Guest Post: Wedding Night Jitters and Critters

Stop by The Man Registry today and read my latest guest post:

PUTTING THE "FEST" BACK IN INFESTATION:
HOW TO AVOID BED BUGS ON YOUR WEDDING NIGHT

Chris has actually prefaced the post with a disclaimer and note of caution. I couldn't be more proud.

Cheers,
Brian

Verdict on Bridesmaids? The Groom Says: See It.

Chris from The Man Registry sent me on a mission last night; and no, it wasn't to fetch him more booze so he can wrap up the final chapters on his groom guide book.

Acting as TMR's film correspondent, I attended a special screening of Bridesmaids last night. Bridesmaids. Not to be confused with Groomsmen: the hilarious comedy that doesn't actually exist but plays constantly in my mind, starring Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Paul Rudd and an obese Brad Pitt.

Get the Groom's official take on Bridemaids on The Man Registry blog:

"Bridesmaids": Why Hangover II Should Be Worried

Royally Pissed: my take on the Royal Wedding w/ Wedding Republic

Wedding Republic hit me up last week and asked if I would offer the groom's perspective on Will and Kate's pending nuptials. Check out my suggestions (including a Fear and Loathing-inspired stag weekend) on how to turn the Royal Wedding into a royally bad-ass wedding.

Royal Wedding Q&A with Brian Leahy of The Groom Says

Will & Kate cardboard cut-out not included.

Guest Post: The Respectfully Egocentric Boutonniere Collection

Hello readers!

Check out this morning's guest post on The Man Registry's Grooms Advice blog to find out what this business is all about. 

See the post at:

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOUTONNIERE BOX

And if you missed my appearance on The Knot Live this morning, you are not a bad person. You can see the recorded show on their website at:

www.theknot.com/live

Love,

The Groom

Marry A Music Man: Choosing Your Wedding Entertainment

Look, I can appreciate the fact that I'm more inclined toward wedding planning than most grooms out there. I've learned to accept that. Not every guy can be (or wants to be) the MC Groom...

Drew represents the other class of grooms -- grooms who don't necessarily meet their brides "half-way" on the wedding planning front, grooms who happily settle for one wedding-related task. And he's got a pretty good idea what that task could be.

School us, Drew.

The Most Important Decision of Your Life: Your Wedding Entertainment
by Drew Stoga of GigMasters.com

As we all know, brides-to-be are usually the ones to take the lead when it comes to wedding planning. Sure, the guys weigh in on the big decisions, but it's no secret that we aren't exactly calling the shots in terms of flowers, caterers, etc. And most of us are okay with that -- I know I was.

Back when we were in the throes of wedding planning, my wife (in her infinite wisdom) gave me just two responsibilities: select the drinks and the music, two things I knew a lot about.

In my time at GigMasters, I've noticed that most couples tend to split up the planning responsibilities this same way. It's the groom-to-be who is typically in charge of finding and hiring a wedding band or DJ while the bride (and often her family) takes on just about everything else.

We work with what we're given.

We all know that music can make or break any party. There's nothing worse than a lame wedding band or a DJ who can't read the room. The Macarena was all the rage back in 1995, but most of us don't want to hear it at our wedding reception (do we?).

Before you start contacting wedding entertainers, you first need to ask yourself a few key questions to determine what you're looking for: How big will your wedding be? Are you looking for "background music" or an entertainer who will steal the show? Do you want to hand-select the songs played at your reception? Are you worried that your country music-lovin' uncle from Texas won't like the same tunes as your teenage cousin?

(P.S. You shouldn't be. It's your wedding, after all.)

And besides -- your music-lovin' uncle secretly loves the Biebs

A few seemingly obvious tips: if you're planning an intimate wedding, you don't want a big band; if you plan on dancing the Hora, you'll want a band or DJ with Hora experience. It's not rocket science. You just need to know what you want.

Then there's the ongoing band vs. DJ debate. Clients are always asking us which is better. The answer, of course, depends on you. If you're worried about money, bands typically (but not always) cost more than DJs. Also, with a DJ you know you can hear your favorite tunes, played just the way you know them. That being said, there is no substitute for live music.

That's true. There's absolutely no substitute for this guy.

Choosing a performer for your wedding is an important decision, and if it's the only one that your fiancee's given you, you definitely want to hit it out of the park. Plus, it's a great way to one-up your in-laws. If your guests are blown away by your wedding band, they'll forget all about the flower arrangements that your mother-in-law picked out. If that doesn't motivate you, nothing will.

Good luck out there, grooms, and happy planning!

- - -

Drew Stoga is the Marketing and Communications Associate at GigMasters.com, the #1 event entertainment booking website. Drew enjoys spending time with his wife, his puppy and his grill.

Guest Post: Google Gets Wedded

In the spring of 2010, in the midst of #venuegate (our frustrating pursuit of an affordable venue in NYC), I posted about our love/hate relationship with Google Docs.

Nine months later (with the wedding under our belt), I'm pleased to share my guest post on Mindy Howard's Tweet My Wedding blog:

GOOGLE GETS WEDDED

Google does searches. Google does maps. And now Google does weddings. There really is nowhere else to go from here.

Cheers,
Madman

Recipe for an Amazing Proposal (Gluten Free)

It wasn't the coast-to-coast flights, or the flight across the Atlantic the following morning; it wasn't her great grandmother's ring, nestled in the front pocket of my backpack and stashed underneath some Kleenex, or even the hassle of making a reservation at the restaurant in Brussels on account of a country code and a baffling combination of 1s and 0s. It was none of those things.

But it was walking beneath this eerie bridge en route to the restaurant and, for a moment, being disoriented in a part of Brussels that isn't exactly touristy ... or populated ... or lit. That's what made me nervous. And it was at that moment (at the tail end of a month of organizing and preparing) when I realized, There should really be someone to do this for me.

Sarah Pease does precisely that. In addition to being a full services event planner in NYC, she is also a renowned proposal planner, taking care of all the minute details so that the only thing you have to worry about is the "marry me" part. And while she may not know her way around Brussel's Quartier des Marolles -- had I known Sarah at the time, she wouldn't have let me take that route to begin with.


Watch: Josh & Mandy, a Proposal Planned by Brilliant Event Planning

So I asked the expert on popping the question to stop by and give us some on advice on simplifying a process that can, at times, seem really complicated.

The Recipe for an Amazing Proposal
by guest blogger Sarah Pease, The Proposal Planner™
Brilliant Event Planning

• Pre-Heat the Oven: Think about it ahead of time. That's right, don't pick up the ring on a Monday and plan to propose that night on a whim. This is a question that (hopefully) you'll only ask once in your entire life. Some people suggest spending as much time planning the proposal as you did earning the money for the ring.  That might be a little over the top, but it's the right attitude.  You can always upgrade the ring - you can never re-ask her to marry you.

• Write your Own Recipe. While your girl will likely be happy with your proposal no matter what, you should put a little more creativity into it than the "Rose Petal Turndown Package" at your local hotel. Make it personal to her by thinking about what things she loves and what she thinks is romantic. Whether her favorite things involve high heels or dirt bikes, luxury hotels or log cabins, making it thoughtful and personal is the key.

• Serving Instructions. As you plan your proposal, make sure to think about the "aftermath."  If you're proposing the night before her big work project is due, she won't be able to concentrate on celebrating and getting her work done.  If your ideal engagement is during your vacation in Timbuktu, how will you be able to call your family & friends to share the news without a long distance phone line?

• Cooking Time.  The best kind of proposal is a total surprise. Even if you've already talked about getting engaged and shopped for the ring, you can still take her by surprise.  Let's face it: if you plan a special dinner and tell her to get dolled up, she's going to know that she's getting proposed to.  And, it'll take a little of the wind out of your sails if she knows what's coming. Switch things up and plan your engagement for first thing in the morning or a random Tuesday afternoon.  You'll get the priceless reaction that will make it truly a moment to remember for the rest of your lives.

• The Secret Ingredient.  When it comes to proposals, there are three traditions that should not be ignored. You should always get down on one knee, have a ring (even a candy one as a prop), and say "Will You Marry Me?"  Follow this recipe for a proposal and you're sure to be on your way to baking a wedding cake!

 
Sarah Pease, The Proposal Planner™, is recognized as the foremost expert on marriage proposals and is the pioneer of Marriage Proposal Planning. Based in New York City, Sarah and the team at Brilliant Event Planning have designed and produced dream engagements for countless lucky couples from across the world. She is the go-to source for all things regarding, "Will You Marry Me?"


Contact Sarah by email or by phone at 917.974.4729.
http://www.brillianteventplanning.com

Another guest blog that reveals too much about my personal life

Ladies & Grooms,

Please take a moment and visit The Man Registry blog for the latest guest post:

WHY SHE'D RATHER MARRY A ROOMBA

And in case it slipped by you, also check out Exploring the [Wedding] Man Cave, a celebratory post in honor of the latest groom-friendly wedding trend, the Man Cave.

Cheers,
Madman

In Case You Missed It: Amy Nichols Interview

Dear readers,

In case you missed it yesterday, I had the good fortune to make a cameo on Amy Nichols' Special Events blog. Amy, a celebrated event and wedding planner based in San Francisco, contacted me a few weeks ago about doing a quick interview for her 5 Quick Tips series -- wedding-related advice and suggestions from people in the industry. And I am honored to be both the 15th interviewee and the first to offer the male perspective. 

Find the groom edition of 5 Quick Tips @ Five Quick Tips from The Groom Says Blog

Also, please check out Amy's work on her website @ AmyNichols.com

Groom (Takes) Pics

I care about animal rights almost as much as I care about the rights of grooms...

...which is why I put up no struggle when Lindsay from Kiss Me I'm Vegan, the best vegan-inspired blog in the Western Hemisphere, asked me to accompany her on Sunday morning at the Animal Acres Farm Sanctuary in Acton (about 45 minutes from Los Angeles) and document our field trip.

Please check out her most recent post to see some photos from our trip. And while you're there, note the blog's all-around awesomeness. You don't have to be vegan to appreciate everything that Lindsay does for the cause ... but it doesn't hurt.

http://kissmyvegan.blogspot.com/2010/10/brian-leahy-is-awesome-animal-acres-is.html

much love
madman

Mixtape Love(r)

In certain circles, I'm considered a mix(tape)ologist. I'm kind of famous like that. I credit this skill to two things: (a) a deep appreciation for 80s music, and (b) an almost obsessive amount of attention paid to the logical order of songs.

Previous albums include 

• Raw Sound Mix
• Hip-Hop for White Adolescents
• El Mix-o Perfecto, which opens with Ben Folds' haunting cover of Golden Slumbers and climaxes with Hotel California, Gypsy Kings edition
• and our post-wedding Vintage Cab Playlist, which we gifted to the cab driver upon departure

So when Amma at Beyond Beyond asked me to compose a virtual, six-track wedding mix-tape for their blog, I could not refuse. I ran back into the studio.

Beyond Beyond is an invitation design studio based in London with a unique take on wedding and engagement invites, announcements, wedding websites and beyond. And I think it's safe to say that The Groom Says has an overseas blog crush on BB's graphic designs.

(And the accent helps, too.)

Check out the Mixtape Love session here, which includes our recessional song ("You Are the Best Thing") and the final song in our Vintage Cab Playlist (Cat Power's cover of "Sea of Love").

cheers,
madman

Guest Post: When You're Expecting

Hi readers,

Check out today's guest post, courtesy of The Man Registry. Men -- you may want to sit down for this one:

What To Expect In Your Third Trimester (of Wedding Planning)

Yes, the waddling is normal.

much love,
madman

Tradition Dictates

Check out today's long awaited guest post on The Man Registry's wedding blog for men, GroomsAdvice.com: 

Taking the Scenic Route to the Rehearsal Dinner

much love,
madman

More Practicality on the myKPW Blog

Hello readers,

Another practical Groom Says guest post on Kate Parker's wedding blog -- check it out here:

Metrosexual-ize, or How to Brainwash Your Groom

cheers,
madman

Guest Post (for the Ladies) (and the Guys, too)

Check out today's guest post on The Man Registry's Groom's Wedding Blog, conveniently linked here:

What a Groom Won't Do

Brides -- this one's for you.

cheers,
madman

Guest Post on myKPW Blog

Hello readers!

Please check out my guest post today on Kate Parker's wedding blog:

Grooms: Keeping It Cool Since 1903

And if you're wondering whether I'm serious about Step 3 ... the answer is, Absolutely not.

Step 2? Absolutely.

Cheers,
Madman

Guest Post for the Men

Dear grooms,

For any of you who get chills at the thought of popping the question a second time ... please check out my guest post on The Man Registry:

http://groomsadvice.com/2010/01/19/popping-the-question-twice/

be strong,
madman