10 Ideas for a More Masculine Wedding

10 Ideas for a More Masculine Wedding

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A wedding is all about the bride and the groom. Their tastes, their styles and their personality.

But in a day so often laced with soft tones, delicate textures, pretty blooms and plenty of gushing, it's not always the most masculine affair.

While some guys are all about peonies, ribbons and blush hues, for others, they might feel a little left behind in a sea of sequins on what is supposed to be their special day.

Photo by Lilian Haidar via Brides

Given the week that's in it ( Grooms' Week, FYI) we thought it was time to help.

Whether you're a groom on a mission to add your own touches to your day, a bride who wants to do her darndest to reflect her guys' tastes, or a couple who want a wedding with a look that veers away from the typical feminine style - we've come up with some minimal, masculine, and gentlemanly ideas to put your stamp on your celebration.

Photo by Jillian Rose Photography via Burnett's Boards

It's not about adhering to male stereotypes (though you will find beer and cigars!) it's about having a nod to your tastes in your day and embracing your hobbies, passions, and favourite things.

From the food to the decor to the dancing, check out our ideas for groomifying your wedding day...

P.S. Don't forget to leave your own suggestions in the comments below.

1. A Bar for the Boy

Photo by Kelly Stonelake Photography via Style Me Pretty

Having a cigar station is a cool, classy way to give a masculine touch to your wedding day, but adding your own spin doesn't have to conform to a gentleman's cliche.

Love doughnuts, s'mores, coffee, olives or cheese? Have a dedicated bar to one of them instead.

Stations are a great talking point for weddings and put a real personalised spin on the party.

So whether you enjoy nothing more than sharing a cigar together at the end of the day, or if bagels for two are more your bag, why not make room at your wedding to share one of your favourite things with your guests?

2. Tipple of Choice

Photo by Brittany Lauren Photography via Bridal Musings

His and hers cocktails have become quite a trend and while we're not ones to turn down a bellini, it makes a fun change to the usual cocktail hour offering.

An old fashioned, a beer shandy, a white Russian, a ginger gin fizz, a rhubarb mojito or a mango margarita; whatever your poison, create a beverage that will let the guests in on your tastes.

The possibilities are endless, so chat to your caterer, have a little fun concocting at home, or visit a nice cocktail bar and see what takes your fancy on the menu.

3. Dulcet Tones

Photo by Giuli & Giordi via Green Wedding Shoes

Masculine wedding decor isn't all about steely hues, stark textures and sports strips, it's about minimal touches, maximum impact, and serious style.

Think lots of foliage and simple flowers, neutral tones like whites, greens, browns and greys, and raw textures like timber, glass and chalkboard.

Chic simplicity can be so gorgeous!

4. Minimal Bloom Buttonholes

Photo by Shannen Natasha Weddings via Ruffled

Some guys dig flowers, others, not so much. If you wouldn't normally look twice at a hot pink cabbage rose, you don't have to wear one on your wedding day.

Try succulents, pine cones, drift wood, thistles, berries, foliage, feathers or Billy buttons for a more masculine touch to your boutonnière.

5. Fun & Games

Photo by Aaron Delesie Photographer via Style Me Pretty

You might be sports mad, but getting married in your hockey jersey, picking your team colours as your wedding theme, or checking the scores throughout the day, may not be quite what your other half has in mind for your wedding.

A kick around with your family, a game of cricket with your college pals, or perhaps a selection of lawn games for everyone at the party; think corn hole, croquet, giant Jenga, horseshoes or bocce. Why not include your love of games in another way, by using it to entertain your guests?

6. Rough Around The Edges

Photo by Lucy Spartalis Photography via Hello May

Some grooms like everything to be just-so, but for guys who don't have quite the eye for polished details, why not embrace it?

Casual chaps might feel out of place in a ballroom filled with white chair covers and orchid centrepieces, so why not make yourself feel more at home. It's your day, after all.

Swap a swanky bar for a bath of craft beer, change vintage furniture for salvaged palettes, and replace fancy favours for something a little more homemade.

Rustic, DIY and shabby chic weddings have become massively popular in recent years, and the fact that they reflect both guys and girls' styles, is no small part of the trend.

7. Tattoo for Two

Photos by Giuli & Giordi via Green Wedding Shoes

We've spoken before about the trend for temporary tattoos, and we think it's a great way to add a masculine touch to your wedding.

Of course gals with tatts rock just as much as the gents, but keeping it to simple shapes, classic styles and few colours, will help make your pop-up tattoo stand a little more mannish.

8. Favourite Foods

Photo by Abi Q Photography via Style Me Pretty

Beef or salmon used to be reception foods du jour, but we love that couples are getting more personalised in their food choices and guys are getting vocal in their tastes.

Sliders and pizza slices at cocktail hour, mini steak starters, or chip butties for late night food. From hog roasts and BBQs, to entire tables sharing a Sunday roast. Many aspects of wedding catering has seen a trend towards traditionally masculine styles of food.

We say, less of the smoked salmon blinis and petit fours, and more of the chorizo charcuterie and food truck eats!

9. Industrial Complex

Photo by Angelica Glass Photography via Style Me Pretty

Another style that both women and men are embracing for their weddings, is the look of all things industrial.

Swap a white marquee for a warehouse, change crystal chandeliers for copper pipes and filament lightbulbs and bring in bare benches over fabric-heavy chair coverings.

You can still soften it up and romanticise your space, but starting with a rough and ready blank canvas will give your wedding a cool factory feel.

10. Manly Music

Photo by Justin Lee Photography via Exquisite Weddings

We do advocate couples making decisions on every aspect of their wedding together. But of course, it's not always that easy. (You might really not have an opinion on kraft paper vs white envelopes).

Of course we know there's no such thing as "Manly Music" but if your other half gets veto rights on flowers, centrepieces and stationery, why don't you put your stamp on the day with the tunes?

While we love a wedding band who can recite Abba's back catalogue in their sleep, but it's also such fun to go for something entirely different with your wedding music.

Cocktail hour is a great time to introduce something a little bit musically novel, think a mariachi troupe, a bluegrass band, a trad group, a jazz trio or a ukulele collective, and you can't go wrong.

Photo by Jillian Rose Photography via Burnett's Boards

Whether you're a Mrs & Mr, a Mrs & Mrs or a Mr & Mr to-be, we hope we've inspired you to embrace the masculine with the feminine in your wedding planning!

If you have any more ideas for giving a gentlemanly nod to your wedding, please do share in the comments below.

Follow the rest of our Grooms' Week Musings here.

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