Guest Blogger Profile: Simon Daykin

Your Best Man is the one guy who you can count on to stand with you when all others will not.  He is unwavering in his loyalty to you.  That being said he will not stand by and not voice his opinion.  He’ll offer the facts, let you know what he thinks and then NO MATTER WHAT you decide he will stand by you.  In short, if your life was a zombie film, he’s the guy you want to have watching your back.

You’ve Chosen Him Before You’ve Chosen Her

Usually you know exactly who your best man will be even before you have asked or even chosen the girl you want to marry.  Yup, the bond can be that strong.  I knew who my best man would be before I met my wife.  We live 3000 kms apart but we’re still tight and chat every chance we get.  This is a man I would die for.

He Tells It Like It Is Even If You Don’t Like It

So make sure you have that bond, you know he’ll give you straight up answers without worrying about offending you.  Sometimes the thing not said is the worst thing NOT to say.  You need to be comfortable with each other.  Way back in the day, the best man’s job was to spend the night with the groom the night before his wedding and make sure he didn’t make a run for it.  Strange but true.  The night before my wedding, my best man and I got a case of beer and sat around reminiscing and writing our speeches.  Well, in truth, he wrote his speech, I watched a movie, drank most of the beer and ad-libbed the whole thing the next day.  It went surprisingly well.

Best Man Etiquette

Make sure he knows he is YOUR BEST MAN.  Ask him to stand by you in private.  You can ask the wedding party as a whole, but ask you BM in private.  Here are some things that will make him stand apart from the rest of your bridal party:

* Make Him Unique- Have his tie or boutonniere differ from yours AND the wedding party’s so people know he is unto himself.

* Let Him Know His Responsibilities- He’ll be making a speech, so make sure you can count on him for that.  He should know not to tell the Mexican hooker story, but some people get caught up in the moment, or the bottle…if you have the bond I mentioned earlier this will not be problem. But he won’t be offended if you run him through some rules you’d like him to follow.

* He’s Your Party Planner- This man will also be the driving force behind your stag party as well.  Another good reason to pick a guy who knows you.  There is nothing worse than showing up and finding out it’s the old “donkey show” and you went and invited both your dad and the bride to be’s father.  Stag parties take on many different faces these days.  The strip club trip, while not a thing of the past, is no longer the be all and end all of the stag experience click here for information on Gutsy Groom’s Stag packages. If there is something you REALLY WANT to do, don’t be afraid to ask to work with him on the Stag.  Or at least let him know if there is anything you 100 percent do not want.

Simon’s Gutsy Groom Advice

Always pick a guy you know will stand by you.  This may offend or upset other friends but try to incorporate them into the wedding party or the wedding in some other way.  Real friends will understand why a certain person will be chosen to be your Best Man.  Treat him well, when picking wedding party gifts, get your best man a little something extra.  He deserves it.

If he has to travel a long distance and you can swing it, pick up his tux rental, send a kick ass car to get him from the airport or take him out for a great dinner.  He came all this way to stand by you so let him know how much that means to you.  Always be open to any questions he may have.

I have a lot of friends and I consider myself lucky enough to have quite a few good friends. But guys I would ask to stand by my side on the most important day of my life, well I can count those guys on one hand and I’m sure you can too.  It’s pretty bloody overwhelming to be a Best Man if you do it right.  And I want every man, standing next to you on that special day to be the Best Man they can be.

Brian from The Groom Says stops by today with a guest post on popping the big question to that special guy in your life.. The Best Man

You’ve got the best and worst out of the way, haven’t you? You hitchhiked cross-country to ask her parents’ permission. You flew to Serbia to locate the perfect diamond. You booked a private jet for Rome and got down on one knee in front of the Trevi Fountain, tossing three coins into the shallow pool as the local band you’d hired played a broken English version of her favorite song, Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight.

Go you.

Only your job isn’t quite through. You’ve got one more person to swoon: the person who will surely be finding your socks, ironing your shirt and snapping you back to reality on the morning of your wedding. It’s time to win over the Best Man.

But be relieved. No one’s expecting romance or surprises or fireworks. Your best man won’t be sharing the news with his girlfriends for the next few months, bragging about where and when and how you did it. Still, that doesn’t mean that you (the Groom) shouldn’t put a little thought into it. After all, memorable can be manly.

the where

I decided to pop the question one evening at a local bowling alley (for you Los Angelenos, that would be the Lucky Strike lanes in Hollywood). My Best Man and I would retreat there occasionally, shedding our significant others for some much-needed man time. Pins. Balls. Beer. Billiards. Lebowski one-liners. It’s the perfect refuge, and it was the ideal location for us.

If you’re looking for something less public (or less commercial), consider a day hike, canoe trip or a drive out to your favorite getaway. The key is to put some thought behind it, and when he says, “I knew something was up,” take it as a compliment. He’s glad you care.

Tell him if he's lucky, you just might pin your button on him..

the when

Pony Express may have been the preferable method in the mid-1800s, but it was important to this groom to pop the Best Man question in person. And sans fiancee. You might need a month to recover from the engagement — take it. If he’s the right person for the job, he won’t care when it happens. And if you’re a good groom, you’ll avoid the 10-cent text:

hi jim, jerry’s phone died but he totally wants u2b his best man. yes?!?! yay!!! -jess

the how

Why this guy? Do you really trust him to be your go-to guy for the next 12 months plus? Will he be the one who scrapes you off of the bathroom floor the morning after your bachelor party, cleans up your stink and doesn’t judge you at any (mis)step along the way?

Then it’s important to express how he’s the only guy you know who could do this job and do it well. It may not need to happen over the loudspeaker at the local roller rink, but be sure to tell him how pumped you are about the next year, and let him know that he’s the only worthy wing man.

And don’t forget … memorable can be masculine. So throw on some rib-eyes at that campground grill, and then throw on the charm. We won’t tell.

Guest Blogger Profile: Simon Daykin

A Man Shower you say? Yeah!!! The bride gets to have a shower, sometimes more than one actually. So why has the groom been left out of this? Sure we need a better name for it, but we can work on that. The bride gets her friends together, they have little sandwiches, drink tea and she gets gifts. (In my mind anyway) So pick a day, get your boys together and let’s get this Man Shower started.

A rare photo of the very first man shower dating back to 1864

A Great Space And Keep The Appies Coming

So you need a cool venue space, I suggest a great basement at your house or a friends place. If you can get a space with a rec room that is great, fooseball, a pool table and some sort of big ass TV with a gaming system would be perfect! Now we have that sorted lets talk food. We love stuff we can eat with our fingers, or as Homer Simpson once commented…”Anything you can stick a tooth pick into”. Wings, mini pizzas, mini tacos, meatballs and the like work great, I like to make my own wing sauce, so maybe have a few of your friends make their own sauces, you get plain wings, breaded and not. You’ll need a deep fryer. Fry up the wings and toss them in the different sauces, you could even offer a prize for the sauce your guys like the most. This gives the guys an incentive to really pull out the stops. You can even have them write out their sauce recipes and hand them out at the party.

She Got Gifts, I Want Some Too

My wife came back from her shower with gifts. Stuff for the kitchen, serving platters and what not. I got SQUAT! For the Man Shower you should get man gifts. Gadgets, power tools, stuff you don’t need but is really cool. You can register for these things or you can have the guy organizing the Man Shower provide guests with a list of cool man gifts you may need. So remember to coordinate with him on how best to get you some kick ass man gifts. I found a great site www.thinkgeek.com and they have some amazing gadgets.

Register for your Man Shower gifts at The Man Registry

Liquor??? I Hardly Know Her!

Yeah, I know…bad joke. But seriously, you can’t get your boys together and not offer a few drinks. Beers from around the world is a good theme. Each guy brings a 6 or 12 and you just toss ‘em all into the ice tub and grab what ya like. Oh yeah, if possible get a big old steel tub to hold your beers, it’s manly. You could also get a world map, each guy gets a set of colored pins, after you consume a beer, you find the country on the map and claim it with your pin. There is no single winner in this game, because EVERYBODY wins!!! You can also do a Scotch tasting bar, a Tequila bar, a Wine bar or Martinis from your favorite Bond movie. I know, he drinks only 2 versions but hey, get creative.

Simon’s Gutsy Groom Advice

Make sure all your guests have a way home or you have enough space for everyone to sleep where they fall. Do not let your guests drink and drive, not cool and certainly not worth it. So the ideas given above were for a specific Man Shower, you can class it up if you like. There are no real rules other than these. The Man Shower takes place on a different day and is not in any way associated with your stag. This is a stand alone event to get you more stuff and hang out with your guys. Brides get additional showers and even a lot of the stuff you register for will be used by her and her alone. Grooms tend to get left out of a lot of stuff, and I say it’s time to step up and take back the party.

Guest Blogger Profile: Jennifer Napier of OneWed.com

You know how they say some girls dream about their weddings their whole life? Well, that was never me, but I do know some guys who have been dreaming about their bachelor party since they first discovered a certain magazine under their big brother’s mattress!

No two girls feel the same way about strippers, some live in fear of the girl jumping out of the cake, some wish they were that girl, and some wish they could be there to see it. What’s important is that you find out how YOUR girl feels about it, and more importantly, your Best Man knows that you want to respect her wishes in this.

Send your Best Man to OneWed's Party Planning Application - and you just may end up in one of these!

If your Best Man needs a little help in the party planning area, make sure he checks out OneWed’s newest party planning application! We’ve got great tools for soliciting opinions on things like strippers, getting the info out, and hunting down those guys who refuse to commit to an RSVP.

Today’s post gives one possible answer to the question that has haunted grooms since the dawn of time: “What should I get for my groomsmen?”

Engraved cuff links are a traditional, yet classy, groomsmen gift. They may sound boring, but cufflinks serve a practical use as many grooms choose styles that are meant to go with a groomsman or best man’s wedding day attire. Because, let’s face it, the ones you get from the tux shop are just plain junk. Adding the recipient’s initials or monogram adds a further touch of class.

Perhaps the best thing about cufflinks is that they are affordable. Most sets fall in the $20 range and come with an accompanying case.

Below are some of our favorite personalized cufflinks available now from The Man Registry. Click the image to view more info on the product. For orders of 4 or more, call us at 1-877-476-6601 for shipping discounts.

Personalized Silver Oval Cufflinks

Personalized Silver Round Cufflinks

Personalized Two Tone Cuff Links

Personalized Harrison Silver Cufflinks

Personalized Addison High Polish Brass Cuff Links

Personalized Marlon Brushed Silver Cuff Links

Personalized Oval Brushed Cufflinks

Personalized Oval Polished Cuff Links

Monogrammed Silver Round Beaded Cufflinks

Cheers!

Guest Blogger Profile: Jennifer Napier of OneWed.com

Grooms will love these thank you cards

You probably already know that you’re going to need to write at least half the thank you notes for wedding gifts, right? For those, you and your gal probably picked out stationary that matches your invitations.

But, you’ll have other thank you notes to write as well- for bachelor party or man shower gifts. You may also want to write thank you notes to your best man, groomsmen, and any other guys that went above and beyond to get you through the planning stages.  Not saying it needs to be anything sweet or sappy, just a little note to say “Hey man, thanks.” Having some great note cards that aren’t too girly will help you keep your manhood intact.

These cards from Jenneration Fix are fun, retro, and best of all, manly! They’re made from old album and book covers, and if you have a type of music or group you’re really into, the designer is up for special orders, just contact him through the site.

Our groom style and planning expert Simon Daykin of GutsyGroom fame stops by to share some tips on choosing the all-important wedding mc

If chosen correctly, your wedding mc will keep the reception and wedding toasts running smoothly

Now that the two most important people in the wedding have been confirmed (That would be you and your bride) it’s time to choose the person (or people) who are going to run things from behind the podium.

The Master of Ceremonies (or MC as they’re often called) is quite important because they will be the one(s) making sure the introductions are done and the speeches run on time. But they also tell the funny stories about you and your bride to keep the audience warmed up between speeches. Other than the wedding planner, they run the show for those few hours they are up there at that podium.

But they can also kill the atmosphere, embarrass you or your bride and generally screw up the whole thing.

Choosing An MC Is As Important As The Wedding Colors Were To Your Bride

I want to give you some tips on choosing your MC because there are certainly some things you need to think about when planning your wedding. Take note, pay attention and choose wisely.

Who Knows You, As A Couple Best?

Did a mutual friend introduce you to your future wife?

Has there been someone there every step of the way from the first date to the wedding day?

Is there someone who right away springs to your mind?

If the answer is yes, odds are you have found a pretty great MC. Usually your first choice is the best. It is very important to pick an MC that knows both you and your bride. Sometimes this can mean having 2 MC’s, one from your side and one from the brides.

Hey You, Potty Mouth!

It is important when choosing someone who is speaking at one of the biggest days of your life to be sure they will perform appropriately. Make sure the MC follows a few simple rules.

1. No swearing- This just isn’t the time or the place for the f-bomb.
2. Keep the stories clean. If there are some off color stories to be told, do it at the stag or another function. Red faces of laughter are fine, not of embarrassment.
3. Don’t get hammered- I’m not saying they can’t drink, but drink in moderation. After they’ve done their duty there’s hours left to party.
4. Unless it’s a pre-arranged joke…keep your pants on! – I only mention this because we’ve seen it happen before. It’s not so funny when only a few people get the inside joke.

You need to choose a person who you can trust to obey these rules and not think it would be funny to go up there in front of your family, and your new family and launch into a profanity laced tirade about how much fun spring break in Mexico was back in the day.

Respect, Respect, Respect

It is important that, no matter how good the friend is to you, they must also respect your bride.

Having a buddy get up there and make fun of your bride, your relationship or how no one thought you guys would ever last is not cool. This goes as well for the bride’s MC if you are someone on her side do it.

If you’re really worried about who you’ve chosen after reading this article you could have final say on any stories or speeches your MC is giving. You want to remember the day for how special it was, not for the off collar things said that only one person in the room thought was funny.

One Too Many for the Bridal Party?

Is there a person you wanted in your bridal party but you just couldn’t swing it?

Well, now you can invite them to be part of the wedding as your MC for the evening’s festivities. It will include them in the evening, make them feel very special and get them involved in all the parties (yes, you should be inviting your MC to the stag, the wedding party dinner and yes, they should get a thank you gift as well).

So a last word of advice, after you have chosen your fantastic MC, and they have accepted. Sit down with them to knock a few ideas around. Let them know what you expect of them and let them know you are available if they want to run any ideas by you.

The Wedding MC: A great read for all aspiring mc's

I recommend you purchase this book to give them some help if it’s their first time as an MC:  The Wedding MC: A Complete Guide to Success for the Best Man or Event Host by Tom Haibeck

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!

Came across this hidden gem on YouTube. Why doesn’t this thing have 3 million views yet?

Enjoy!

A few things that stick out after viewing:

1. The guy walked up to the Rocky theme. Classic! Nothing like stealing the glory.
2. This guy hasn’t been drinking cocktails, he’s been doing shots. Hey, at least he admitted it.
3. 2:38 – F Bomb. There it is.
4. 3:46 “Bla bla bla”

There is now an open offer for this guy to write a guest entry for us with a guide to destroying the Best Man toast. Somebody make this happen!

Cheers!

We go way back with Big Rob from @drinkinggames. We’ve convinced him to share some of his legendary drinking game advice with the grooms out there who want a memorable bachelor party. So without further ado…

This looks familiar..

So you’re celebrating the last moments of your freedom, you and your boys are up for a night on the town.   If the best man does it right, he’ll get the gang primed and ready to go even before you hit the bars or bus.  Asking from experience, who’s got the funds to hit the bar in high gear sober?

Pregame It:

Get your buzz going early with an hour of power, it’s one of the best ways to start off the night.  Unless you’re drinking alone or at a family reunion, then it’s just sad. Throw in some shoulders or thumper, because nothing beats seeing your friends make a fool of themselves.

If the bachelor pre-party starts to accumulate more people – bust out a cup, quarter, and ice tray and play some Moose. (Editor’s note – this is one of our favorite games for after hours at TMR) It’s the quintessential stand around the table and makes-your-friends drink game.  It’s ridiculously addictive and so easy to play even your future brother-in-law’s friend that is in his seventh semester of community college can follow along. All you need to play is an ice tray and a large bowl. It’s best if everyone playing is drinking something different.  Set up the pieces as shown below and have everyone pour a bit of their drink into the bowl. Take turns trying to bounce the quarter from the table into the ice tray. If the quarter lands in the right column of the ice tray, you give out drinks. If it lands in the left column.. you drink. If someone is unlucky enough to bounce the quarter into the bowl – everyone must yell “MOOSE!.” The last one to do so has to drink the bowl…and it’s mixed contents.

Ice tray and bowl. It doesn't get any easier.

Bar:

By the time you hit up the bar you should be feeling like George Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven; a confident cougar magnet hanging with your mob of friends.  Keep the dreamin’ alive by playing some more bar appropriate games avoiding the dice, quarters, and cards.  Make use of the sports playing on the TVs around the bar to aid in your intoxication and invent drinking rules for certain sports.  Use your friends as a source of your drinking pleasure by singling them out by their catch phrase or every time the text someone.  Involve the whole crew by making each other only refer to people by nicknames.

Hey look at me - it's my bachelor party!

As always tip your bartenders, and be aware of your surroundings; I’m sure you don’t want the bridegroom in a fight with a 300 pound biker named Curly.

The Aftermath:

Grab some Waffle House, regale each other on the night’s events, and make drunken promises to do it again.

For daily tweets on new drinking games and reminders of old favorites, follow @drinkinggames on Twitter. If you’re not using Twitter – start! And while you’re there, follow @themanregistry as well.

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