Wedding Accessories Knowledge Base - What is a Best Man?
The best man is the chief male assistant
to the bridegroom at a wedding. In North America and Europe,
the groom extends this honour to someone who is close to
him, generally either a brother or his closest male friend.
When the groom wishes to give this honor to a woman, she
may be termed the best woman or best person, or may still
be referred to as the 'best man'. The bride's equivalent
of the best man is the maid or matron of honour. A gender-neutral
term is honor attendant.
While the best man's required duties are
only those of a friend, in the context of an American/British
wedding, the best man will typically:
assist the groom on the wedding day,
keep the wedding rings safe until needed during the ceremony,
act as a legal witness to the marriage, and
make a toast to the bride and groom at the reception.
In the past, the bachelor party was typically scheduled
for a convenient evening during the week before the wedding.
A type of farewell dinner, it was always hosted, and therefore
organized and paid for, by the bridegroom. Common slang
names for this event are bachelor party, stag do or bucks'
night in different parts of the world. In many areas, this
dinner is now most commonly organized by the best man, and
the costs are shared by all of the participants.
The best man, or honor attendants in general,
are not universal customs. Even in places where a best man
is customary, the role may be quite different when compared
to other areas or times.
In most modern, English-speaking countries,
the best man is simply the groom's closest male friend.
Some authors believe that the best man derives from ancient
customs of marriage by kidnapping, or from defending the
groom from would-be kidnappers.
At Eastern Orthodox weddings in Greece,
the best man is often also the koumbaros or religious sponsor,
and is traditionally the groom's godfather. The koumbaros
(or koumbara, if a woman) is an honored participant who
crowns the couple and participates in circling the altar
three times. In some areas, this person also pays for all
the wedding expenses.
In Ukraine a best man is responsible for
guarding the bride during the wedding festivities. When
he or the groom steps away, the bride gets "kidnapped"
or has a shoe stolen. Then the groom or the best man must
pay a ransom in exchange for returning the bride, usually
by paying money (which is given to the bride) or by doing
something embarrassing.
In Uganda a best man is expected to guide
the newlyweds in the ways of marriage. This means that ideally
a best man must be married, preferably to one wife and should
be in position to give sound, tried and tested advice. A
best man must be a confidante and be discreet about the
details he shares with the new couple.[citation needed]
In Bhutan the best man presents himself
at the wedding as a ceremonial guardian to both bride and
groom. Thereafter he entertains the guests, sometimes for
several hours.
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