Wedding beauty isn’t just about the bride; the groom is in nearly every photograph too, from the moment he starts getting dressed to the last dance of the night, which makes thoughtful grooming just as much a part of wedding prep as choosing a suit.
We turned to Memphis-based master hairstylist Janice Allen, who has worked with Southern Bride on fashion and wedding shoots for more than a decade, for her advice on everything from timing that final haircut to picking the right beard for the day. Her philosophy comes down to a few simple ideas: plan ahead, resist last-minute changes, and above all, look like yourself.
Start the hair conversation early
Don’t wait until the week of the wedding to think about your hairstyle. Allen recommends bringing it up with your stylist or barber two to three appointments out, which gives you time to talk through your vision and adjust as the date gets closer.
“If you’re going for a completely different look that requires your hair to grow out longer, you may want to think about your hair as far as six months or longer before the actual big day,” she says. That extra runway matters most for a groom considering longer hair, a dramatic cut change, or a style that needs time to grow in.
A wedding, on the other hand, probably isn’t the moment for a spontaneous hair experiment. If you’re set on trying something new, Allen suggests doing it two to three months out, so you have time to decide whether you actually like it, with enough of a buffer to go back to your familiar look if you don’t.
“Big changes right before a big event like a wedding are typically not the best idea,” she says, if only because your wedding photos will preserve the look for decades, and feeling good in your own skin matters more than any trend. The exception is if you’ve always wanted to try a particular style, or you’re deliberately leaning into a specific era or aesthetic for the day. In that case, Allen’s advice is simple: go for it. Talk it over with your fiancée, think about how it photographs and how it makes you feel, and then commit.
Hannah Lee Photography
Timing the final haircut
How close to the wedding you get your last haircut really depends on the cut itself. A groom with a fade or another precise style might want to book something a few days to two weeks out, since that ultra-fresh look reads best up close and holds its shape.
But most men actually prefer their hair a little grown in. “Typically, most men like their hair about two weeks after they get their haircut,” Allen explains. “Then it does not look like a fresh cut and can look better in photos.” There’s a practical reason for that timing, too: hair tends to photograph shorter than it looks in person, so a little extra length in the days before the wedding gives you a cushion. Your stylist can help you land on the right window based on your cut and how fast your hair grows.
What to do about the beard
A wedding beard isn’t dictated by the season so much as by the person wearing it. Allen encourages grooms to think about their face shape and personal style rather than choosing facial hair just because it’s winter or the wedding is on a beach.
“It is really a choice of style and whatever fits your face shape the best,” she says. “It would be best to ask a professional for their opinion for what suits your style, your face shape, and your chin.” For a winter wedding, a slightly longer beard can look polished and sophisticated; for a beach wedding, she likes a closely groomed beard or a bit of five-o’clock shadow for something more relaxed. But if you’re normally clean-shaven, there’s no rule that says you need to grow one out just because you’re getting married somewhere warm. Whatever direction you’re leaning, give yourself several months to experiment before the big day.
Julian Riggs Photography
The tools you already know how to use
Here’s a little insider tip for anyone helping the groom get ready: a good at-home trimmer is worth having on hand for touch-ups between barber visits. We’re partial to HUSH Pro’s Clipper C2 and Trimmer T2 , they’re built for precision, but the detail brides will actually appreciate is how quiet they run (48 decibels for the clipper, 46 for the trimmer). That’s the difference between a smooth morning and one where half the wedding party wakes up to buzzing at 7 a.m.
“Our approach combines professional-grade cutting performance, whisper-quiet operation, ergonomic design, interchangeable color customization, and sensory-conscious engineering,” says Kobe Deng, CEO and co-founder of HUSH Pro USA — basically, all the things you’d want in one tool but rarely get.
Shaving deserves the same care as trimming, and the secret is really in the prep, not the tool. A warm shower softens the skin and opens the pores, so shaving right after one cuts down on tugging and irritation. A pre-shave oil or a good lather gives the blade something to glide on instead of dragging, and going with the grain, even if it means a slightly less close shave, is the easiest way to sidestep razor burn altogether.
Whatever the groom reaches for, the golden rule holds: use something already tested, in a routine already run through at least once. Wedding morning is not the time for a new trimmer, a new razor, or a new aftershave.
Building a simple skincare routine
Hair tends to get all the attention, but great wedding-day grooming starts with skin that actually looks healthy. If skincare isn’t already part of your routine, start several months out rather than layering on a handful of new products the week of the ceremony.
Pure Anada Men keeps things simple, with a 3-in-1 Face, Body & Hair Wash for everyday cleansing and a 2-in-1 Moisturizer & After-Shave Balm for use right after cleansing or shaving. For a groom who’d rather not think too hard about it, the brand also puts together men’s grooming gift sets that bundle the essentials. Either way, the goal is consistency: give yourself enough time to know exactly how your skin responds before the wedding, not on it.
Dealing with razor burn
Few things derail a freshly groomed look faster than irritated skin. Allen points to natural aloe vera as one option worth trying, though she’s quick to note that everyone’s skin reacts differently, so it’s worth experimenting with a few shaving gels and products ahead of time to find what actually prevents razor burn rather than just soothing it after the fact.
If shaving isn’t your strong suit, consider booking a traditional barber shave before the wedding. “That may be a nice relaxing visit that you can have right before your wedding,” Allen says. Just don’t make that first professional shave a wedding-day experiment. Try it beforehand so you already know how your skin handles it.
What belongs in the grooming kit
Come wedding morning, a groom should have a few essentials within reach: clean hair, a familiar styling product like a pomade or clay for definition and shine, and a little hairspray.
“Most men do not think of hairspray,” Allen says. “But before you think, ‘That’s just for women!’ men, especially with fine hair, could use just a spritz of aerosol hairspray to keep everything in place.” That’s especially useful for an outdoor wedding, where a little extra hold can keep hair from blowing around or needing constant adjustment throughout the day.
A simple kit covers most of it: your regular styling product, a comb or brush, light-hold hairspray if your stylist recommends it, a beard trimmer for small touch-ups, your usual shaving or beard-care products, moisturizer, lip balm, tissues or a handkerchief, and anything else you’ve already tested and trust. The key is familiarity as the morning of the wedding is not the time to introduce a new skincare, shaving, or haircare routine.
Don’t forget the groomsmen
The groom isn’t the only one who’ll be in the photos. Encourage the whole wedding party to book their haircuts, beard trims, and other grooming appointments with enough lead time for everything to settle naturally, and consider turning the appointment into part of the wedding-weekend experience, a chance for the guys to relax together before the celebration starts.
Sierra Lorraine Photography
Be yourself, head to toe
Here is the scoop to passing along to your groom: wedding grooming was never about becoming someone new, but about showing up as the most polished version of himself , whether it’s a clean shave, a perfectly shaped beard, or the style he has worn for years. The formula is simple: start early, talk to a stylist or barber, test the products, and take care of the skin, so that when the day arrives, he is ready for every photograph and every moment of it.
As Allen puts it, “It’s not just about the bride. I think that the groomsmen are all equally important!” And she’s right as everyone loves a sharply dressed man, and on his wedding day, he deserves to look sharp from head to toe.
*All products featured are independently selected by Southern Bride’s editorial team. Southern Bride does not earn commissions from purchases.*
