I don't usually enjoy being called an idiot. But some people might claim that any man about to become a groom is an idiot no matter how you look at it, so the title of this book -- The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Being a Groom -- is rather apropos. Of course, any man with my future bride at his side would be an idiot not to be a groom. (Right, honey? Sweetie??)

I picked up the book while browsing an Ottowa bookstore; it was a spontaneous purchase, really -- the sort I figured would make my fiancee smile (which it did), and the sort I figured I'd be unable to afford once I went through with the wedding (which I fear).

Darned if the book isn't incredibly useful, crammed with tips and tidbits to ease one's transition from bachelor to bridegroom, wit to make one chuckle in spite of the stress of preparing for the impending changes and reassurances that, yes, other people really have gone through all of these stumbles and hiccups before, and, no, a few setbacks really won't spoil your special day. Probably.

This handy book (which really does fit in the standard back pocket, by the way) helps you remember things you might otherwise forget. It streamlines the process by explaining and eliminating unnecessary steps. It offers alternatives to traditional thinking, and supplies potential solutions to the problems that always crop up along the way. It provides hints for planning a honeymoon, dealing with in-laws and -- most vital of all -- how to communicate with your increasingly frantic honeypie as she draws ever closer to the Most Important Day of Her Life.

Would my wedding plans have changed drastically, had I not had this book at my disposal? I doubt it. But it helped me get through these preceding months with a smile and the knowledge that there was a ready resource in my back pocket, just in case some unexpected bump appeared in the process.

Of course, my copy of the book was printed in 1999, and the authors (who got married in 2000) released a revised edition in 2003. One wonders what they changed. Is this something I need to know about? Were there (gulp) mistakes in the first edition? Um, honey...?

- Rambles
written by Tom Knapp
published 19 June 2004