WEDDING GOSSIP Girl In a White Dress 5 7452 views

Does your beloved become a little glazy eyed at the mention of flower arrangements before being struck down by a mysterious fit of yawning that causes him to lie down and watch the snooker? (Which, amazingly, will seem comparatively interesting to him.)

Or maybe he’ll nod enthusiastically with a petrified rabbit in the headlights expression and agree that, yes, he would prefer tea lights instead of fresh petals on the tables. And, no, you’re absolutely right not to book that authentic medieval toastmaster. (You were right not to book him, by the way.)

Or, horror of horrors, is your man likely to take over the proceedings entirely, drawing up spreadsheets and scheduling appointments with your hairdresser, then calling you into weekly meetings to ‘keep you abreast of the arrangements’?

Let’s face facts, girls. Some men just aren’t very good with wedding preparations. It’s not their fault – they just don’t have the genetic set up that makes them understand that no matter how much they worship David Beckham, purple thrones at a wedding are just wrong.

Yes, that lovely man who’s agreed to all your demands – er, requests – even though he’s not entirely sure if he wants his first dance as husband and wife to be to Groove Armada’s I See You Baby, sometimes needs a bit of guidance.

Most of us will try to point our beloveds in the right direction by offering gentle advice on how their involvement in the wedding plans should manifest itself. And if that fails, we’ll stamp our feet and scream until we get our own way. I’m kidding.

But only a bit.

If you’re not sure you can tackle the subject of what you expect from your fiancé in the coming weeks and months with him, leave it up to another man to tell him…

The Groom’s Instruction Manual by Shandon Fowler is an easy-to-read, comprehensive guide to good grooming, written in a comedy, car handbook style with pictures and bullet lists. It covers everything from choosing the outfits (his) to coping with mood swings (yours), and reminds your beloved that while he is an important part of the wedding, he is just a minor stakeholder – in other words, his opinion will be heard but he can’t always expect it to matter.

NEXT TUESDAY... CHERYL PONDERS WHETHER OR NOT TO TAKE HIS SURNAME...