Planning a Wedding - Man Style

Gender roles are changing. They are blending, and in some cases - reversing. No longer do boys play strictly with G.I. Joes, and girls play with Barbies. On the same token, woman are no longer the sole wedding planners, men have joined that role.

So what would a wedding planned by a man be like? Would it just be a simple ceremony, when two lovers elope in front of a Justice of the Peace, or would it be a huge, White Wedding? What are the distinctions that would make a wedding planned by a man? Well, it would be affordable, and in my case, fun.

Flowers: Silk flowers have come so far over the last 100 years (give or take). Even my wife, a very particular woman, was more than satisfied with some gorgeous silk flowers that we purchased from Michael's. There were enough to make all the corsages, boutonnieres, to all the bouquets, table flowers, and decorations. Some craft shops will even do the arrangements for great costs. Then you can save some of the arrangements for home decorating down the line.

Hair: Personally I think the wedding hair business is a racket, but many women love the pampering associated with it, especially if turned into a day at the spa, allowing them to get ready. For the guys, a simple barber haircut is typically fine. Let the women have their hair stylists, maybe even give a day at the spa to your fiance as a wedding present, and she can give the day to her bride's maids as a gift, too.

Photography: Photography is a huge expense of a wedding. From several hundred to several thousand dollars is the potential price for a photographer. Frankly, pictures during the ceremony don't turn out well. The posed 'ceremony' photographs are where the 'money shots' are, and of course the portraits. If you have a friend who is an amateur photographer with some decent equipment, then you may have better pictures than from a professional - your friend knows you, they know what to look for. "That smile, the batting of the eyes, etc."

Color: What are your favorite colors? What are her favorite colors? Do they work well together? White and Black is classy, and usually inexpensive if you can't choose. Shades of ivory and silver also work well. The colors should represent the couple, and not just the bride.

Themes: My wife loves me a lot. We had a Rennaisance theme for our wedding. My outfit was awesome. Though we didn't have swords, it was good times to be had by all. Some of our guests even joined in the fun, which made for some great pictures. One of my groomsmen, a Lieutennant in the Army only brought sandles because he thought that's what people in the Rennaisance wore. So another important point, think of everything!