In the good old days, the grooming stakes at the time of weddings were blessedly one-sided. It was the bride who was slathered with all sorts of scented unguents for weeks in the lead-up to the wedding. All that  the groom had to do was turn up, and not fall off the horse.

Then came the revolutionary idea that the groom should also make an effort to look nice for his wedding pictures, and ushered in the era of the ‘ulte ustre waala shave’. Executed with ruthless efficiency by the neighbourhood hajaam, this has now become a rite of passage for the Pakistani bridegroom. Just like a Masai warrior cannot be considered a man until he has slain a lion with his bare hands, a Pakistani guy cannot be truly considered ready for the challenges of marriage if he has not first had half the skin scraped off his face with a cut-throat razor, and lived to tell the tale.

However, as the men’s grooming industry takes off, the number of options available for the groom to look his best on the wedding day have mushroomed. Some enterprising barbershops have also developed “groom packages”, which provide a variety of treatments, from the mundane to the masochistic. What will follow is a brief rundown of the options available with any decent barber. The important thing to remember is that you, as the groom, are in control of your own grooming decisions, and should not feel any pressure to subject yourself to any procedure you are not comfortable with.

Facial treatments: Facials are not girlie any more. Walk into any men’s salon on a Sunday, and you will see at least one customer lying back with their face covered in some exotic concoction, or having steam blown onto their face. However, there are a couple of things to remember here. The first is that, even at the most modest barbershop, a facial is not cheap. As a result, the price differential between a barbershop and a more upscale salon is also not that great. As a result, you may want to think about going to an establishment which uses slightly better products and equipment.

Another thing to note is that chances are that your wedding facial is the first time you have had a facial in your life. Therefore, there is a small chance that your skin will react badly to the creams being applied, especially if there is also a close shave being done at the same time.

So it is a good idea to get the facial done a few days before the actual wedding day. Most barbers will insist on giving you the facial on the actual wedding day as the “glow” will wear off, but remember, it is the bride who is supposed to glow on the wedding, not the groom.

Pedicures: Now you are walking into a grey area. The mani/pedi is still viewed with suspicion, as the only tool a real man is supposed to use on his nails are his teeth. However, here is an area where you need to be honest with yourself. Take a long, hard look at your feet. Most guys have at some point damaged one or more of their toenails, either through badly fitting shoes or an impact injury while playing sports. If you have cracked skin, corns or fungus, you should have that taken care of, regardless of whether it is your wedding day or not. The best option in this case is to go to a specialist who can provide you with a medicated pedicure. This is not a luxurious experience, but will give your feet a new lease of life.

If you don’t have any such issues, then the mani/pedi are strictly optional. Again, you can have these done a day or two in advance which leaves time on the day itself for things such as the sherwani not arriving on time, and delays at the portrait session. If you don’t feel comfortable, then skip it and just trim your nails four or five days before the big day, making sure there are no sharp edges.

Manscaping: This is a newly coined term, to describe the trimming or removal of bodily hair on men. Again, an extremely tricky area. Most mid-tier men’s salons offer some services, but there is a fine line between grooming and Chippendale territory. Here is a handy primer:

• Ears: Absolutely, and regularly. Better to do it yourself. Use a pair of scissors or an electrical trimmer.

• Eyebrows: Optional. If you have a unibrow, you should take some steps to manage it, and trim eyebrows so that they don’t grow unruly.

Again, this can be done at home with tweezers for the bridge of the nose, and a pair of scissors and a comb for the rest. Just make sure you aren’t giving too much arch to your brows.

• Nose: 100 per cent non-negotiable. If this is not part of your weekly grooming routine, incorporate it now. Use a pair of scissors or an electrical trimmer.

• Shoulders/back: Grey area. Get it done professionally if it bothers you too much.

• Chest: Trimming off excessively long hair is not a bad idea, but going with a clean slate, so to speak, may be going too far. • Anything else: Only if you are a competitive swimmer, trying to qualify for the Olympics.

Hair and makeup: Not talking about putting a full face on here, but a bit of concealer is no longer completely disallowable. I would personally advise against it (decent salons have eye treatments which make dark circles disappear for a few days), but if discreet and applied by a pro, there is a term for it — “Groom face prep”.

As for the hair, it is a good idea to get a haircut four to five days before the big day, to give it time to settle. Also, it is never a good idea to try something dramatic in terms of hair for the wedding, better to not take any risks. If you are contemplating a change of look, do it a couple of months in advance, so that you have time to go back to normal. In terms of facial hair, again having a freshly trimmed look may not be the best idea; giving it 24 hours will allow the beard to soften and for the sharp edges from the trimming to smooth out a little also.