Groom Word of the Day [ahyl] [ruhn-er]

Tonight, I attended a wedding preview at the venue that we are having our reception at. After scarfing down all of the hors d'oeuvres to get rid of my hunger (oh yeah and also make mental notes in an attempt to choose some for our reception), talking to vendors, checking out a potential centerpiece (what?), I was drawn to the sound of running water coming from the central pond. Focused on the water, my mind spaced out as I took steps toward the serene sound. As I inched closer to the serenity from the wedding madness, my moment of tranquility was rudely interrupted when I caught myself almost fall over vertically. It's like I had stepped on a banana in a cartoon. I looked down to find the culprit, when I noticed that the color of the floor was a shade of white that differed from the rest of it. What could it be? Just then I learned that the culprit--this white piece running along the floor--was called an “aisle runner”.

Aisle Runner. Pronunciation: [ahyl] [ruhn-er]. Definition: ?

Fellas, what is an aisle runner and its purpose? Hmmm... Eh, who cares, I’m bored…

If any of you know what this mysterious item is, feel free to share with the rest of us so that we can fill in the definition.

The B Word. And It Does Not Rhyme With Itch

Before we begin anything else, I think it is extremely important to touch upon this dreaded subject that begins with a “b”. Yes, the budget. I’m sure you were thinking of another word. But it is not a dreadful or painful thing to do. Unless either or both of you are super rich or come from a line of wealth, you will need to have a budget. There are numerous articles out there that tell you how to set one. I highly recommend that you read up on these articles.

Since everybody’s situation is different, from a simple guy’s perspective, ask yourself the following:

• Who’s paying for the wedding?


• Are either of your parents going to pitch in?


• Where do you save, where do you splurge on vendors? For instance, (after discussion with each other) if photography and a creative photo album means more than capturing the event on video, then allocate more in the budget on the photographer.


• What percentage of your income are you willing to put towards it?

There are many creative ways you can play with your budget. Whichever way you decide to spend your money, make sure to stay on budget, as there are many more important things that you will need to spend your money on in life. This is only one day.

Do:

• Devise a spreadsheet or some kind of payment tracker that tracks all of your payments to your vendors and contains a calculation towards the budget you decide on.


• Make sure to discuss it amongst yourselves if anything has a hefty price tag.

Fight the good fight or defer?

Definitely fight the good fight when necessary to stay within budget. Or get creative in making extra income in order to make your wedding happen the way you want it to. The last thing you want to do is not set a budget, spend wildly, and then realize when the bills come that you spent in way over your heads.

A Short Preview of Things to Come

Things chosen for my upcoming wedding:

Church, check.
Reception, check.
Photographer, check.
Videographer, check.
DJ, check.
Honeymoon and honeymoon suite, check.
Engagement party, check.
Save the dates, check.
Tuxedo fittings, check.

Stay tuned for the “How to Choose” series.

Unfortunately, there is a little more to it than just showing up on the day of the wedding. We will help you to be mentally prepared for what’s to come until then.

Welcome to A Groom's Perspective!

Wedding planning…
I know what you’re feeling. How involved do you really want to be? Colors, dates, runners, seat covers, cake toppers… what the heck are those? Do the numerous talks about planning and next steps make you shudder on the inside? Do people constantly ask you “how is the wedding planning going?” and you realize that you really do not have an answer to that?

You’re not alone! I’m here to share my thoughts, stories and numerous experiences. Feel free to share yours, come here to vent and most importantly laugh at our stories. Have you been through the grind already? Please do share your experiences here. It can’t be all that bad right? Oh that’s right, there’s the rest of our lives thing to come, this is just the first step.