How to Tie A Tie (and Other Groom Advice)

How to Tie a Tie (and Other Groom Advice) – Questions to Ask Your Groom. 

As a “type-A” personality, I am extremely detail oriented. I have always been this way.

I’ll never forget being an 8 year old, sitting in the front pew of our church. I was in the kids choir & we were going to sing a special during the service. As we all sat down to wait though, I suddenly realized that I didn’t know exactly & precisely what we were to do when it was our turn to perform. I’ll never forget the surprised look on the choir director’s face, when I turned to her & asked: “Which end of the pew are we supposed to exit?” Then, “Which step should we all stand on?” Then, “When we’re done, do we come back to this pew, or should we go to our parents?” Apparently, an 8 year old had never asked such specific & inquisitive questions before.

I’m still that way. I love thinking through the steps of a process & making sure I’m ready for the entire thing. So, it’s no surprise that I love brides who are equally as methodical.

What never ceases to amaze me though is that guys do not think like this. I’ve been married for 7 years & for some reason I still can’t wrap my brain around why Derrick sometimes does the things he does. In my head, it makes perfect sense for things to be done “the right way” & yet he continues to do them “the wrong way”. (Can I get an “amen” from all the married women reading this post?) Don’t get me wrong, it’s always silly little things – like how he loads the dishwasher “wrong”, or how he folds his pants & sets them on the floor in front of his dresser (instead of putting them inside the dresser), or how he puts dishes away in completely “wrong” places. Don’t get me wrong: I’m super thankful to have a husband who loads & unloads the dishwasher and who at least folds his pants! Stick with me to get back to my point here:

Most of these things truly don’t have a “right” or a “wrong”, but in my head – it just doesn’t make sense.

So, brides! If you are a type-A, organized, methodical person like me, do yourself a favor & double-check a few things with your guy before the wedding! Because, more than likely, your groom has not thought through any of these things. Here’s some questions to start with:

• Does Mr. Groom know how to tie a tie? And further, do his groomsmen know how to tie their ties? (maybe they’re all getting the “pre-tied” ties – those are great!)
• Not having ties? The guys are probably wearing something around their necks, so be it a tie, bowtie, or bolo, make sure they know how to tie them!
• Does Mr. Groom know how to use cufflinks? Does he know where they go?
• Does Mr. Groom know how to fold his pocket square? And further, do his groomsmen know how to fold theirs?
• Does Mr. Groom know which buttons to button on his tux or suit? (I’ll give you a hint: the answer is most likely not “all of them”)
• Who will be pinning on the boutonnieres? If the answer is “they are going to do it themselves” – do they know how?
• Does Mr. Groom have a timeline of the day? Does he know where he is supposed to be & when?
• Have you talked about “reasonable expectations” for the wedding day? For example: most guys like to drink while they’re getting ready, is this okay? Is there a limit? What can he expect from the photographer for portraits? Etc.
• If using rented tuxes: Have you designated someone to collect all of the tuxes at the end of the night & return them the next day?

This is just a starting point, but I bet if you start here, you’ll think of other details you should chat through with your groom! Otherwise, you might hear that he had to watch a few YouTube videos in order to figure out how to tie his tie and fold his pocket square the morning of the wedding. Just, do yourself a favor, and make sure he’s paying attention when you’re talking (and that’s another subject for another day!)