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Design by Cristina Cianci
Don’t be fooled by our name: at Brides, we’re Team Grooms, too. Last fall, after publishing the results of our American Wedding Study, which found that over 70 percent of men have always wanted to be married (with a third having dreamed about their wedding for much of their lives), we felt it was time to devote an issue to them. That same study also cited 40 percent of male newlyweds wanting a “shareable wedding on social media,” so we turned to two big-time TikTokers as our cover models, and our partners at Men’s Wearhouse to dress the soon-to-be groom from head to toe.
We hope this issue serves as a helpful roadmap for all partners—bride or groom—in planning mode, and that you find the cover story, suits, and snaps as inspiring as we do.
— Leah Wyar, SVP & GM
TikTok is a highlight of 2021 for me. I love how the content—comments from a funny creator, the latest viral dance video, a BTS of an epic wedding—is simply “delivered” to me. There’s something both thrilling and therapeutic about it: You never know what you’re gonna get or who you’re going to “meet.”
Just ask our cover stars. Kelianne Stankus and Chase Mattson not only rose to fame during the pandemic but they also met and fell in love in 2020, too. Kelianne sent Chase a DM in April 2020, and they’re now planning a summer wedding with more than 15 million fans following along. As Kelianne says, “When you know, you know.”
I met the couple in L.A. last month for their combined cover shoot, because, as Leah says, this is our Groom’s Issue—an issue that’s about planning with your partner and enjoying this time together. This is exactly what Kelianne and Chase did on set: She blasted Ariana Grande hits; they laughed and modeled outside in the middle of the most unexpected wind storm; and, at one point, he even helped make her hair look “perfectly windblown” with a blow dryer.
So here’s your first lesson from our cover stars: Sometimes it takes navigating a storm together, but you’ve got this—now make the most of it!
— Anna Price Olson, Associate Editorial Director
