While brides-to-be may complain that their future spouses do nothing to help them prepare for the big day, it's often the case that men just don't have a clue about what to do to help.

Tokyo-based publisher Can-Z Co. is attempting to remedy the situation by launching a Japanese version of a British wedding magazine exclusively for men called Stag & Groom.

"Women usually take the initiative in planning their wedding ceremonies and parties, but we noticed that some men are also interested," said Kumi Iekura, editor in chief of the magazine, which debuted earlier this month. "They just don't know where to start due to lack of information for grooms-to-be."

Can-Z also publishes wedding magazines for women.

The quarterly magazine covers everything men should do to prepare for the wedding, offering advice on issues ranging from how to pop the question to planning a bachelor party and what to wear at the wedding.

One feature story in the magazine's inaugural issue, for instance, urges men to propose marriage in a "romantic" situation -- such as a fancy restaurant, with engagement ring, box of flowers and champagne at the ready.

"Many men propose in ambiguous ways and situations, like asking for their girlfriend's hand in marriage at a street crossing or at bars, but proposing in a decent manner can give a good impression to a bride-to-be as well as to her parents, which will lead to more benefits after marriage," Iekura said.

The magazine is targeting almost the same group of readers as its British counterpart does -- yuppies aged between 25 and 40. About 10 percent of the content for its inaugural issue was taken from the British version, which was launched in 2003, Iekura said.

Can-Z hopes to sell 100,000 copies of Stag & Groom, which is an ambitious figure for such a novel magazine. But Iekura said if sales indicate men are becoming more interested in wedding-planning, the wedding industry as a whole might come up with ideas for new services and expand business.

The domestic wedding market is expected to shrink as more people stay single longer and have fewer children, industry experts say.

In fact, the worth of the domestic wedding market is estimated to have fallen to some 2.76 trillion yen in 2004 from 3.2 trillion yen in 1999, according to think tank Yano Research Institute. Meanwhile, a survey by Recruit Co. showed the average wedding cost 5.24 million yen in 2004.

The number of marriages fell to 720,429 in 2004 from about 762,000 in 1999, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

Emi Hasegawa, a senior researcher at Yano Research Institute's consumer industry research department, however, pointed out the possibility of creating a wedding market targeted at men, although she conceded it would remain a niche market.

"An increasing number of couples want to make their wedding (ceremonies and parties) unique, and tend to spend a lot of money on services to realize this," she said. "Amid this trend, it would be no wonder" if the wedding industry starts turning to men.

More active involvement by the groom in a wedding also helps the bride-to-be psychologically, said Nobue Hanazawa, senior editor of the Japanese Stag & Groom.

"Some women get the wedding bell blues because they have to do everything from choosing a venue and selecting gifts for people who come to the wedding party," Hanazawa said.

According to the inaugural issue, men should remember that the following phrases are taboo when discussing a wedding venue with their fiancees: "Anything will do"; "You should decide"; "Isn't it too expensive?"; "It's too troublesome."

"But some women also get annoyed when (men) excessively meddle in wedding affairs. Our magazine offers suggestions on how men can cooperate with women," she said.