Men who give us the okay to cry (John Boehner excluded)

The occasional bride will warn that their man better not cry at the altar ... but you'll find that the majority of women out there would like to see their grooms tear up at the big moment.

God knows I was a mess ... from the second I saw her turn that corner on Plymouth Street and all throughout the ceremony -- well, not all throughout, but a little here, a little there -- I was a wreck. Our processional song (Dave Matthews' Oh), played beautifully by our acoustic guitarist (Mr. Lucas Carpenter), really started the waterworks ... made worse only by the sight of my 2Es. The FOB was just as moved, as was our officiant, as was 2Es' brother Patrick. Thank god Best Man Justin had lined all of his pockets with Kleenex; he was putting out fires left and right.

(At one point, during our pre-ceremony portrait session, I asked my 2Es why I was the only one crying. I don't want to mess up my make-up, she confessed. I think she was just being kind.)

So what's the big deal? Why do we put so much pressure on the groom, making bets as to whether or not he'll put on the weeps? The groom has an absolute right (some brides would go so far as to say an obligation) to do so. Over the ages, men have proven that crying is not a sign of weakness or vulnerability -- but rather a sign of humility. And there is nothing more humbling than giving yourself completely to another person.

But if inspiration is what you need, you've come to the right place. Here are three Men who give us the thumbs up to cry.

Bale "broke character" at the Oscars on Sunday 

Those who are still stuck on the T4 rant might say that Bale is more likely to make others cry before he does so himself; but the actor got emotional this weekend when he accepted his Best Supporting Actor award for his work on "The Fighter."

Right, and he cried in "The Fighter" too. Christ, he's a bigger wreck than I am.

Damon's done more than his fair share of sobbing on screen 

Williams' soothing "therapist" voice could make any reasonable man cry (It's not your fault, Will. It's not your fault. It's not your fault.), but that's not the only time Damon's bawled in his longtime career. What about All the Pretty Horses? What about his breakdown the Entourage Season 6 finale?

Come on, Vince. It's for the kids.

Jillian Michaels would make us cry too, Rulon

Rulon Gardner may be the "big tough Olympic champion" on the outside -- but like all of his competitors, a step on that scale at the end of the week or a moment alone with his trainer Cara can open those floodgates.

If Rulon is willing to reveal his sensitive side to millions of viewers each week, I think you can manage to blubber in front of a hundred or so people, Groom. Besides, most of your guests already know about the whole Wall-E / escorted out / "sir, your crying is disturbing the other patrons" incident.

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Runner-up for Men who give us the thumbs up to cry? Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Man oh man.