learned!  Keep it going and don’t “let go” just because you’re married now.  The longevity of marriage can be equally proportional to the longevity of your health and appeal to your one and only.