10 Important Wedding Day Grooming Checks

You'll look fantastic on your wedding day but as the day wears on, it is worth checking that certain things are still in place and looking as good as they can, especially prior to having any photographs taken by your wedding photographer.

Here's a list of ten that will make a big difference to your official photographs.

FOR THE BRIDE

1. Tighten dress lacing - as the day wears on your lacing may loosen, to keep you and your dress looking magnificent, get your Maid of Honour to check whether your lacing needs tightening: before you go into your ceremony, before your group shots, before your portraits

2. Check your bra line and straps - check everything is tidy and as it should be: before you go into your ceremony, before your group shots, before your portraits, before speeches, before your cake cut and before your first dance

3. Straighten your rings - you won't be used to wearing two rings on your ring finger, just check they are straight and nicely snuggled up to each other before your cake cut - your photographer may zoom into take a shot of your knife and hands

4. Straighten your veil - check that your veil is evenly covering each of your shoulders, a symmetrical veil can look great

FOR THE GROOM

5. Empty trouser pockets - in everyday life, few people wear jackets so it has become normal to load up trouser pockets with everything from keys, to change, to iPhones. Sadly doing the same thing in your wedding suit is not a good look. For your wedding photographs to look at their best, remove everything from your trouser pockets. Essential items will look better in jacket pockets than in your trouser pockets

6. Pull your cuffs so they are showing - cuffs have a habit of riding up into your sleeves so pull your cuffs down so you can see a finger or two of white cuff beneath your sleeve. Check before the ceremony starts, before any formal group shots, before your speech, before you cut your cake and before your First Dance

7. Wear your jacket during your Speech, Cake Cut and First Dance - as you sit down for your meal it is natural to relax, enjoy yourself and take your jacket off. Photographs of your Speech, Cake Cut and First Dance will look immeasurably better with your jacket on

8. Check cravat has not dropped - loosely tied cravats can drop, so check it doesn't need a little tightening prior to the Ceremony, Group Shots, Portraits, Speeches, Cake Cut and First Dance

9. Handkerchief straight - there are many styles of handkerchief folds you can put in your outside jacket pocket, but check that it's still looking good prior to the Ceremony, Group Shots, Portraits, Speeches, Cake Cut and First Dance

10. Button holes don't go in button holes - a common mistake is to put "button hole" flowers in lapel button holes, sadly it's not a very good name for them, they are pinned to the lapel. Tradition says: guys should have their button hole flowers on their LEFT lapel pointing UPWARDS, and ladies should have their button hole on the RIGHT pointing DOWNWARDS.

by Steve Dunster