'Groomzillas' Calling the Shots During Wedding Planning
Men are calling more shots when it comes to planning their weddings.
June 13, 2009 -- Forget about cold feet. Today, more men than ever can't wait for the day they see their beautiful bride walk down the aisle. Some even go as far as taking over all the wedding planning, including booking the venue for the reception, picking out the cake and hiring the photographer.
Everyone has heard of Bridezilla, but Groomzilla? Who would have thought?
"A groomzilla is pretty much the same thing as a bridezilla," says Rebecca Goldin, executive editor of theknot.com. "It's the groom who has gone overboard. He is obsessed with every detail of the wedding. He has the florist on speed dial. He is handpicking the drinks for the bar. He's deciding what color combos the couple's going to have."
Michael Scott is just such a groom who wants to oversee every detail of his wedding. And for Scott, his desire to get everything right started when he found the perfect bride.
Just six months after Scott met his fiancee Jasmine Rodgers, he knew she was the one.
"I honestly couldn't be by myself without her being there," he recalls. "I just loved when we were together. There was just something special about her."
After dating for two years, he planned a romantic proposal and popped the question on New Year's Eve, much to Rodgers' surprise.
"I was like, 'Wow, he's doing this now,'" she remembers. "I forgot all about the fireworks. I didn't even realize how many people were watching. I felt like it was just me and him."
From designing the wedding invitations to choosing the cake and flowers, Scott wants to oversee every detail of the big day. Although his wedding to Rodgers is more than a year away, the couple may already be going overboard with the planning -- well, he is.
Making appointments and major decisions, even having an opinion about the wedding dress, Scott says he's doing about 95 percent of the planning, and that's the way he likes it.
"I like to tackle new things," he says. "And when I get started, it's hard for me to stop. I think I had the invitations done two weeks after we got engaged."
Rodgers seems to be taking a back seat, for now, but she knows when to put her foot down.
"I do have to sometimes remind him we are both getting married, so you do have to let me know before you go and make a decision," says the bride-to-be. "I am definitely not afraid to say no."
Bride-to-Be Won't Let Groom Pick Her Dress
Even groomsman Tristan Nunnally notices Scott's eagerness.
He jokes, "I'm like, 'Dude, this is your wedding. Isn't Jasmine supposed to be handling this stuff? Why are you asking me about colors? I don't know. I don't know. Leave me alone.'"
Goldin says gender roles are shifting and guys are looking forward to the wedding day, so it's not just about the bride anymore.
"It's definitely more of a partnership for the day," she says. "It used to be, for example, the guy would settle for the rental tux. Now, he wants the custom-made Paul Smith. It's really interesting how it's really changed."
For now, Scott and Rodgers seem to agree on just about every detail of the wedding, although the bride says she will not let him pick her wedding dress.
"I get to pick the dress. I've been told you don't get your dress until six to eight months before because you are going to change your mind," she says. "If it was his way, he probably would have it in the closet by now, but I'll wait a little while, closer to the wedding."
Scott jokes that after planning this wedding, there could be a career in it for him.
"I say I'm pretty good at it. I might become a wedding planner. I think that's my future," he says.