ADVICE | The Groom Says DIH LETTING THE GROOM DO-IT-HIMSELF A G U I D E TO P R O P E R G R O O M D E L E G A T I O N
Brian Leahy is a renowned groom activist and founder of The Groom Says blog. Knee deep in his own wedding planning, Brian created The Groom Says in September of 2009 as a safe haven for grooms and a lunch break read for brides. He is a regular contributor to The Man Registry’s “Groom’s Advice” blog and is currently writing a book about (the horrors of) wedding planning from the man’s perspective. Brian lives in Los Angeles with his wife Joanna and their cat, Scooter.
Once a week for nearly an entire decade, Tim Allen showed us how charmingly useless men can be. I grew up with Tim Taylor, and like Tim, I can't change a light fixture or hang up a shoe rack without bringing down the entire closet. Thankfully, my wife was a Home Improvement fan as well, and she came into our relationship with the lowest of expectations.
But we were both surprised to discover how willing I was to get my hands dirty when it came to wedding planning. Don't give up on us, brides --we may not be "Bob Vila" crafty, but we can lick an envelope like the best of them.
So hide the power drill in your underwear drawer and slip your groom these mild Do-It-Himself suggestions.
The Mini-Wedding Hand over the reins on the Rehearsal Dinner (the "Jan Brady" of the wedding weekend) and let your groom experiment with some designs. Hand- whittled escort cards? Absolutely! A
"wheelbarrow chic" theme for the evening? Genius! Or (more realistic) how about a homemade casino night under the canopy of your two-car garage? Whatever it is, I guarantee your guests will appreciate the unexpected.
Draw-It-Himself Whether they're inspired by Rockwell or Pollock or Crumb, some grooms express themselves best on a blank canvas. Consider Save-the-Dates sketched entirely by hand; ceremony flip books illustrating how he popped the question; or gift boxes with clever cartoon characters and speak bubbles customized to each guest. Crumb would be proud.
Spitballs and Paper Airplanes Okay, maybe the spitballs are wrong for the occasion ... but those years of strategically folding wide ruled notebook paper are finally going to pay off. Ditch the tired rice and flower petal routine and close the ceremony or reception with a flood of paper airplanes soaring through the air.
Fair warning, brides: truly crafty grooms will approach this task more seriously than you approach dress shopping. He may choose to vary up the material with colored paper, vintage maps, and pages ripped from used books (or old tax returns). He’ll research the best design for extended flight (this step could take months, maybe years), cut and fold until he’s numb, and then initiate his favorite phase – the test runs.
And no matter how many lamps he breaks in the process, your guests won't shut up about them ... and neither will he.
Get more of “The Groom Says” advice at Brian’s blog at
www.thegroomsays.blogspot.com
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DIY WEDDINGS |
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