Wedding day advice!

[kennethw]

There's another wedding shave thread, but this one's more in the form of a request for advice.

I started shaving with a DE maybe 2.5 weeks ago. At this rate, I think it'll take another few months before I'm confident enough to get a decent shave routinely, much less with a potential travel kit... I had hoped to get a barber shop shave on the day of the wedding, but all of the barber shops in the town where I'll be getting married have stopped doing shaves (see thread).

So I'm in a quandary. I want nothing more than to have a smackable BBS, no irritation and a peachy glow for my bride, but it's hard to tell at this point whether I can manage it. At the same time, if I'm going to temporarily go back to my electric early enough to get accustomed to it all over again, for the wedding, I'll be none-too-happy. As well, I still managed to get burnt by strenuous attempts at a close shave when I was using an electric, so that's a concern.

I just can't risk razor burn at my wedding! "AMATEUR", they will scream (and they will have been correct). Believe me, we've spent enough time and money to class this affair up that I don't want to hit the brakes with a patchy shave or razor rash.

Maybe I should have a poll?

 

[Queen of Blades]

My advice?

Move the wedding to Vegas, baby! Barbershop shave, wedding chapel, and casinos. Maybe an Elvis impersonator, or the real thing. He just joined B&B last week didn't he?

Sorry no real advice.

Best luck and best wishes on your upcoming vows.

 

[AACJ]

I would first suggest you do what ever is it you are doing to get your best shaves now and stick with it. If you go to a barber and he slices you up, you risk the possiblity of standing at the altar with toilet paper covering your face. If you go back to an electric, you run the risk of irritation.

I would also suggest you work on your technique for the next 2 1/2 weeks, then don't shave for two days before the wedding. I always get my BEST shaves when I wait a day or two. AND I shave in the shower, helps with eliminating the irritation factor.

BTW, what city/state do you live in? You might be able to get a good reference from a member.

 

[Jonnybc]

I would first suggest you do what ever is it you are doing to get your best shaves now and stick with it. If you go to a barber and he slices you up, you risk the possiblity of standing at the altar with toilet paper covering your face. If you go back to an electric, you run the risk of irritation.

I would also suggest you work on your technique for the next 2 1/2 weeks, then don't shave for two days before the wedding. I always get my BEST shaves when I wait a day or two. AND I shave in the shower, helps with eliminating the irritation factor.

BTW, what city/state do you live in? You might be able to get a good reference from a member.

Sound advice.

As much as this goes against the grain I think this is probably the point a Mach3 or similar modern razor would come into it's own though. If I were in your position Kenneth I'd do all the usual preparation for a DE shave and use the Mach3 as it's more forgiving than any DE, other than maybe a Superspeed... Seriously though, if you only have two and a half weeks make sure you stick with the same (forgiving) razor and keep practising.

 

[Joedy]

I would just not get married....


then it's a moot point insofar as the shave results go.





Art is correct, though. Give your skin a day or two to heal before the pre-wedding shave. This will help to minimize the razor burn. Use a fresh blade and plenty of whisker soaking. Use a good healing aftershave.

One thing that I have found is that the T&H Ultimate Aftershave does a great job of healing razor burn and makes my lower neck feel good as well as look good.

If you're in a pinch, ask around for a sample. I'm sure that some B&B members would be happy to send you some to use.

-joedy

 

[LX_Emergency]

Did a straight shave on my wedding day a month or 2 ago. no problems at all. The risk payed off

 

[_C_]

Sound advice.

As much as this goes against the grain I think this is probably the point a Mach3 or similar modern razor would come into it's own though. If I were in your position Kenneth I'd do all the usual preparation for a DE shave and use the Mach3 as it's more forgiving than any DE, other than maybe a Superspeed... Seriously though, if you only have two and a half weeks make sure you stick with the same (forgiving) razor and keep practising.

On my wedding day, I used a M3. I had not shaved for two days prior. Popped in a new blade. Prepped with hot towel, and whipped up some Body Shop cream. I proceeded to peform my normal 3 pass (with, across and against grain.) I was successful in creating the worst case of razor burn in my life. The worst part was that I didn't notice until I had completed the shave. I was actually forced to use some of my mothers coverup to reduce the redness. Little could be done for the puffiness.

Needless to say, that was the last time I ever used an M3. In retrospect, I now believe I would have been better off using my electric. (Braun 88XX series, non-rotary blades...)

Also, no-one noticed how poor my shave was, nor did it show up in any of the photos. The wedding day really is all about the bride. However, on such a blissful day, a perfect shave would have made it all the sweeter.

Chris

 

[Quagmire]

For me on my wedding day I was still using an electric razor. Doh! what was I thinking? It's funny how I still got nicks and cuts with that damn thing.

But as for advice. All I can say is don't make out with the maid of honor and don't use an electric razor. You'll only be disappointed if you do.

 

[gc_30286]

could you shave early enough in the day that razor burn would no longer be visable?

 

[jduffy]

I was thinking the same thing. Shave early enough and your face has time to recover.

BTW I thought I was the only guy in the world who could shave himself with an electric razor and get brutal nicks and cuts. I have far fewer problems with a DE. Today for example, not a single nick or cut and very smooth.

Once you get your confidence up with your technique and find a razor you trust it's pure shaving magic!

 

[AVB19Peace]

Advice: Think long and hard about getting married.

I'm new at wetshaving too, but if I was you, I would keep doing what you're doing and it's two more weeks of getting it right. It's your day too, so why not make it as enjoyable and relaxing as you can?

You already know that wetshaving is better than what you were doing so don't take one step forward and two steps back. Put one foot in front of the other....

 

[Queen of Blades]

He has 6 weeks til he gets hitched.

He has been wetshaving for 2.5 weeks.

Just thought I would clear up this confusion.

 

[AVB19Peace]

He has 6 weeks til he gets hitched.

He has been wetshaving for 2.5 weeks.

Just thought I would clear up this confusion.

OOPS! Sorry about that. 6 weeks 'til marriage, then there's no reason at all to change what he's doing now. IMHO.

 

[fatt_tony]

He has 6 weeks til he gets hitched.

He has been wetshaving for 2.5 weeks.

Just thought I would clear up this confusion.

Dude, than just keep shaving with your DE razor, I am sure in the time between now and your wedding you will get decent shaves. And leave that electric razor for touching up th back of your neck.

 

[sinekkaydi]

I just can't risk razor burn at my wedding!

Good excuse to cancel the wedding in case...

 

[mrob]

6 weeks?

That's enough time to teach your fiance to shave you!

 

[birchhook]

When I got married, I was wet-shaving but not with a DE.

I had planned to go to a barber that gave shaves on the morning of my wedding, but we got married too far away from any. So I got a barber shave 3 days before, just because I wanted the experience. It was one of the worst shaves of my life - I'm glad it wasn't my wedding day.

On my wedding day, I shaved 4 hours before the wedding was to start. I did a 2-pass with a new Sensor Excel (that's what I was using at the time). It was a good clean shave.

The other thing I did was a month before the wedding I bought a month at a tanning salon. I wasn't too aggressive with it, but it gave me a little color, enough so my beard wasn't a shadow in our pictures. (Maybe you already have a tan from this summer)

So my advice would be, unless you have a incredible recommendation from more than one person about a barbershop that shaves, then I would keep shaving with the DE. Have your goal to be that you are getting consistantly good shaves 2 weeks before the wedding. Map your face, take notes if you need to about what you did wrong to get razor burn, etc. Also I wouldn't experiment with a lot of new creams, and blades, just find something that works and get really good with it. If you still aren't confident the week before the wedding I'd buy a cartridge razor, use it a couple times before the wedding to make sure it will give you a good shave, skip a day, and use it for the wedding, being just as precise as you are with a DE.

Right around the 2 week mark I was actually ready to give up the DE. It does get better after that.

 

[kennethw]

Wow! Thanks so much for all the advice folks. At first it seemed like it was going to be a toss-up, but I'm thinking that I should stick with the DE at least for a few more weeks and see how it goes. If all else fails, I'll just have a safe, but not BBS shave for my wedding. I've at least learned when not to press it enough to hurt myself, so hopefully it will get more consistent.

I know it's naive, but I hadn't really considered that Barbers (with the capital B) don't always give decent shaves... It does sound like quite a risk to leave that to someone else without a specific recommendation, or having visited them before.

I may switch back to the Merkur blades (from Feathers), to minimize the risk of cutting myself when it comes around...

As for razor burn, when I get a good patch of it (by any means) it sticks around for a day or two... That's the really spooky part. What's weird is that I never got a comfy shave with an electric (even though I have used them all my life, only having used a cartridge maybe 5 times). I even got razor burn from them when I tried too hard. So going cartridge is my last resort, for totally different reasons.

_C_, sorry to hear about that burn! That's exactly my worst nightmare, but it sounds like it worked out fine in the end. I guess the pre-wedding paranoia and anxiety are just now starting to kick in.

As for getting married, we've been together for 7 years, so I've thought quite long and hard about it.

 

[rtaylor61]

You have plenty of time to get your technique down so that you can use your DE of choice on your wedding day. But to make it a REALLY memorable occasion, show up without your pants...wear boxers!

Randy

 

[kennethw]

I know *just* the boxers that will go with my absurdly expensive cuff link and stud set!

Maybe I can get extra studs for the buttons on the access port to my boxers. Woo!