A manicure on your wedding day is a must. Full stop. Rid yourself of any notion that has led you to believe otherwise and soak in the cuticle oil. Or rather, let your nail beds do that. I used to be among the set of people that found manicures arbitrary and thought they were an unnecessary expense with little return on investment. Boy was I wrong.
Manicures Are For Everyone
“Some guys look down on it ‘cause it’s girly or whatever you want to call it, but I’ve done it from the beginning because it’s like taking care of your body,” says Orlando Magic Point Guard D.J. Augustin, when he spoke to the Washington Post in January about his penchant for pedicures. That’s the biggest hurdle here: removing the archaic stereotype that caring about your body as a man is somehow antithetical to masculinity. That’s just plain false.
Men’s manicures are kept simple–and simply priced at between $10-$15. We’re talking some clipping, nail buffing, and clear polish (not for vanity, but as protective sealant to make everything that was done last a little longer). For a little bit extra, some places will do some exfoliating and add a milk soak, but that’s about as involved as it gets.
“I do think men should get their manicure done before the big day,” says nail artist Yoko Sakakura. “Hands are sensory receptors that touch your partner. Getting a manicure is not only a good grooming, but it is also a pampering treatment for hands that work hard every day.”
Can’t Keep Your Hands to Yourself
This is an important point that many overlook or are just unaware of all together. It’s easy to think of a manicure as just getting your nails done, when in actuality a manicure is a cosmetic treatment of the hands. So whether you’ve got hangnails or messy cuticles or just rough skin, a manicure is a way to make anyone your touching (hint, hint, your partner) feel better, literally.
“Getting a manicure will make your hands super soft – scrubbing away any calluses or dead skin cells you might have,” says David Yi, founder of Very Good Light, a men’s grooming website. “It’ll also shape up your cuticles, which need tending at least a few times a year.” Let’s not forget the focus of the day itself. “On your wedding way, your nails are actually on full display,” he notes. “After all, the wedding ring moment is when all eyes, not to mention the camera lens, will be focusing on your hands. Which means that the last thing you’d want are nails that look anything less than presentable.”
In other words, you’ll be hard pressed to find an excuse not to get a manicure. It costs about as much as a nice lunch, but the effects will last much longer than that. Think of it not just as something for yourself, but something special for your partner, whom you’ll be hand in hand with all day, and perhaps more touching later on in the night if things go as planned.
If anything, try it out for your big day. If you hate it, don’t do it again. But you won’t hate it.
