As a 20 year old girl with mostly guy friends, I feel it’s fair to say weddings are common topics amongst girls. I recall one of my guy friends mentioning his future wedding once, and that was listing off his friends who he wants to stand up in it. When I asked what colors he wants, he answered “She can choose that.” When my girlfriends and I talk about our weddings, it’s the details. So out of curiosity, I conducted interviews with my guy friends to see what they think about the details my girlfriends and I discuss all the time.

Guy 1: Nick, 22

Guy 2: Wade, 21

Guy 3: Derek, 20

Guy 4: Ben, 21

Guy 5: Shawn, 20

Guy 6: Kevin, 21

Guy 7: Mitch, 21

The planning process:

When you hear “wedding plans,” what is the first thing that comes to mind?

1. Most boring episode of A-Team
2. The red wedding from game of thrones
3. I just cringe
4. Black and white tuxedo
5. Kind of boring, don’t wanna be there
6. Ugh
7. Location, dress, venue

Not one of their reactions sounded thrilled hearing those words. They knew exactly what it meant.

What parts of planning actually matter to you, which you would want to plan?

1. There has to be an open bar
2. The food
3. Seating arrangements, to avoid conflicts in my family
4. The whole reception
5. Who’s there, friends and family, decorations, open bar
6. I don’t care, whatever the bride wants
7. Whatever makes her happy

I was surprised only one started with “open bar.” Wasn’t surprised to hear “food, I don’t care” either. I was mostly surprised Shawn listed details like that.

Does anything about wedding planning make you nervous?

1. The fact I’m getting married
2. Being in front of people
3. The best man speech
4. The wedding part
5. Everything having to go right, my fiance stressing out, and her family
6. Everything
7. No

Those and so many more make me nervous.

Who would you invite to the wedding for both of you?

1. My friends and family, also a team of people in hockey masks to be scary and she can invite anyone she wants.
2. Close friends and family
3. Family and friends
4. Family, and discuss which friends are there
5. Friends, family and my hockey coach
6. Family and people I don’t hate, and whoever the bride wants
7. Close family and close friends

I was relieved to hear these answers.

What colors would you like to see on the wedding party and decorations, or themes?

1. I hope I can see color by that point but I’d love to have a goonies theme
2. Dog themed
3. Batman themed
4. Royal blue
5. Star wars theme would be cool
6. I’ll go with almost anything
7. No idea, nothing crazy

Goonies, batman and star wars. What about Captain America and the Avengers? Come on now!

Would you go dress shopping with your bride? Why or why not?

1. No, because I wouldn’t know what I would do
2. No, because I’m sure she’ll look beautiful no matter what she wears
3. No, because I’m not supposed to see it
4. No, isn’t that bad luck? Thats probably why theres so much divorce
5. No, wouldn’t wanna see her before the wedding.
6. No, for obvious reasons unless she really wants me to
7. If she wanted me to

Bridal store associates informed me that it’s becoming more common for grooms to come in with their brides. I was baffled by this idea because I don’t see any reason to for him to go with, so I had to find out what a guy’s perspective was on that idea.

Do you have any preferences on what she wears?

1. Preferably no borderline nudity or nudity
2. Nope.
3. I don’t care
4. Nope
5. The typical dress
6. Nope
7. No

Its reasonable for a groom to express his comfort in terms of what she wears but he surely shouldn’t make the decision for her.

Would you ask her what she wants you to wear?

1. Yes
2. Yes, it would make her feel special
3. Yes
4. No, I have what I have in mind and if I’m with her we would share that
5. For sure, its her day for the most part. I want her to be happy
6. Yeah
7. Yeah

I was happy to hear most of them would take her comfort into consideration as well. Or like Kevin said, he would only be with someone who shares what he has in mind.

Do you know what you want to wear?

1. A costume of a little a boy would be cool
2. Nope
3. Preferably clothing
4. A tuxedo
5. A tux, I don’t know
6. A suit or whatever
7. Nope

With the exception of Nick, they seem to know what’s typical for a groom to wear in his wedding.

Are you aware a lot of women expect their grooms to cry during the first look?

1. No, and I’m not gonna do it
2. No, and I’m not gonna do it
3. Yes, probably won’t do it
4. No, but if I cry its because I’m no longer free
5. No, and I probably wouldn’t
6. No, probably not
7. No, probably not

This is something I saw countless times on social media, videos of the groom tearing up when he sees his bride for the first time in her wedding attire. I had to explain what this meant to each of them and only Derek was aware of it. But none of them picture themselves actually being one of those grooms.

Onto traditions!

Would you ask her parents for permission to propose?

1. I would probably forget to
2. Depends on if she wanted me to or not.
3. I’d ask.
4. Yeah, I’d also expect her to ask my family if she proposed to me. Because I don’t see it as a property thing, I see it as respect thing.
5. Yes
6. Yes
7. Probably yeah

I asked this question to see if they knew what this tradition was tied to. Ben gave me more perspective on this matter, because I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. What I believed is that asking the family before proposing dated back to when women were the Dad’s property. A man was expected to ask because he’d be obtaining her as property, but that isn’t how times are anymore. I thought that if two people want to be married, they should. However being married means joining each other’s families, so both families should approve of someone joining their family. So asking before proposing isn’t to obtain property anymore, it’s being respectful and asking to join each other’s families.

Do you expect her to take your last name?

1. No
2. Its up for debate
3. No, but most do so I’d be shocked if she didn’t
4. Not important, I’d like her to at least hyphenate it because I’m traditional in that way.
5. Yes, even though its not common anymore.
6. If she wants to
7. No

This in fact isn’t common anymore, however it is tradition. I was glad to hear most of them were open minded about the possibility of not sharing a last name.

What do you think about having an engagement party in addition to everything else?

1. If I don’t have to pay for it
2. I don’t see the point in it
3. I won’t turn down an opportunity to drink
4. I wouldn’t opt for it
5. I would expect it
6. I’d go for it
7. It would depend on how expensive it is

I personally don’t like throwing parties for myself so I wouldn’t opt for it either.

Do you know who your best man is? Or else how would you choose one?

1. Russian roulette for my friends and the survivor is my best man
2. Either Derek or my brother
3. Yes, probably Wade if he stops being mean
4. My brother, because we’re close
5. My three best friends would play rock, paper, scissors
6. My brother
7. Yeah, my best friend.

I hope Nick wasn’t serious about Russian Roulette but I couldn’t help but fall off my chair laughing. It’s such a Nick thing to say.

How many groomsmen do you think is reasonable and how do you choose them?

1. 5-6 is average? Go for broke, everyone there is a groomsmen
2. 5-6, 5-6 of my closest friends
3. 5-6, doesn’t matter to me
4. I don’t know, it would my closest friends
5. 5, probably my closest friends
6. 3-4, and close friends
7. I don’t know, people I’m close to and trust

Nick does it again. If that came true, it would look like this:

What do you want your bachelor party to be like?

1. Get cross-faded
2. Get drunk and I hope Derek finds a bunch of strippers
3. Anything but strippers and Wade knows it.
4. Wild but responsible
5. Wild, party bus, strip club
6. Crazy, but staying loyal. Maybe strippers
7. No idea

I was surprised not all of them wanted strippers.

Are you willing to take dance lessons?

1. I can bust move pretty well so probably not, but I have people to teach me the worm since I can’t do that.
2. Yeah.
3. Sure, why not?
4. Naw, I can dance
5. If she wants me to yeah, but I hate dancing
6. Heck yeah!
7. Oh yeah

I meant for the first dance as wife and husband but okay Nick.

Would you want to come down the aisle with her or wait for her at the altar?

1. Its up to her
2. I’m indifferent
3. Wait for her
4. Wait for her, unless no one will walk her
5. Doesn’t matter
6. I’ll wait for her at the altar
7. Wait at the altar

Do you prefer writing your own vows or using church vows?

1. Writing my own vows
2. Never thought about it
3. My own, probs
4. Write my own, they’re more personal
5. Write my own
6. Writing own vows
7. Writing my own

Didn’t expect all of them to say they’d write their own but I’m glad because I think they’re more personal as well.

Is the garter retrieval sleazy?

1. That sounds dumb
2. It is in fact very sleazy
3. Not ideal
4. I think it’s fine, I’ll wear a kilt and let her take a garter off me!
5. Depends on her personality
6. No, let’s not do that.
7. No.

So you’ll gladly shove your face under her dress in front of your Mom, your Dad, your Father in Law, Mother in Law, etc? Ben, you better invite me to your wedding because I’m trying really hard to picture you in a kilt and I just can’t.

I ended up with seven interviews because I had way too much, hope you had fun reading too!

Images from Google Images.