Grooms Awaiting

What’s the most anticipated moment of the wedding ceremony? For most people, it’s the moment when the doors open and the bride begins to make her descent down the aisle. For some of us, including myself, when the doors open up, I look toward the groom instead of the bride.

Image Courtesy of Fotos by Fola

We all know she’s going to be a beautiful bride; this is the day she’s been dreaming of for so long. But, seeing the look of anticipation, joy, and love on the groom’s face as she makes her way toward him is priceless, especially when it’s captured on film! Today, I'm sharing a few of my favorite moments of grooms awaiting their brides. I'm sure some of them will tug at your heart strings too. Enjoy!

Image Courtesy of Fotos by Fola

Image Courtesy of Fotos by Fola 

Image Courtesy of Sophia Barrett Studios

Image Courtesy of Fotos by Fola

Image Courtesy of Sophia Barrett Studios

The Groom's Side of the Story

As we approach the last day of “love month”, for this Men Talk Monday post, I wanted to share love from the groom’s perspective. I had the opportunity to plan a romantic dinner for three newly engaged couples, through a contest that they entered on Munaluchi Bridal. As a member of the Munaluchi Coterie, the contest allowed the winners to have an experience with other Coterie members and enjoy their products or services in the industry as well.

The couples were selected based on their stories; how they met and how the grooms proposed to his bride. When I conduct my consultations, hearing the couple’s story is one of my favorite parts and often brings a smile to my face. Of course, the bride entered the contest, so we wanted to do something a little differently. We captured the love story from the grooms' side! Who doesn’t like a great love story? I invite you to take a look at the video, by Frank and Mia Wedding Films, and share in their joy. I dare you not to smile. :)

Hearing the grooms' side of the story and hearing how he knew his bride was the one, what made her special, and how he proposed to her was so endearing. As the couples dined on a wonderful meal, prepared by Sonesta Gwinnett, you’ll also see that they looked as though they’d been friends for years, although they’d just met moments before! Now that you've seen the video, enjoy some of the pictures, so beautifully captured by Images by N’neka.

Venue & Meal- Sonesta Gwinnett

Photographer- Images by N'neka

Videographer- Frank and Mia Wedding Films

Florals- Perfect Petals Design Group

Linens- Chair Covers & Linen

Menus- Ink & Elegance

Infinity Chairs- Sweet Seats

Makeup- Samantha Reese

Flute Player- McClenton Institue of Music

Should You Rent a Tuxedo or Purchase a Custom One?

It's a new year and a new blog series; Men Talk Mondays. In the first Monday of 2016, I wanted to talk about tuxedos. As a wedding planner, I'm often asked should you, the groom (and some groomsmen) rent or purchase their tuxedos. Most times, the groom is thinking about the moment that he's the groom and may get a free rental, from a major chain, if he has a certain number of groomsmen to rent a tuxedo. Well, what about all the other times?

Image Courtesy of Romance Weddings

Image Courtesy of Munaluchi Bridal Magazine via Elizabeth Messina

Well, for the most part, buying a tuxedo depends on you and your lifestyle. It depends on how often you wear suits or formal attire. If it's just every once in a while or on occasion, the rental option may be the way to go. However, if you're a social butterfly, happening to be on everyone's invite list and attend a lot of events or have a career that requires you to dress to the nines a little more often, then custom option is for you.  It'll cost a bit more upfront, but save you a lot more in the long run. With the average cost of a tuxedo rental being $150 and a custom tuxedo averaging approximately $1,500, it's an investment that you're sure to get your money's worth out of. Renting a tuxedo adds up over time when you have to rent one over and over again.

Image Courtesy of Just The Design

Image Courtesy of The Knot

Another thing! We all know the saying "When you look good, you feel good" and personally, I feel that a custom, well tailored tuxedo gives a man a different kind of "feel-good" attitude; a kind of swagger, if you will. A custom tuxedo will be tailored to fit your body and fit much better than a rented one would. Whereas a rented tuxedo is just meant to really fit your measurements with a little bit of wiggle room for minor adjustments. With a custom tailored tuxedo, it fits to a T! With commonly known brands like Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, and Giorgio Armani, you really can't go wrong. 

Image Courtesy of Brides.com

So, the question of should you rent a tuxedo or purchase a custom one? In my personal opinion, if you have a very active social calendar, when you consider what you have going of from January through December, the investment in a custom tuxedo is absolutely worth it. Treat yourself to that feel-good moment you deserve!