Yes you read it right.

More than 20,000 wedding gowns are being sold off at knockdown prices.

Why ?

Unfortunately, Berketex Bride went into administration back in November 2018. The business said it has eleven outlets an one in Dublin. Berketex had been serving the wedding market for over 50 years. 

All this stock has gone to Auctioneers John Pye where you can buy for pennies on the pound.

Anyone hoping to grab a bargain will have to travel to Port Talbot, South Wales to get their hands on dresses from designers such as Emily Fox, Amy Hamilton, Rosetta Nicolini, Tom Flowers and Christina Sposa at significantly reduced prices.

South Wales (live now): Fridays 12pm – 3pm; Saturdays 10am – 2pm.

Marchington (commencing February 9th): Saturdays 10am – 2pm.

The Wedding Beard

It used to be the case that only certain cultures of our society wore a beard but try walking down the street without seeing at least one. Yes, times have changed and beards are commonplace. With beards actually raising the standard of looking their best no doubt our grooms will want to parade their furry friends on their big day so today we are going to talk about how you might prepare your beard for that wedding.

Firstly note that not everyone can grow the same type of beards. So first thing is to know what suits you.

Like looking for that particular style of wedding suit, preparation begins months in advance for a well-manicured beard.

We suggest the ManCave beard oil is a reasonable product to keep the beard soft and itch-free.

But before anything else, let’s lay out some “ground rules” first.

The Do’s and Don’t’s of Having a Wedding Beard

The key to having a perfect Wedding Beard is just forgetting you have shears and shaving cream, right? Wrong. Growing that perfect beard is going to take a lot of care and a whole lot of common sense. In fact, there are a few things that you have to keep in mind.

1. Do Mind Your Role

When it comes to beards, just remember that the range of your options is inversely proportionate to your importance in the wedding. If you are a guest, then pretty much anything goes. This is true if you are attending the wedding on your own.

And even if you have your wife or girlfriend with you, your options for beards are going to be considerable. However, keep in mind that you might also be dragged into a lot of photo opportunities. As such, looking your very best will still matter.

However, if you are playing an important role in the wedding like the best man or, better yet,
the groom, then how you can style your beard is going to be limited. In fact, you might have to fight it out with your partner and family just to have a beard on your big day.

Either way, it is best that you pick the styles that highlight your best features. Which leads to our next point.

• Don’t Make a Drastic Change

Ironically, the rule that brides have to follow with their wedding makeup applies to men and their wedding beards: pick one that reflects YOU, and not you putting on some costume.

If your everyday stubble goes along with almost every formal wear that you have ever worn, then adding a few centimetres of hair on your face is not going to hurt. If you have always looked good with a full-on beard, then trimming it at the edges would work well to your favour.

That being said, a wedding is not the time to do something cool with your beard. If you’re just fine with a regular beard, then showing up on the wedding looking like you’ve just stepped out of the 18^th century is going to make heads turn; for all the wrong reasons.

• Do Clean Up

Having the perfect wedding beard is actually finding a balance between letting things grow and cleaning up. Think of it like you are making sculpture out of a bush: you’d have to know where and how to trim things to add dimension.

And, of course, you can’t do this without the right tools. There are products out there like
Professor Fuzzworthy’s Beard Shampoo and Old Spice’s Sculpting Pomade that are going to give your beard the volume and luster it needs. Plus, these products can help you keep your beard in place when you opt for something stylish.

Investing on a good brush and comb will also do wonders. There are several products out there
that do come with a complementary comb or brush made specifically for beards.
As such, it would be best that you consider these items.

• Don’t Make it a Last-Minute Decision

Growing a beard takes a lot of time. In fact, it would take you more than a month to grow a
beautiful patch of beard over your face for the wedding.

Planning to get a beard a few days before the wedding is not going to bode well for you. At the
least, you’ll get something pathetic. At worst, you’ll end up with something that looks scraggly and unkempt. And no, even the best growth oils out there like Growther Beard Growth Oil can’t get your face blanketed with enough facial hair in such a short amount of time.

Give yourself at least a week to a full month to grow a beard and then trim and care for it. Not only will you end up with something majestic but you’ll send a signal that you have actually made an effort in making yourself look good to everybody; especially if you have an important role in the wedding.

And while we’re on the issue of last-minute decisions, never ever shave your beard on the night before the wedding. Not only does this mean that you are going to throw out months of work literally down the drain, but you’d end up with a haphazard shaved look. Think of it this way: you can’t expect to remove an entire beard of your face overnight without leaving stubble here and there.

The Best Wedding Beards Today

Now that these concerns are out of the way, let’s get to the part of actually growing your beard. Sure, you can grow your beard however you like but there are some styles out there are more suitable to a wedding. Here are some of them:

1. Imperial Style

One of the more trending styles today, the Imperial style is traditional enough to give men that “macho” vibe. However, it has an artistic flair to it to give anyone wearing a bird that much-needed class.

Imperial style beards have a standard beard that measures up to an inch in volume along the lower jaw. However, this is then topped with a full moustache that curves upwards at the side.

The imperial style works well if you have short yet styled hair. Also, it works great for men with long faces but are of average height.

• Short and Trimmed

This style is quite popular because it is easy to grow and manage. All you have to do is to let 

your beard grow for a week and then trim it at the edges just before the wedding day. There are trimming kits readily available online that can give your beard the dimensions it needs. Also, this style is best for men with round-shaped heads.

• The Full Beard

For the ultimate of dashing manliness, the Full Beard is your best option. This style is quite straightforward a concept as it simply means you allow your beard to cover your entire face and have it reach as far as your Adam’s Apple.

However, the key to success here is to reduce the “fuzziness” of your beard. That means you have to constantly trim it at the edges especially at the lower sections. This way, your beard takes on a more bulb-like shape by following the contours of your chin.

Also, this is the style that is going to take the longest to prepare. If you don’t have the genes to grow facial hair that fast, it can take months for you to get a full beard. As such, it’s best that you start growing your beard as soon as you get that wedding invitation.

Like the Imperial Style, Full Beards complement equally fashionable hairstyles. In this case, a high and tight haircut goes well for your full beard or even a simple barber’s cut. The point is that your hair should be shorter than your beard if you want to take full advantage of this style.

• 5 O’clock Shadow

For men that are not genetically predisposed for full-on beards, this is the best (and sometimes only) option. It’s also the fastest style to grow as you can have one just by opting not to shave for a day or 3.

However, the key here is to maintain that thin stubble and prevent it from growing a centimetre further. Again, there are trimming and styling kits online that can help you shave off extra bits of hair. If done right, what you’ll end up with is a quasi-bearded yet still rugged face.

• French Style

Another popular beard style, the French is great for men with round faces or those with a less-pronounced chin. To get this style, all you have to do is to grow a full beard and then shave off the unwanted areas. These are the sides at the cheeks and at the lower jaw.

What you will end up is a beard that covers your chin and connects to your moustache. It would be even better if you can maintain a soul patch below your lower lip to give your beard a crown or anchor-like appearance.

If you want to take things a bit further, you can let the beard grow into a medium stubble. This will make the French style even more pronounced by giving your beard extra layers. After that, all you have to do is just trim off the edges and prevent things from growing any further.

In Conclusion

It’s often said that growing a perfect beard is hard. That is not exactly true if you already have the tendency to grow facial fuzz within a few days. The challenge comes in committing to a certain style and maintaining the health and luster of your beard before the big day.

Fortunately,
there are products and tools out there that can help you grow, trim, and style
our beard. A wedding is a momentous and stylish event, after your face.

Products:

ManCave Beard Oil

Polished Gentleman Beard Growth and Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner

Professor Fuzzworthy’s Beard SHAMPOO

Old Spice’s Sculpting Pomade

Growther Beard Growth Oil

Trimming kits