The bride's timeline gets built months in advance. The groom's timeline usually gets built that morning, in a group chat.
Here's the timeline we'd hand any groom. It assumes a 4:00 PM ceremony. If your ceremony is at a different time, move every step earlier or later by the same amount.
8:00 AM — Eat a real breakfast
Eat protein, drink water, and keep the coffee to one cup. Your next real meal may not come until dinner.
Where it goes wrong: the groom skips breakfast because of nerves. By 3:00 he has a headache, and he's on his second drink.
9:00 AM — Move, shower, skincare
Go for a walk or do a light workout. Then shower and run your skincare routine. Keep it to what your skin already knows. (Our wedding day skincare guide covers the full routine.)
Where it goes wrong: trying a new product today. Wedding day is not test day.
10:00 AM — Barber
Your haircut should have been done a day or two before. Today is only a lineup and a shave. Book the barber to come to you, so you're not sitting in traffic.
Where it goes wrong: a fresh cut on the day of the wedding, with no time to fix it if it goes badly.
11:00 AM — The groomsmen arrive
Tell your groomsmen to arrive by 10:30. That way the last one walks in by 11:00.
Where it goes wrong: one groomsman forgot his shoes, and you find out when he arrives.
12:00 PM — Lunch for the room
Order lunch ahead of time and have it delivered. Everyone eats before anyone drinks.
Where it goes wrong: nobody planned food, so the room drinks on an empty stomach.
1:00 PM — Garment check
Steam every piece. Then check each person's pieces against a list:
Jacket, trousers, shirt
Studs and cufflinks
Tie or bow tie, plus pocket square
Belt or suspenders, plus socks
Shoes, polished
Boutonniere
Where it goes wrong: the cufflinks are in a hotel room across town.
1:30 PM — Details for the photographer
The photographer arrives. Have the details laid out and ready: rings, watch, cufflinks, fragrance and shoes.
Where it goes wrong: the photographer spends 20 minutes waiting while the guys search for the rings.
2:00 PM — Get dressed
The groomsmen dress first. That leaves the groom with hands free to help him. Pin each boutonniere on the left lapel.
Where it goes wrong: at 2:40, someone finds out he can't tie a bow tie.
2:45 PM — The moment
This is time for a first look, portraits, a letter, a gift to the groomsmen, or a toast with the guys. Plan which one it will be. Don't leave it to chance.
Where it goes wrong: the time gets eaten by a scramble, and the moment never happens.
3:15 PM — Final check and a quiet minute
The rings go to the best man.
The vow card goes in the groom's inside jacket pocket.
The groom's phone goes to someone he trusts.
The groom takes five minutes alone.
Where it goes wrong: the phone stays in the groom's pocket and buzzes during the vows.
3:30 PM — Line up
The groom's side moves to the ceremony site. Everyone is in place before the guests are seated.
4:00 PM — Ceremony
You walk out rested, fed, dressed right and present.
Who runs this timeline?
The planner runs the master timeline for the whole wedding. The groom's side needs its own timeline, kept in step with the planner's. It also needs one person whose job is to keep it on schedule. That person shouldn't be the groom, and it shouldn't be his best man, who has a speech to think about.
That's what The Grooms Den Valet does. We work as an extension of the planner's team, dedicated to the groom. We run his morning from the first garment check to the aisle. Along the way, we capture the groom's side for social media, in addition to everything the photographer delivers.
Hand off the morning. Book your Groom Experience.
Planning the morning on your own? Download the Groom Checklist.
