Is your groom lightly involved in the wedding process? Are you finding yourself deep in the rabbit hole of wedding planning, adding 100 pins to your Pinterest board, and sitting on the fence with quotes and unintentionally ghosting vendors? …. If this sounds like you may have forgotten to brief the future husbands on some finer details that often get missed on the wedding day such as how to pin a Boutooniere? So do yourself a favour, copy and paste the below content and share this with your future Husband or get AI to read it out to him like its an Audio book, thank us later! Ensure he has this information a week before so he’s not learning how to do this on his wedding day.
Boutonniere Guide
A boutonniere is a single flower — sometimes with foliage — worn on the grooms left lapel. Most grooms have never worn one before and some hobbyist florist may not be aware of the technical requirements of wiring the bugs.
Firstly, check with your florist – will these be wired? Secondly…Will you supply 2 for the groom (so you wear the fresh on at night) ..Will your boutonniere have pins or is it a clip on with safety pin? Lastly, what time will you drop these off to the confirmed address?
Neck Tie
For most weddings — lounge suits, morning suits, country house ceremonies — a necktie is the correct choice, and the best knot to use is the four-in-hand. It sits slightly asymmetrically, which is exactly right. It's slimmer and more modern than a full Windsor, flatters every collar shape, and is far harder to get wrong. If you only learn one knot before the wedding, make it this one.
Pro tip — practise one week before, not the morning of. Tie the knot five times on a normal day when you're not nervous. By the fourth attempt your hands know the sequence without your brain being involved. On the morning of the wedding, that muscle memory is what keeps you calm.
Pro tip — iron your tie one to two days before, never the morning of. Lay it flat on an ironing board, place a thin cotton cloth over it, and press gently on a low heat setting — never iron directly onto silk or wool. Once done, hang it loosely or roll it. Never fold it flat; folding creates a permanent crease. Give it a full day to recover its shape before you wear it.
Sentimental touch. Have the wedding date embroidered on the inside lining of the tie — where the label sits. A needlework studio can do this in a week for very little cost. You'll find it every time you pick the tie up for the rest of your life. If the tie was a gift from your father, your partner, or a groomsman, write down who gave it to you and why, and keep that note with the tie. The story behind an object is what makes it irreplaceable.
Bow Tie
The single most important thing to know about bow ties is this: a pre-tied clip-on is immediately visible in photographs. The perfectly symmetrical, machine-formed bow reads as exactly what it is. A self-tied bow tie has a very slightly uneven shape — one side a fraction wider, the knot not perfectly centred — and that imperfection is precisely what makes it look correct. Asymmetry here is not a mistake. It is the proof.
Pro tip — practise every day for one week before the wedding. Not once — every day. Tie it in the morning before work, untie it, put it away. By the seventh day your hands move through the steps without you thinking about what comes next. Do a full dress rehearsal — collar buttoned, bow tie on, jacket on — at least once so you know exactly how much slack to leave.
Pro tip — steam your bow tie, don't iron it. A bow tie should have a soft, slightly billowing shape. Hold it over a steaming kettle or use a garment steamer from about eight inches away. This relaxes packing creases and restores the fabric's natural body without flattening it. Do this 24 hours before the wedding and store it loosely draped over a hanger — never folded flat.
Sentimental touch. If you're wearing a bow tie that belonged to your father or grandfather, say so — in your vows, to your officiant, to your partner that morning. Objects carry meaning only when the story around them is told. If you're buying new, consider having it monogrammed on the back with your initials and the date. After the wedding, keep it with a photograph from the day rather than loose in a drawer. The bow tie, the photo, and the story of who tied it and why — that is something worth keeping.
The Handkerchief – Pocket Square
The pocket square sits in the breast pocket of your jacket and does one quiet job: it signals that your outfit was considered from top to bottom. Done correctly it adds a second point of colour or texture without competing with the tie. Skip it entirely and the absence is noticed, even when people can't quite say why. It takes thirty seconds to fold and shows in every photograph taken from the front.
The most important rule is to coordinate your pocket square with your tie, but never match it exactly. A pocket square that perfectly mirrors your tie looks like it came in a gift set and was worn without thought. One that picks up a supporting colour differently looks like intention. When in doubt, use white. White linen is never wrong.
The flat fold is your failsafe. Lay the square fully open on a flat surface and smooth out any creases. Fold the bottom edge up to meet the top — you have a rectangle. Fold the left edge in to meet the right — a smaller rectangle. Fold the bottom third upward. Slide it into the breast pocket with the clean folded edge facing up until only a quarter to half an inch is visible above the pocket. That thin, even band of fabric is the finished result.
Pro tip — practise your fold five times in the week before, not on the morning. Choose your fold and your pocket square at least a week out. Five calm practice runs make the morning fold instinctive. If you're ever unsure which fold to use, return to the flat fold. It is always correct, it never competes, and it never distracts.
Pro tip — use linen or silk, not polyester. Polyester pocket squares are inexpensive and look exactly like that in photographs — flat, slightly shiny, slightly cheap. Linen has a natural texture that holds a fold cleanly and reads well in photos. A white or ivory linen square costs very little and works with every suit you will ever own.
Sentimental touch. Have your wedding date and initials embroidered into one corner — white thread on white linen, or gold on ivory — discreet enough to wear again, meaningful enough to keep forever. Most embroidery services turn this around in a week. If you carry a handkerchief that once belonged to someone you love — a father, a grandfather, slightly worn at the edges — that is worth more than anything new. And if you used it on the day — if you pressed it to your eyes at the vows, or passed it to her when she needed it — fold it back into your pocket and don't wash it immediately. That handkerchief, slightly worn from one morning, tells the whole story without a single word.
FINAL WEEK: GROOM’S CHECKLIST
BEFORE THE WEDDING RUSH
- Practice your first dance with your bride
- Run through key moments: ceremony exit, first kiss, and overall flow
- Finalise and rehearse your wedding vows (read them out loud)
- Confirm all vendor timings you’re personally responsible for (if any)
- Touch base with your best man on roles, rings, and schedule
- Ensure honeymoon plans, passports, and bookings are organised
GET ORGANISED
- Prepare your vow book
- Pack your wedding day essentials:
- Sunglasses
- Wallet + ID
- Phone + charger
- Cologne
- Handkerchief
- Prepare your emergency kit:
- Mints/gum
- Deodorant
- Panadol
- Band-aids
- hair product
- Stain remover wipe
- Lay out your full outfit (including backup shirt if needed)
GROOMING & FINAL TOUCHES
- Get your haircut (ideally 3–5 days before)
- Trim beard or schedule shave
- Groom nails (mani tidy-up if needed)
- Steam/press your suit or tux
- Try on your full outfit one last time
- Book teeth clean a week before
THE DAY BEFORE
- Relax—avoid overbooking your day
- Eat well and stay hydrated
- Get a good night’s sleep
- Confirm transport and arrival times
- Check weather and any last-minute adjustments
- Ask a few people to set alarms in their phones to prompt the bridal party when to leave in cars
- have printed run sheet and contact numbers of suppliers on hand (caterer, driver, photographer)
WEDDING DAY READY
- Eat a proper breakfast
- Take a shower and get ready calmly (no rushing)
- Get dressed with your groomsmen
- Bring:
- Rings (confirm with best man)
- Vow book
- Emergency kit
- Allow time for photos
- Take a moment to ground yourself before the ceremony
