5 Things a Groom MUST Do the Day of His Wedding—And 1 Thing He Shouldn't
From having a well-balanced meal to leaving yourself plenty of time, allow us to remind you of some important things that should be on every groom's to-do list.
There's obviously one thing a groom MUST do the day of his wedding: get married. That's a given. When you look back at the day, though, you'll realize that the ceremony is just a small part of the total experience. While the whole thing will feel like whirlwind when you get to bed that night, you may actually find yourself with some time on your hands.
Before you launch into the wedding itself, check out this list of things a groom should do on his wedding day to make sure that you're filling any free time wisely.
Go for a walk.
I think this is one of the most clutch things for a groom to do on his wedding day. So clutch, in fact, that I've already gone into pretty good detail about it. The day-of wedding walk is the perfect way to center yourself and trust me, you're going to need centering. You've made a ton of decisions during the planning phase and you're trying to remember so many small details the entire week leading up to your big day. Wake up and go for a walk. It'll clear your head. It'll allow you to focus on what's important instead of the minutia of the day. A good, solid wedding walk is the best way to ground yourself on a day where you'll want to be as sharp as possible.
Get some food in you.
You're going to be pulled in a million different directions during the actual wedding. You have to say hi to Aunt Iris, you'll need to make sure the coordinator is keeping track of your gift envelopes, and there's a chance your bride is going to freak out about... something. That's why one of the most common pieces of advice that any married person will give you is to eat during the wedding. You may not have time to do that, though, so the next best advice is to eat before the wedding. In fact, eat when you wake up and then keep eating throughout the day. And drinking water. While I definitely remembered to keep my belly full, I totally forgot to stay hydrated. Once the cocktails started flowing, I had to play catch-up with water so I didn't make an unintentional early exit from my own wedding.
Write a few notes.
There are only a few days in your life when you have an actual reason to write a truly personal note to someone. Your wedding day is one of those days. Write a letter to your soon-to-be spouse telling them all the wonderful (private) things you love about them. Write a note to your new in-laws thanking them for creating the human you love so much. Write a note to your future self to open on your 10th, 20th, 50th anniversaries. Being able to express yourself in words will also allow you to organize your own thoughts. Like the day-of wedding walk, writing notes is a good way to get focused on the day itself instead of the details.
Double and triple-check your suit.
This is a no-brainer, but one of the most important things for a groom to do on his wedding day is to go over every part of what you're wearing for the day. Are your shoe laces strong enough? Do you have your suspenders? Is your jacket wrinkled? You paid a lot for that photographer, so spend a few minutes making sure you're going to look your best. After all, these moments are going to be captured on film and mounted on your wall for the rest of your life.
Spend time with your friends.
The wedding day is more than just the day you commit yourself to someone else forever. It's also the day you say goodbye to your single self. Your friends have been with you for every step of the journey, so spend some time with them as part of this rite of passage. This isn't permission to go on some big drunken bowling adventure before you tie the knot, but certainly include your closest pals in your wedding prep time. It's the right way to say goodbye to the old you and allows you to cross the bridge into your new married life with your buddies at your side.
Bonus Tip!
One thing you shouldn't do on your wedding: call your previous girlfriends. Why would you do this? Are you some kind of sadist? Stay in the moment, buddy. Don't look back. If you're even thinking about exes on your wedding day, you've got problems (you get a pass if you're just figuratively thanking them for leading you to this moment when you get to marry your perfect partner).
