As much as there is talk about what the bride should wear and how her makeup and hair should look, there is not enough talk about how the groom should be, well, groomed. So why not treat your fiance to a haircut and shave by a professional barber for your wedding?

Salons for men are popping up all over the country, with barbers who know what they're doing with a scissor and a straight-edge razor. You, and your groom, may be surprised to learn that these barber shops have a wide range of services including, shoe shines, manicures, custom tailoring and amenities such as complimentary beverages and pool tables.

Treat your fiance to a haircut, shave and any other services you think he needs, I mean you think he'd enjoy. He can even make a day out of it and bring his dad, brothers and groomsmen. As with your own hair, you may want to send him for a trial a few weeks or months before the big day to make sure both of you likes what they do. Here are a few barber shops/salons for men across the country:

The Shave of Beverly Hills
State Street Barbers, Boston
316 Club Barber Spa, Chicago
Belmont Barber Shop, Chicago
The Boardroom Salon, Dallas
John Allan's, New York
Truman's Gentlemen's Groomers, New York
Shaving Grace, Philadelphia
Bay City Barber, San Francisco

My dad is a huge baseball fan.  More specifically, he’s a Yankee fan.  So when I received an invitation to attend the press party for the launch of Charity Wines for several Yankee and Mets players a few weeks ago I had to take my dad. 

 

While we enjoyed tasting the different wines – Jorge Posada’s Jorge Cabernet, Bobby Areu’s Abreu's Finest and Brian Schneider’s Schneider Schardonnay were three of the wines there – and the hors d’oeurves – they had pigs-in-a-blanket with a great deli mustard – we got to see and hear from the players affiliated with each wine.  The proceeds from each wine go to the respective player’s charity/foundation.

 

Anyway, I thought that these wines would make a great gift for your dad, groomsmen or even your groom if they're baseball fans.  They retail for $13.99 at local wine stores and there are 19 different wines, representing players from 6 teams:  Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and New York Yankees.  If the men in your life aren’t baseball fans, there are wines supporting charities of players from the New Orleans Saints, Boston Bruins and the Miami Dolphins.

 

 

 

Admit it.  You’d love to take your guy for a little grooming, especially before the wedding.  Whether it’s cleaning his finger or toenails, waxing his back hair or trimming his ear and nose hair, every groom could use a bit of grooming.

Since he’s probably not thrilled with the idea of going with you to the salon, there are a number of grooming supplies you can pick up so he can have the salon experience at home.

Last week I went to a press preview to see the latest Tweezerman products, and they had a great collection of products specifically for men.  In addition to a tweezer for ingrown hairs, facial hair scissors and nail clippers, they also had a Deluxe Trimmer ($15) to cut nose hair.  That’s right, nose hair.

This nose hair trimmer has sharp cutting blades that do not come in contact with skin, and precisely and painlessly will trim his nose hair.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about some of the products they have for women.  And no, one of them is not a pink nose hair trimmer.

 

 

Think your groom's proposal was the best proposal ever?!  GroomGroove wants to hear your proposal story and if they think you have the best one, your groom could win a $1000 in cash - you could let him spend it on that new plasma TV he's been eyeing or you can use it towards wedding expenses -  AND a 1-year supply of Gilette Clinical Strength Antiperspirant.  Perfect for helping him getting through the stressful planning process.

Click here to enter the contest.  You or your groom can submit your story.

Good luck!

 

Let’s be honest.  Some of us have taken our men to the salon for a mani, pedi and some waxing.  Now, I don’t know if your fiance reacted to waxing the way Steve Carell’s character did in 40-Year-Old Virgin, or if he just turned red from embarrassment, but either way, I think I’ve found the solution you need to make sure your guy’s well-groomed.

I attended a press event for Nair a few weeks ago.  Not just for women anymore, Nair has an entire collection just for men.  There are sprays, creams and roll-on versions so your guy can pick whichever product he is the most comfortable using.

 

So before you start an argument about whether or not he should go with you to the salon, pick up a bottle of Nair at your local drug store and try to remove unwanted hairs at home first.    

At a press conference earlier this week, the President told the audience about the diplomacy and budgeting issues he is dealing with. Not with Congress, but regarding his daughter Jenna's upcoming wedding.  It'll be at their Crawford, Texas ranch on May 11th.

So we spoke about the bride and her ‘maids, and now it’s time to focus on the groom.  While you’re paying careful attention to your appearance - ensuring flawless skin, perfect makeup and hair, a mani and pedi, and possibly a massage to relax - your groom probably thinks he can just roll out of bed, shower, shave, get dressed and leave for the church. 

 

Men don’t realize how much time and effort goes into looking picture perfect, so to ensure that your man looks handsome follow these grooming tips from John Allan, owner of John Allan’s, a salon for men in New York:

 

For a groom to look his best on his big day he should begin his preperation 2 weeks in advance.

 

• First step; he should get his haircut 2 weeks prior to his big day.
• Two weeks prior he could opt for a facial - which would be very helpful to increase circulation in the skin and help get ride of some of the stress from the wedding planning.
• He should definitely consider getting a manicure and a pedicure - his hands should look fantastic and a pedicure would be great for his honeymoon.

 

I was very concerned with Dave’s hair for our wedding.  So about 6 months before the big day we went for a haircut -  yes, I went with him - and we spoke to Vito about how fast his hair grows and how long before the wedding he should come in for a cut.

Now remember, I’m a little bit of a control freak at this point in the plans.  After Vito cut his hair that day, I paid careful attention, and so did Dave, as to which day after his haircut he looked his best.  Then once we agreed that the length was perfect we knew exactly how many days before the wedding he should schedule his haircut for. 

This may sound crazy, but he did look great!

Let's take a quick look at your to-do list:

1. Pick a theme and color palette


2. Find a florist, caterer, baker, a location, officiant and a few other essential vendors


3. Buy your dream wedding dress


4. Find the right favors that both matches your theme AND doesn’t break your budget


5. Order your invitations


6. Pick your bridesmaids and their dresses

Of course this is just a very short list of what you have to do as the bride. But don’t forget it’s not just you getting married. Your groom is a big part of planning a wedding. He just doesn’t know it yet.

It’s very common for grooms to think that their job is pretty much over once they ask you to marry them and they hand over a ring. Your groom’s to-do list probably reads: Attend bachelor party, pick-up tux, show up at wedding, go on honeymoon. Right?

Well, it’s about time grooms got a new wedding planning to-do list.

Get your guy involved in something he’s probably really excited about…the honeymoon. Ask him to pick a few options for your most romantic vacation ever and then present them to you.

All week I’ll be featuring some fabulous honeymoon destinations you may want to email to your fiance. But before you starting sending him hints of where you want to go, here are a few more to-dos you should add to your groom’s wedding planning list:

• Research potential videographers


• Research potentional bands and/or DJs


• Put together a playlist and a do not playlist


• Finalize his choice of groomsmen and ask them to be in the bridal party


• Start looking into wedding bands — he can start with the jeweler he bought your ring from


• Draw up a guest list — his friends, colleagues as well as the relatives and friends his parents want to invite


• Find out how much his parents are planning on contributing to the wedding budget — you may want to make this one his first to-do

While your groom may think his job is over as soon as he gets off his bended knee, you’ll need to remind him that his opinion matters when it comes to the details of your wedding. Don’t expect him to come to every vendor appointment or be really excited about the fabulous ribbon you found to tie the programs with, but he should know what to expect on the big day. After all it’s not just your wedding day, it’s his too, right?

When I got engaged, I made myself a wedding organizer/planner. I went to Staples and bought a 3” binder, dividers, paper, folders, business card holders, colored pencils, glue, double stick tape and sheet protectors. I even made a cover with Cinderella and Prince Charming dancing that read “Anne & Dave’s Wedding”. I know I’m a dork.

Anyway, I also bought a 1/2" gray binder for Dave and put in one folder, some paper and put the same cover on it that mine had. While he definitely didn’t write in it, or take it to vendor appointments – (8 photographers, 10 florists, 20 locations) – it did come in handy.

Throughout our engagement I would fill his planner with the vendors we met with and who we hired so he had all of their contact information, as well as the contact info for our bridal party, style numbers on the bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen suits, the final menu, invitation proof and some other random facts I thought might come in useful. This way if I didn't have my planner with me, I could call him at home and he could get me the information I needed – the number for the 3rd florist we met with or the Pantone number of the moon and stars on the invitation.

So when you’re making or buying your own wedding organizer, get something for your groom. While he may not carry it with him everywhere he goes, let him know where it is at home so if he’s home and you’re not, he can get you the answer to your wedding planning question. And you may want to make sure it’s in a secret location, so when his friends come over to watch the big game they don’t tease him about having a planner of his own.

And if you're worried that your groom won't know what his role and responsibilities are, send him over to GroomGroove.com and have him listen to the Grooms With a View podcasts on the Wedding Podcast Network to learn exactly what his new job entails.

Victoria, the Real Time Producer at iVillage, came across this great ring for brides-to-be, and I thought it kind of goes along with some recent posts about telling him what kind of ring you want.

The “Hint Ring” — in bridal blue — is a great gag gift if you and your future groom have discussed getting hitched, and have a sense of humor around the issue of getting engaged. (Remember the diamond razor story.) Unfortunately, there was only one design available and it’s been sold. But you can talk to the designer about possibly designing another one.

But if there are some tech geeks in your bridal party, or your groom is a computer nerd, you may want to consider getting them keyboard cufflinks at Acorn Studios. They are $14.95 for the pair!

They are available in any key from a keyboard, so pick out his initials and give the men in your wedding a pair of monogrammed cufflinks. They will love them, and definitely wear them again.

Did I ever tell you of the most romantic thing I saw a groom do before a wedding – and no it was not something Dave did.

At my best friend’s wedding, her fiancé gave her diamond studs as a wedding present. But he didn’t just hand them to her. He bought a book – The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales – and cut out a square in the pages to hold the little black velvet box. He placed it at the beginning of a certain chapter - I don’t remember which one.

Anyway, he wrapped it up with a card and gave it to her before the wedding. She loved the book, but was pleasantly surprised when he told her to open it to a specific page. Even though she already chose earrings to wear, she of course wore the ones her groom gave her.

I just thought this was a great story. You can forward it to your groom with a note saying, “How sweet is this!” And a reminder that he may want to buy you a wedding gift. Many brides know of this tradition, but their grooms do not.

In order to not be disappointed on your wedding day, I highly recommend telling your fiancé that you expect/want him to give you a wedding gift – or both of you should decide not to do it.



The diamond studs featured above are from FOREVER10. The number 10 stands for the 10 perfect hearts and 10 perfect arrows visible in each diamond, making it the most exquisitely cut diamond in the world. Visit MasterJeweler.com to find a jeweler in your area who sells earrings, necklaces and of course, rings, with the FOREVER10 diamond.

Continuing yesterday’s how to buy a diamond ring tips, here are the remaining 3 tips in our how to buy a diamond ring series:

Tip #4
GIA Tip: Have the jeweler provide an independent diamond grading report for your diamond.
Anne’s Advice: In addition to knowing the quality of your diamond, make sure the jeweler is not selling you a blood diamond or conflict diamond. These stones are sold to finance wars in Africa. He should be able to provide you with papers proving it's not a blood or conflict diamond.

Tip #5
GIA Tip: Keep your purchase secure.
Anne’s Advice: Have the ring appraised and insured immediately. A ring can get lost or stolen even in the few days from when it gets picked up at the jewelers to when it is slipped on your ring finger. Don’t risk it.

Tip #6
GIA Tip: If you’re not sure what ring to get, you can buy the stones loose and then shop for a mounting.
Anne’s Advice: If you’re not sure what you want, or what she wants, visit some jewelers to try on different styles. You won’t know what feels right or looks best on your hand unless you try on a variety of rings. Go to one, two or more stores in your neighborhood and try on different cuts, carats and colored stones. Maybe you’ll fall in love with a sapphire center stone or an antique looking ring. You'll never know until you try some on.

Above all be an educated consumer. Visit the GIA website for more information on shopping for and buying a diamond. The gorgeous engagement ring featured above was designed by Irina Ferry and is available at Soho Gem.

I thought that since we are in the beginning of engagement season - according to a survey done by the Knot, about 40% of couples will get engaged between November (Thanksgiving) and February (Valentine’s Day) – I’d post some buying an engagement ring tips that you can send to your guy. If you’re already engaged, these tips are just as important for purchasing a diamond wedding band.

The following are a combination of tips from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) on how to buy a diamond, as well as my own advice to help you make a informed purchase.

Tip #1
GIA Tip: Choose a qualified jeweler.
Anne’s Advice: The best way to find a reputable jeweler is to get recommendations from friends and relatives. Don’t just walk into a random store on the street.

Tip #2
GIA Tip: Do some research.
Anne’s Advice: Know what you are looking for – the different shapes and colors – you’ve heard of the Four Cs, but your fiancé may not have. Visit ADiamondIsForever.com and create the ring you want, and show it to him, so he knows what to get you. I designed the ring I wanted and pasted it as the wallpaper on Dave's computer so he would know exactly which design I wanted - round center stone with baguette side stones.

Tip #3
GIA Tip: Learn the Four Cs - carat, clarity, color and cut.
Anne’s Advice: And don’t forget the fifth C – cost. Have a budget and an idea of what you want to spend on the ring. You can use the Groom Groove Engagement Ring Calculator to help figure out how much 2-months salary is. But you can always spend more or less than that. Spend what you can afford.

Click here for 3 more tips on how to buy a diamond ring.

And if you're already shopping for a ring, you may want to shop online. Kiplinger.com posted a great article on where to find a great deal on diamond rings online. My favorite, and theirs, is Bluenile.com. The ring pictured above is from Blue Nile.

Many of you probably already have your engagement ring, but if you’re still waiting for your guy to propose you have to checkout the coolest pre-wedding planning tool next to designing your engagement ring on A Diamond Is Forever.com.

GroomGroove.com, a wedding planning site for the groom has just launched a diamond engagement ring calculator, so your future fiancè can figure out exactly how much 2-months salary is, and start saving it. The site also offers articles on what your guy should be doing now that he’s a groom – how to buy a diamond engagement ring, the groom’s wedding responsibilities, style tips and honeymoon planning advice.

So you want to write your own vows, but can’t seem to put your feelings into words. Not a problem. Wordsmith Lindsay Rolfson, opened Perfectly Noted, to help couples find exactly the right words to say.



For over a year, Lindsay has been helping couples – or you can go solo and surprise your groom - say the words they feel from the bottom of their heart. Prices start at around $75 and the process takes 2-3 sessions with Lindsay through e-mails and phone calls. You can save 10% by going as a couple, and can work together or separately and surprise each other on your wedding day.

Perfectly Noted can also help you write toasts – so send their information to your best man, maid-of-honor and dad if they need the help.



Photo Credit: Jenny Ebert Photography

Looking for the perfect accessories for your beach wedding? UnCommon Goods sells a beautiful set of starfish and coral inspired jewelry that is perfect for an oceanfront location. In addition to looking great on you, the earrings and necklace would also make a great bridesmaid gift.

And if you're still looking for a thank you gift for your groomsmen, I like the set of 4 "Ground Rules" baseball glasses.

Lets face it, the groom only has so much say in the details of the wedding. So why not surprise him with a cake just for him?

The groom's cake is all about the groom. It should resemble his favorite pastime and taste of his favorite flavors. Remember the red velvet armadillo from "Steel Magnolias"? That cake is the perfect example of a groom's cake - his college team mascot combined with his favorite flavor.

Is he a sport fanatic or food lover? Does he have a hobby or special interest? Bring some ideas to your baker and view their sculpted cakes portfolio to learn what his or her strengths are.

And when it comes to taste, the wedding cake is usually a traditional flavor like chocolate or a white cake. So make the groom's cake something complimentary as well as your fiance's favorite. You can make it passion fruit, red velvet, cheesecake or even strawberry shortcake.

The camera cake pictured above was created by Duff Goldman at Charm City Cakes in Baltimore. The Philly Cheese Steak cake on the right was sculpted by Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes in New York City.