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The Groom’s Instruction Manual: A complete guide to engagement, the wedding, and newlywed life

Gone are the days when you could sit back and let your fiancée plan the entire wedding. Today’s grooms have countless tasks to perform, from hiring the entertainment and planning the rehearsal dinner to buying the wedding bands and comforting hysterical family members.

The Groom’s Instruction Manual tells you that you are either one of two groom types: you are the most excited, delirious, and ecstatic human being ever to walk the face of the earth and you simply cannot wait to plan the Biggest Day of Your Life and all the fluff that comes with it!

Or, you are scared (and that is 100% okay!). This is a huge step for everyone. It is also a step of uncertainty…

Whether you are the first or the second groom, you wonder about things like your role in the wedding, if you’re not engaged yet, how will you pop the question? What happens if they say no? How to plan an engagement party? And all the things you’re wondering about that I’m not mentioning here.

But, don’t wonder about it any longer, because here is something that will make all your uncertainty fade away (at least most of it)…

The Groom's Instruction Manual: How to Survive and Possibly Even Enjoy the Most Bewildering Ceremony Known to Man

Congratulations on finding that one person you want to spend your life with! 

So, don’t you wish that someone out there could take the liberty of putting “Everything You Need To Know About Being a Groom” into a book and sell it?

Well, Shandon Fowler has, and it is glorious (and full of humor to make it easier to digest).

The Ultimate book every groom needs contain all the checklists, steps, phases, emotions, and funny/frustrating moments you’ll possibly experience when planning a wedding, and everything related to it – all neatly packaged in a 200-page book you can read in 1-3 days.

How amazing is that?!

A quick overview of The Groom's Instruction Manual

This little gem contains the roadmap to the new you: the old you is gone! However, as the Groom in this grand picture, you get to play a big role in your and your fiance’s future. This is an overview of the lightbulbs included in the nifty book:

Chapter One: How to Get Engaged

In the first chapter (after the short introduction and congratulations-wishing), we look at the steps you can take that are necessary for the wedding to actually appear on your calendar.

Work your way through topics like “Getting Married: A Pre-Screening” – which is a quiz to see how you’ll fare on the road to engagement. 

You’ll get a few crash courses on engagement rings, how to choose the perfect ring, asking for permission, how to propose, and a scary topic: What if she says no? 

Chapter Two: Getting to know your wedding

In this chapter, you’ll gain clarity on your role in the whole wedding schtick.

Go through a complete engagement checklist

Add a pinch of that good, personal, and informative substance that flows throughout the entire book – and dive into the topic of distinguishing the Woman You Love from Your Fiance

…and get to know the Players in this game called We’re Getting Hitched!

Chapter Three: The Engagement

This is a more actionable chapter of the book and will help you to plan and work through the engagement phase and organize some wedding details that need to happen before the big day (the guest list, band, honeymoon, etc.).

That being said, it also contains much of the substance I’ve mentioned in the previous chapter by addressing things like relationship maintenance and The One Word No Fiancee Wants to Hear.

It also has a great section on In Case of Extreme Emergency – which is usually the part where no one wants to get involved or no one knows how to handle a certain situation. You need this!

You may also want to read this post on being prepared for anything on your wedding day and 6 secrets to a successful wedding day

Chapter Four: The Wedding

This chapter is the ultimate field guide to the most stressful day of your life: the actual day of your wedding (and don’t deny the level of stress you will experience, telling everyone “I’m actually really calm” – the stress is very normal.

This chapter guides you through tips and advice about Good Grooming, how to plan your weekend, The Big Day, and the wedding night.

Chapter Five: You're married! Now what?

The final chapter in this super-helpful groom guide is about post-wedding housekeeping, your new wife, and a little section called Happily Ever After.

Many wedding planning guides are not only focused on the bride but also fail to include this section on what happens next. 

That’s what makes this book so incredibly useful to have on hand – Shandon Fowler (the author) doesn’t leave anything out, but also, doesn’t overcrowd the book with too much info/tips/advice for Grooms, that you get overwhelmed and feel the urge to simply catch a flight to Mauritius and disappear…

More about the book: The Groom's Instruction Manual

This book is part of a series of books by Shandon Fowler, which includes a Bride’s Instruction Manual as well as The Newlywed’s Instruction Manual. (If I were you, I’d simply grab them all!)

You can find the book on Amazon and it’s really well-priced.

The Wedding Club says: “The other wonderful thing about this book is that you can give it away as a gift after using it, to another Groom in need of guidance.”

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The Groom's Instruction Manual: How to Survive and Possibly Even Enjoy the Most Bewildering Ceremony Known to Man
The Groom's Instruction Manual: How to Survive and Possibly Even Enjoy the Most Bewildering Ceremony Known to Man
The Groom's Instruction Manual: How to Survive and Possibly Even Enjoy the Most Bewildering Ceremony Known to Man

by Tanya Guilfoyle

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Tanya has been an active contributor and planner in the wedding industry since 2016. When not writing useful content for brides and wedding professionals, she can be found designing templates for her Etsy shop, TWCprintables