Grooming the Groom and his Bride: Tips to look one’s finest on the wedding day

by: Viktoria Lukas
2010-02-03

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The wedding day is the most anticipated and most important occasion in any person’s life—so important that a year’s worth of preparation may not be enough.

While the flowers, the banquet and the bridal dress may take last-minute revamps, the flaws in the bride and the groom’s hair cut, skin and overall appearance may be harder to remedy and may be discernible in wedding photos.

For brides and grooms to look their best not only in front of guests but in the photographs as well, here are a few grooming for grooms and brides tips that may be very well helpful:

For the Groom:

As much as men hate the idea of sprucing up for an occasion, his own wedding day must be an exception. A groom-to-be’s first concern must be his haircut. Two weeks prior to the wedding date is the best time to get that haircut. If any white hairs are showing or the roots mismatch the color of the strands, dye the hair to a perfect color—something darker or close to the natural hair color. Grooms-to-be must avoid over-the-top hairdos and must instead go for the groomed, clean cut. Grooms must remember that the wedding photographs shall last a lifetime and they must make sure their appearance will not be the subject of an embarrassing discussion years later.

Men must also opt for two grooming for grooms musts which, unfortunately, men scorn at: a nail treatment and a facial treatment.

A lot of men think that a nail treatment is solely for a woman to enjoy because it consists of nail polish application in all the colors you can name under the sun. However, a nail treatment not only aims to beautify the nails but also to clean them.

Men's nails generally grow faster than women's so trimming nails on the day of the wedding itself is advisable. It won’t hurt to apply a coat of clear nail polish to add a healthy shine to the nails.

If the groom’s job causes his nails to end up stained or if he is involved in just about any job that makes the fingernails soiled like fixing the car’s engine and the like, he may opt for a complete nail cleaning treatment which involves the removal of the cuticle –or the outermost layer of skin that protrudes above the nail. These cuticles must be pushed back with the use of some cuticle oil to soften the nails and a cotton bud.

One of the grooming for grooms must is a good facial treatment considering the fact that men’s facial pores are bigger and their facial skin 15% oilier than women’s. A facial treatment is necessary to cleanse, remove any dead skin cells and to rid of any blackheads or blemishes. However, grooms-to-be must know that a facial treatment must be done no later than three days prior to the wedding day as facials can cause redness for up to a day or two after a treatment.

Last but not the least, a grooming for groom routine will not be complete minus the perfect shave. Of course, he may do this on his own the day of the wedding itself. To achieve the perfect shave, he must first wash his face with warm water to soften and open up his pores. If it is not much trouble, he may place a warm towel on his face for a few minutes prior to shaving.

Second, he must apply a generous amount of shaving crème on the areas which need shaving. If shaving crème is not available, a lather of soap may do.

The groom must know that he should shave with the grain first. Disregarding this main shaving rule may result in ingrown hairs and the unfortunate razor burn. Always begin with the sides of your face and finish with rough areas such as your chin and neck. Use even strokes and be sure to rinse the blade often with warm water.

A good, mild perfume is a must, coupled with hair wax. Make sure to choose a light wax to style your hair as heavy ones usually leaves hair with unsightly white residues.

For the Bride:

Bridal grooming has always been a must and has been around for centuries in all ethnicities and cultures. India’s own bridal grooming routine is known to pamper and beautify their brides in the most regal and elaborate of rituals where brides are adorned with Mehndi or Henna in intricate designs on the palms. Mehndi is believed to signify the strength of an Indian Bride’s marriage as well as the amount of love that she will receive from her groom.

In China, at the dawn of a bride’s wedding day, bridal grooming consists of the Chinese bride bathing in water infused with grapefruit to cleanse her of evil influences, and also to soften her skin in the process.

Many modern-day brides have their own versions of beautification rituals prior to the day of her wedding. One of these is a spa bridal shower where the bride can hold a bridal grooming gathering with all of her bridesmaids in attendance. A spa bridal shower normally includes a nail polish session for the bride and her entourage, facial sessions, a small lecture on how to groom one’s hair for the wedding, how to choose the correct make-up to fit the wedding’s motif and other beauty tips to look one’s freshest on the bigevent.

If a spa bridal shower is close to impossible because of the usually hectic schedule a bride has, the bride may opt to spend a day—or even a week!— of beautification with the woman closest to her –her mother. During this special day, she may canvass for the best salon, the best store to get the most comfortable of bridal shoes and, of course, a facial session—an essential in any bride-to-be’s critical one week before the wedding must-dos.

It is also important that the bride-to-be watch what she eats at least a month or two before the wedding day. She must load up on fruits instead of carbohydrates-rich foods and—to give her skin a beautiful glow—a daily diet of fresh tomato juice.

Last but not the least, the bride’s most important beauty regimen is to get plenty of rest and sleep. Stress and sleeplessness due to the strains and pressures of wedding preparations may make take a toll on the bride and may show up as skin blemishes and the dreaded dark circles beneath the eyes. Exercise may be another beauty regimen a bride must seriously consider, with Yoga on top of the list. Yoga not only tones the muscles but also relaxes the mind.

They all say that a person’s wedding day is the happiest and for most people, even the most important day of their lives. A person’s wedding day marks not only the beginning of a new phase in life but also defines a person’s completeness. Having said all these, a grooming regimen before one’s wedding day is an imperative. Besides, no one wants to leave his/her spouse-to-be a bad "first impression" in the altar.

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