The Ultimate Grooming Tips for The Perfect Groom
Whenever there’s a looming wedding, much of the attention is given to the bride-to-be. But while this is her special day, a wedding isn’t always about the bride! The groom also needs to look his best on this special day. This is something I realized when we were planning our wedding.
In the course of the planning process, much of the buildup revolves around the bride and perfecting her beauty regime. However, the groom also needs attention as he can’t show up for the event looking scruffy.
Given that I like to consider myself as a ‘man’s man’, I had a hard time deciding on how I would prepare for the wedding. This led to me spending countless hours on the internet researching on grooming tips. And that’s how I came up with the ultimate grooming tips for the perfect groom.
Consider Your Scent
By now you already know you will be getting at least one kiss on the wedding day. For you to guarantee you get to receive a few more, you have to ensure you smell incredible on the big day. I recommend investing in an aftershave that comes bundled with a matching shower gel and moisturizer.
One trick I have learned over the years is that by using matching products, i.e., products having a similar scent, I get to enhance the smell. While shopping for the aftershave, it will also be a good idea to invest in a decent deodorant. Giving it a test run before the big day will help you confirm whether you have made the right decision or not.
Pro Tip: For your big day, make sure you get yourself a new aftershave. This way, every time you apply it after shaving, you will be reminded of your wedding day. And while at it, why not go the extra mile and get yourself and the bride a his ’n’ her scent?
Peak Facial Hair
Most grooms I know prefer to be clean-shaven for their big day. This calls for one to ensure they have invested in a good shave. For those of us who like to do it ourselves, I would suggest employing the following shaving tips on the wedding day:
- Start by having a hot shower
- Proceed to apply some pre-shave lotion or oil. This helps to moisturize the skin and soften the facial hairs (the oil will also serve as a lubricant making it possible for the shaving razor to easily glide across the skin).
- Grab the shaving brush and use it to whip up the shaving cream before slowly applying it across your face. Using a decent shaving brush ensures that all the facial hairs get lifted and that the skin also gets exfoliated.
- When done shaving, make sure to apply a post-shave balm to prevent the formation of rashes and to also moisturize the skin surface.
If you would like to be a beardy groom, worry not as I also have some important tips for you.
Moustache
A good way to ensure the mustache will be in top condition is to make sure you start growing it early. The best time to do so will be a few weeks in advance. Don’t trip above the lip until you have become satisfied with its length. Get yourself a beard comb to help you comb through it regularly. While combing, try to ensure you get to comb outwards. Mustache wax will come in handy for styling purposes. Try to twist the mustache outwards and upwards to enable you to get an on-trend look.
Stubble
The designer stubble has been a big trend for the past couple of years. This should come as good news to any person who has a hard time growing a full beard. It also applies to men who don’t fancy the idea of having to shave regularly.
To allow you to make the most of the stubble, I would suggest you allow your facial hairs to continue growing until they start feeling itchy. By this time, they will have hopefully began to follow the face’s natural lines, thereby creating a nice shape.
On the big day, you will need to wet shave all the areas that don’t appear to be following the laid down template. For men with chiseled faces, they will need to taper or fade the stubble ensuring they don’t shave beyond the predefined borders.
Sideburns
2020 has been a great year for men with sideburns. Why not consider joining the likes of Bradley Wiggins, Tom ones, and Elvis—the most renowned sideburn fans—and grow your own? You will, however, need to make sure that you make them a part of your full beard. This calls for you to sport the sideburns alone, more so if you feel edgy.
Tight Beard
The tight beard is for the modern groom who wants to remain trendy by sporting a beardy look on their wedding day, but don’t want to appear or feel unkempt. For this look, I recommend trimming the facial hair to a desirable size. If properly done, you should end up with a well-groomed feel and look. Get your trimmer and go through its settings to confirm you have set it to 2-3 millimeters. Use it to trim evenly all over your face. This should be followed by a wet shave targeting the surrounding region. The result is a distinct, sharp look.
Short Long Beard
If you are a keen follower of the prevailing beard trends for 2020, you will have realized that long beards don’t work for all men. Longbeards in most cases are a look best left to the modern hipsters. Often, this is a beard that tends to appear messy, and given no man wants to look unkempt when getting married, you may want to tidy it up by getting its shorter version.
Getting a short long beard will involve following the shape of your face when styling the beard. Make sure to also make use of sharp and well-defined grooming lines. Take care not to allow your beard to go past the few inches located beneath your chin. While at it, allow the hair on the neck and the one below the chin to grow longer thereby giving you a much fuller look.
Style Your Hair
The last few years have seen men’s haircuts evolve more rapidly than at any other time in history. And this is all due to a resurgence in hair grooming trend for men. Top men grooming brands like Birchbox for Men, Dollar Shave Club, and The Art of Shaving are helping to define what it means for a man to be well-groomed.
This is in addition to reviving retro hairstyles and beard trends as opposed to merely focusing on haircuts. All this is happening as the brands look to inspire an uptake of modern styles based on classical looks. On the wedding day, you will have numerous options when it comes to grooming your hair.
Styling Your Hair
It’s normal for you to get caught up in styling and maintaining the facial hair that you completely forget you have a mop on top of your head! Don’t let this happen to you.
I recommend visiting a barbershop a few days (at least two weeks) before the wedding day. This is to help ensure that the hair is not only tidy but also in top condition. It may also be important for you to trim your hairline and the hair around your neck just before the material day.
Please note that this isn’t the time for you to switch hair products. If the trusty products you have been using for years don’t give you the desired effect, just go along with it. I strongly suggest you stick to the same styling products you are used to unless you want to end up looking like a circus freak.
Get Yourself a Manicure
Here, I am not talking about getting some glitter on the official ring finger or about getting yourself some French tips. What I am suggesting is that you visit a beauty parlor and request for a masculine manicure. The purpose of this manicure is to glam up your nails to ensure they are looking their best on your wedding day.
I can assure you that your hands will appear in tons of photos—when placing the ring on your partner’s finger, and immediately after, like when showing off the new shiny rings once the official ceremony is concluded.
Getting a professional manicure will guarantee that the fingers will be clean, buffed, and tidy, and ready for the cameraman to capture them.
Summary
As the wedding day fast approaches, most modern-day grooms will already be well-versed with hair products, moisturizers, and cleansers. Some will even spend a few hours shaping their beards and styling their hair to ensure they get the perfect look. However, for some men, getting a shave and a shower are considered adequate preparation, irrespective of how big an event is!
Either way, every man wants to look and feel great on their wedding day. Regardless of whether you are clean-shaven, mustachioed, or bearded, have short hair, long hair, or if your hair is all over the place, you will still want to put in some effort.
So from what to trim, how to trim, when to trim, and techniques to consider, the tips explained above should help you get ready for your wedding day with ease. It’s a guide explaining the ultimate grooming tips for the perfect groom.
Many thanks to Grooming Corp for this article.
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