A checklist for the groom

The groom must be immaculate for his wedding day so here’s a groom’s step-by-step guide on how to smarten up so that he might even upstage his bride.

You love your fiancé, granted, but that doesn’t mean she has to get all the compliments, does it? Looking good on your wedding day is expected, but it can be a tough job for the groom. Suddenly you’re asked to look the best you ever have in your life, and quite frankly there’s not a lot of practical help out there for you. Our grooming tips should help you look the part for your wedding.

The groom’s hair

Get a haircut two days before the wedding. Learn which style suits your face. If you’re not sure find a photo of a haircut you would like to have and take it to your barber. Lots of guys do this and you should not be embarrassed –you’re paying for a service and should get what you want. Be realistic though – the barber can’t magically change your hair type. What he can do is give you advice on what would suit you; remember he is an expert and is paid to make people look good, so listen to him.

Also, even if you do not normally, make sure you book an appointment. You don’t want the barber to rush through your cut or risk not having one before your wedding. A style that suits most men is the mod styling. Ask your barber to leave some length on top, then rub a pea-sized amount of wax into your hair and rub through. This style is good if you have a natural wave in your hair or are blonde. If you prefer your hair short, the choppy, textured look is great at the moment. You will need to blow dry your hair after showering.

Waxing the groom

Wax on, wax off…these days many men choose to wax and there are lots of body parts that you can get treated. You can wax your feet, your chest, your back, your arms, your face and well…your derriere. Never wax your nipples, genitals, eyelashes or ear and nose hair. If you have never been waxed before, we’ll warn you now, it does hurt. But then it’s over very quickly and will give you a wedding night to remember.

So is it worth it? Well, getting waxed does have a lot of benefits. For one, most women love the feel of freshly waxed skin and find it highly attractive. Also, getting a wax defines your abs and your chest immediately, no crunches required. Waxing can dramatically change your appearance, but it is still a fast, simple and reasonably priced treatment with long lasting results. If you’re looking to save money there are DIY wax kits, but it may be wise to ask someone for help as they can be tricky and messy. If you have decided to go ahead with a wax, we suggest you try it out six weeks before your wedding to judge the effects. Make sure you get another wax before the big day though.

The groom’s smile

You can’t guarantee that the sun will shine, that the bridesmaids won’t drink too much or that your first dance with your beautiful new wife will be a total success. What you can guarantee is that your photo is going to get taken – a lot. The last thing you want is to look back and be ashamed at the state of your teeth, so follow some of these steps to give yourself a confident smile.

The first step is to buy toothpaste that contains a whitening agent, but avoid any with abrasives in as these can wear away tooth structure. For a more obvious result make an appointment with your dentist or a teeth whitening clinic. Here you will wear a mouth mould filled with peroxide gel. The gel soaks in and bleaches your teeth to make them appear whiter. Home remedy bleaching kits are also available, so read around to find out which suits you. For a cheap, homemade solution, brush your teeth with baking soda and water twice a week. Add a little baking soda to water to make a paste and brush your teeth as usual. This will not only give your teeth a polish, but it will also neutralise acidic bacterial wastes and get rid of bad smells.

The groom’s hands

If you are like most grooms you will not think about your hands until that moment when you and your bride exchange rings. Making sure your hands look good is not difficult and is the easiest piece of grooming you can perform. First off, keep them clean, both by washing and removing dirt from beneath the nails. Use a male hand moisturiser for several weeks before the wedding.

If you have calluses, get rid of them by crushing five aspirin into half a teaspoon of lemon juice and water. Put this paste onto the calluses and wrap your hands in a warm towel, then cover with a plastic bag for 10 minutes. Remove the bag, towel and paste, and then rub the calluses with a pumice stone. This will leave your hands super soft and callus free. If you are a diabetic do not use this treatment. You will also need to shape your nails with a nail file. A metal nail file is better suited to men because your nails will be shorter than a woman’s. File from the edges to the centre and do not apply too much pressure, or else you will damage the nail. If you prefer, you can always use nail scissors.

The groom’s face, beard or stubble

You may have a beard so long you could rescue small kittens from deep wells, or you may keep your face so smooth that you still need ID to get into PG movies – either way some maintenance goes into every man’s face and should be a part of your pre-wedding prep. To achieve a smooth shave, void of dry, red and bumpy patches make sure you do the following things.

Firstly, comb the hair with a fine-toothed comb and cut the hair you want to remove as short as it will go. This will make shaving a lot easier and prevent your skin from getting irritated. Then rub some pre-shaving oil onto your skin, baby oil is a cheap and effective option. Shave when in the shower – or just after, as warm water opens up the pores and softens your face. The next step is something that a lot of men miss out, but is really important. Take a shaving brush and use it to apply the shaving cream in a circular motion. The brush lifts hair off of the face and exfoliates skin. Choose a shaving cream that is aloe based or one that contains vitamin E. Then apply a moisturiser rather than an alcohol based aftershave. Follow each step and you’ll love the results.

‘Manscape’ the groom

Manscaping – landscaping the male face. It may seem girly, but trust us, tidying up your eyebrows is important and makes a huge difference to your appearance. For eyebrow trimming, you’re going to need some man tools. You will need some tweezers –hopefully your fiancé will have some you can use, just remember to clean them afterwards.

You will also need a pair of small scissors, a fine toothed comb and a pencil. Firstly, make sure you start to pluck after you have showered. This enables you to remove the hairs more easily. Then get your pencil and place it vertically on your face, so it is in line with the bridge of your nose. The pencil should cross over your brow line, treat this as a border – no hairs should be past this line, so get plucking. Once this area has been plucked, place one end of the pencil at the base of your nose. Then take the other end and align it with the corner of your eye that is furthest away from your nose. Again the pencil will cross over where your eyebrows sit, and again pluck any hairs that pass this line. Neat eyebrows sharpen your features and give you a more chiseled appearance.

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