Five Quick Tips from Brian Leahy of The Groom Says Blog

Photo credit: Joanna Wilson Photography

We have a first today! Since I started the "5 Quick Tips" series on my blog, we've had a bevy of awesome women who work in the wedding industry. Well, we're finally mixing it up with our first interview with a member of the opposite sex. I'm thrilled to kick it off the male point-of-view with Brian Leahy of The Groom Says blog.

I asked Brian to tell us a little bit about his background and how he ended up in the wedding industry, and here's what he shared.

"I was thrust into the world of weddings in 2005 when I joined the team at David Beahm Design as a lowly office assistant. Under the unparalleled tutelage of David Beahm, I learned the ins and outs and behind-the-scenes of planning and even designed a few parties of my own. And later, photographing events alongside my future wife, trailing the grooms from their hotel rooms to the altar, I was able to see the big day from the groom's perspective. But only occasionally is The Groom Says a legitimate guide to planning; 9 times out of 10, it's just me wading blindly through the huhs and whats and WTFs of planning your own wedding. It's my very own virtual stress ball."

Without further ado, newlywed Brian shares his 5 Quick Tips:

1. Sit down with your fiancé or fiancée and begin your wedding process as all professional planners and designers do: with a blank sheet of paper.

2. And once the front, back and margins of that blank sheet of paper are overflowing with ideas, details and must-haves ... accept the fact that you'll probably discard half of them in the next few months. Be open to change.

3. Wedding spreadsheets and checklists are overrated. While it was occasionally helpful to check in and see how behind we were on groomsmen attire, it was more up our alley to do a virtual "walk-through" of the wedding and look at the event from our guests' perspective.

4. You cannot show your wedding party enough love and appreciation for all that they do and all the inane and mundane tasks they will assume on your big day.

5. There are things that are simply out of your control. The big, metallic Halal truck that sits outside of your pristine reception venue is simply out of your control. Focus instead on the millions of things that are in your control. You've got enough to stress over.

Brian shares a few of his favorite things about his own wedding:


What was your favorite thing about your own wedding?
I'm cheating. I have two:
1. We decided that my groomsmen and I would be at the ceremony venue as guests arrive (as opposed to entering as part of the processional), and I'm so glad we went that route. I was able to take it all in, welcome both families and friends, and get all of the crying out before the big moment.

2. The 2-hour vintage cab ride through Manhattan with my bride after the reception. It was the classiest and most romantic ending to an amazing evening.


If you could change one thing about your wedding, what would it be?
Our families were split between two hotels (one couldn't accommodate both clans), and while the two hotels were within walking distance of one another, it was too much of a hassle. We wanted to be in both places at once, which just isn't possible.

Thanks, Brian, for sharing the male perspective!