Groom Advice - How to fill the time on the morning of your wedding

Panic stations! Red alert! Your wedding day is approaching, and the reality of walking down the aisle is sinking in. The ubiquitous cold feet have struck, and you are seriously considering growing a beard and running away to start a new life as a goat herder in Switzerland.

Stop booking those flights to Zurich. It’s perfectly natural for grooms to experience doubts about the long term commitment of marriage. But it doesn’t have to be a lonely burden. If you take the time to speak to married couples, more often than not they have both experienced the same fears you have now.

Perhaps you’re scared of losing the bachelor life style, fear you may have popped the question too soon, or maybe you are simply anxious about being the centre of attention at the wedding itself. Listed below are a few rules to keep you on the right path. And most importantly, keep you off that plane to Zurich.

Don’t spend every waking hour contemplating every possible mishap that could occur in a lifetime of marriage. Get outside and enjoy life. Play a round of golf with your pals, or release some tension by going paintballing. The more time you spend thinking about the big day, the more needless anxiety you will place on yourself.

Look Good, Feel Good

It may not be in your nature, but spending the morning of your big day getting pampered can really help. Feeling fresh will give you the boost in confidence you need to take your woman down the aisle. It’s almost a dead cert that your future wife will be spending a few hours in a health spa with friends, so why not follow her lead? A professional shave can instantly take you from hobo to hunk, and a professional massage will do wonders for pre-wedding nerves.

Go Crazy! (but not too crazy)

For many people, it is the fear of the day itself that gets to them. If you are a shy person, it is always a good idea to face a fear before the ceremony. In theory, if you can sky dive from 20,000 feet, walking down the aisle should be a piece of cake. There isn’t always time to do something quite that extreme on the morning itself, but other exhilarating activities such as sphereing or bungee-jumping really can take the fear factor away: you certainly wouldn’t be worrying about your speech when perched on the edge of a bungee platform!

Eat!

You may not feel like your usual blow-out, all-you-can-eat, full English but you do need to consume something to get you through the day. Most weddings are usually early afternoon time, which can make grabbing lunch tricky, so it’s best to stock up on the first meal of the day instead. Whilst planning and organisation skills aren’t always strengths of the male species, it’s a good time to pull out the stops and get your ushers and close family members together for a final bonding session.

The main point to make is that you are not alone. Millions of men throughout the world are in exactly the same boat as you. Not to get schmaltzy, but try to remember the reason you’re getting married in the first place. The love you share should be enough to persuade you that you have made the right choice. If not, I hear Switzerland is nice this time of year...


Written by Michelle Rider at Braxted Park Wedding Venue. Braxted Park is a licensed wedding venue in Essex, with capacity ranging from 50 to 300 guests. Braxted Park offers exclusive use for the day and boasts the highest level of service for wedding receptions in Essex.