Guest Blogger Profile: Dr. Taffy Wagner of DebtAtTheAltar.com

Try thinking about your marital finances in football terms

Let’s have some fun today grooms. It’s time to take your upcoming marriage and think of it in football terms. I’m sure most of you have either played or watched at least one football game. I’ll give you the known factors and ask you to participate:

The field is your marriage. Whether you are days away or even months away, this is the field. You are moments away from finding out the specifics so that you know the lay of the land before you begin the game.

Teams are Brides and Grooms: the soon-to-be-husbands and wives. Initially it may look like you are on separate teams in the beginning until you say “I Do.” The idea is that you are on the path to uniting.

Object: To begin talking about money and continue throughout your marriage. Money talk is not just a one time discussion.

Rules:  A coin must be flipped to see who begins – bride or groom.

The coin toss winner gets to ask the first financial question. If the question is strictly a surface question – no points can be given.

How to begin the game:

If the question makes the person uncomfortable to ask because it is asking hard questions, the person who responds truthfully gets 3 points.

Next, the responder gets to ask his or her first financial question. If the question is avoided completely, then the person asking the question gets 7 points for asking and not changing the question. If the question is avoided, the person asking the question gets to ask a second question.

Ask the important questions about money and marriage

What are the questions:

Let me ask you this, what do you want to know about your future spouse’s finances that you have been afraid to ask. That can be a beginning place.

I recommend you and your bride-to-be get some refreshments and sit down, begin the Financial Football game, and let us know how it turns out.

How do you begin the game?  The bride and the groom are the captains of the team. Flip a coin and see who gets to start. What will be the first question you ask?

** Remember, any financial mistakes and decisions made before you say “I Do” you cannot hold against the person. You were not there and cannot place blame.

Guest Blogger Profile: Jennifer Napier of OneWed.com

Careful with that razor..

So, you do know that on your wedding day your bride is going to look a little different, right? Most likely, she’s getting her hair and make-up done by a professional. Now, I’m not suggesting you go all metro-sexual and put on guy-liner, but what about treating yourself to a hot lather shave at your favorite barber shop? It’ll be a nice relaxing treat, and it’ll avoid the need for little pieces of toilet paper stuck all over your face on your wedding day.

A hilarious look at bachelor party concepts from one of our favorite TMR vendors - California’s own FireFly Group Events

I'm on a Boat (for my bachelor party)!

Your friend Jimmy is passed out in his own vomit as your bleary eyes register the tattoo on your arm. A tattoo that didn’t exist twelve hours ago because until last night, you didn’t know anyone named Trixie. A moment of clarity pierces your hangover fog and you realize that you’ve made it; your bachelor party is over and you’ve come through unscathed…Almost. Just wait until your fiance asks who Trixie is.

It takes one friend to tie the knot and the rest of you get a reason to party. Be careful though–if the bride learns any details from the bachelor party, that knot may become a noose for your friend. Maybe it’s time to consider a different approach to the bachelor party. We’re all for a liquor-fueled last hurrah with the boys. BUT, we suggest you shift toward memories that can be shared, and away from secrets that inevitably leak.

Bachelors and best men are already moving away from the standard and stale strippers-and-beer fests. Instead of bar hopping and strip clubs, men are deep sea fishing, kart racing, playing poker, and seeking out activities that offer more. They’re bonding (yes, men can bond) and they’re coming back with memories that don’t make enemies out of the bridal party.

As Best Man your goal is to become a legend, without endangering the groom’s status with the bride. It’s a send-off that lets him know what the rest of the guys think of him. It’s a lot of pressure, but don’t worry, we’re here to help.

1st – Figure out what the Groom wants! It’s His party, celebrating His last time out with the boys as a single man.

2nd – Check out our website: http://www.fireflygroupevents.com/main.php . We have a great selection of packages and tools to make organizing a party easier. We’ll collect the money, book the vendors, and let you take credit. With our help, this is the easiest party you’ll ever plan.

3rd –  All hands on deck. This ship will sink unless you get all your friends talking it up. Get them excited! Create a buzz!

Bonus tip– If you decide to use strippers, we recommend calling each and every tattoo parlor in the area. Ask them to ban you from their premises for a period of 24 hours.

Keep in mind that a bachelor party is not like a normal party, the details are harder to manage. You’re dealing with people you may not know well, multiple locations, and vendors you’re unfamiliar with. We simplify the process for you! Our custom event pages allow you to send email invites, see whose going, who’s paid, and communicate via message boards. Leave the vendors, money, and stress to us.

Also, be sure to read The Man Registry’s great advice for Bachelor Party Planning!

Now this is what we call a bachelor party

If you’re looking for some ideas to get the juices flowing, check out some of our pre-packaged deals for the grooms in California:

Los Angeles – Surf & Scale – Surfing lesson and Rock Climbing

San Francisco – Scratch It – Learn beat matching on the turntables, then load onto the Party Bus for a night of fun

San Diego – False Starts – Mini Grand Prix kart style followed by beer tasting at three micro breweries

Orange County – Hangman Strikes – Traverse this sixty foot ropes course to fly down their insane zipline and then head to our favorite lanes for some bowling.

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For more information on becoming a TMR sponsored vendor and writing guest blogs for our blog, view our Become a TMR Vendor page.

The Man Registry is giving away a killer grooming kit (valued at $50) to a lucky tweeting bride who can tell us in 140 characters or less why their hubby-to-be needs some grooming help.  Whether it’s because he chews his toenails, needs a serious nose-hair pluck, or hasn’t been to the dentist in three years, let us know. The funnier the better.  Just tag your tweet with @themanregistry by July 5th to be eligible. The winner will be chosen by our groom style expert Simon Daykin (and his partner in crime/wife Ciara). Decision will be based on what groom is in most need of grooming help.

Wedding planners, you’re welcome to enter on behalf of a client!

If you don’t have Twitter, you can enter by posting a comment at the bottom of this post.

Brides, send us a tweet telling us why your groom needs this kit!

Let’s be honest, us men love to lay around, drink beer, watch sports, and not give a damn about what we look like while doing it. Don’t believe what you see in those Axe Body Spray commercials, we can actually make it through life being scruffy and stinky… until the wedding day. Enter Anthony Logistics for Men. They’ve created a great gift package called ‘Here Comes the Groomed.’ This kit has everything a groom will need to look his best for the big day.

The kit includes: glycolic facial cleanser, facial scrub, pre-shave oil, shave cream, after shave balm, sea salt body scratch, glycerin hand/body lotion, and comes in a nifty travel case.

Expert Wedding Ring Advice at TheManRegistry.com

Have you been wondering how in the hell you’re going to size your fiance’s ring finger?

How much you should pay for engagement ring insurance?

What exactly is a conflict free diamond?

Wonder no more, guys. Whiteflash.com, the web’s top diamond e-boutique, has joined The Man Registry’s groom expert panel. The panel consists of top wedding industry experts that want to help simplify this whole wedding planning thing.

So sit back, crack a beer, and we’ll show you everything you want to know (and more) about engagement and wedding rings.

Cheers!

If you’re in need of a gift for a special guy in Los Angeles or Pittsburgh, look no further than a few of our gifts featuring the recently crowned world champion Lakers or Penguins.

Los Angeles Lakers 16oz Stainless Steel Travel Tumbler

Lakers Tankard, Ceramic Mug, and Shot Glass Gift Set

Pittsburgh Penguins 4pc Shot Glass Set

Penguins 2pc Rocks Glass Set

Sidenote - how cool is the Stanley Cup?

Find more NHL groomsmen gifts & NBA Groomsmen Gifts at The Man Registry.

Cheers!

The Man Registry has partnered with American Bachelor Party to provide our grooms and best men the very best bachelor party planning advice. They join several other top wedding industry specialists on The Man Registry’s expert groom panel.

American Bachelor Party (twitter @mybachelorparty) currently provides bachelor party planning in New York and Atlantic City. They will soon be expanding to Las Vegas and beyond. Their party planning packages include recommending top bars, clubs, hotels, adult entertainment, and more. Their expertise comes from years of planning bachelor parties in New York City.

Their advice to The Man Registry’s grooms will range from the bachelor party guest list to party destinations to keeping costs down.

Cheers!

Guest Blogger Profile: Jennifer Napier of OneWed.com

Surprise your bride with a few cards during your engagement (or just one really big one).

OK, if you’ve made it as far as the engagement, you probably have the basics of giving your bride-to-be a gift down. Don’t forget important anniversaries and don’t claim that you thought she really wanted a circular saw. But, you know how on your way home from work you stopped at the drug store and grabbed the first anniversary card you saw? Yeah, she can tell, and she hates it. Your gift would earn so many more points if you would take a few minutes to put some thought into getting a nice card.

If that sounds like too much work, why not order a few ahead of time and keep them on hand? I discovered Silhouette Blue and wanted to share this clever site because they not only do custom-designed invites, but they also have some simple anniversary cards. Cute enough to earn you points, but not so cute you’ll feel weird giving them to her.

You can thank me later.

Are you getting married in NYC?

Are you wondering what you’ll do with all of the new kitchen tools and gadgets from your wedding registry?

Let us introduce Gilda Mulero and Cooking 101 for Newlyweds.

A great wedding gift: newlyweds cooking lessons

Cooking 101 for Newlyweds is a cooking class for recently wed couples that offers advice on topics such as cooking for two, kitchen basics, easy entertaining, and kitchen organization. If you’re interested in the course,  you can register for a gift certificate or sign up by contacting Gilda directly through her website.

For grooms creating a registry at TMR, we offer many great kitchen related wedding gifts including the Sportsman’s Marinade Pack, George Foreman spinning fryer, heavy-duty meat grinder, and kitchen knife set.

Cheers!

In our ongoing effort to provide the best content and advice for grooms, The Man Registry has invited Simon Daykin to join our efforts as our groom wedding planning & coordinating expert.

Simon and his wife Ciara Daykin are co-founders of Firefly Occasions. Simon also has founded GutsyGroom.com where he gives wedding and style advice to groom’s from a male perspective. He’s a natural fit for The Man Registry’s panel of groom experts.

Simon Daykin joins The Man Registry's panel of experts

Here’s an example of the type of Q/A advice Simon will be sharing with our readers:

Question- Who do we invite to the rehearsal dinner?

Simon: Traditionally you invite the families, ushers, groomsmen and bridesmaids.  I’m finding that these days that guest list is much, much larger.  Invite only the necessary people to the ceremony rehearsal but think about inviting all your guests to the dinner, you don’t have to pick up their tabs or buy their booze.  I suggest picking up the tabs for the people who attend the ceremony rehearsal but not the rest of the guests.  This will give the guests a chance to meet each other before the reception.  This will take away any awkward moments at the dinner table the next day because they have a chance to meet, chat and share a cocktail or two.  I have heard from numerous guests that they love a pre party before the reception on the big day.

Be sure to visit The Man Registry’s Ask the Wedding Expert section today and read great content from all of our expert partners.

Cheers!