Rashi quotes the Gemara (Megillah 16B) that says: “(Although the lion is king) when it is the time of the fox, bow down to him.”
Sefer Likutei Yehuda relates that his grandfather, the Imrei Emes zy”a, once delivered a speech at a sheva brachos and asked why the Gemara specifically uses a parable of a fox. Why was this specific animal chosen?
He answered that the fox is the most clever animal. When its turn to serve as king comes, it uses every second wisely and makes sure to do whatever it can in that time for its own benefit. Other animals are not so smart and waste their time as king. When their time is up, they are left with nothing. So too, a chosson is compared to a king. He can utilize this time to do great things that will benefit him for life.
On another occasion, the Imrei Emes added that this idea applies to all people, not just chossonim. Everyone has times in life that he can use for great things, and one must be prepared to make good use of those times when they arise.
He quoted the Chovos Halevavos (Shaar Avodas Elokim, Perek 9) who relates a parable of a kingdom that designated one day each year to appoint a traveler passing through the kingdom as the new king. At the end of the year, the king was replaced with another traveler. A foolish man would waste his time, enjoying the life of a king, and he would be left with nothing at the end of the year. A wise man, however, would ask why he was chosen as king, and would find out that he would only have the position for a year. He would then utilize his time as king, to send the king’s treasures to a far-off land, where it would be waiting for him when his year was up.
The Imrei Emes concluded, “A chosson is like a king. He can prepare great treasures for his future.”
