Groomsman

Groomsman is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. The term usher is more common in the UK while the term 'groomsman' is considered somewhat lower-middle- class and used by those who have adopted the term from America. Usually the groom selects his closest friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usually chooses one to serve as best man.

For a wedding with many guests, the groom may also ask other male friends and relatives to act as ushers without otherwise participating in the wedding ceremony; their sole task is ushering guests to their seats before the ceremony. Ushers may also be hired for very large weddings.

In a military officer's wedding, the roles of groomsmen are replaced by swordsmen of the sword honor guard. They are usually picked as close personal friends of the groom who have served with him. Their role includes forming the traditional saber arch for the married couple and guests to walk through.

Duties

Additionally, the groom may request other kinds of assistance, such as planning celebratory events such as a bachelor party, also called Stag Night or Buck's Night; helping make the wedding pleasant for guests by talking with people who are alone or dancing with unaccompanied guests or bridesmaids, if there is dancing at a wedding reception; or providing practical assistance with gifts, luggage, or unexpected complications. Groomsmen may also participate in local or regional traditions, such as decorating the newlywed couple's car.

Bridegroom-men had formerly important duties. The men were called bride-knights, and represented a survival of the primitive days of marriage by capture, when a man called his friends in to assist to "lift" or kidnap the bride, or from the need to defend the bride from would-be kidnappers.

Best man

The best man is the chief male assistant to the groom at a wedding. In most modern, English-speaking countries, the groom extends this honor 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 bridesmaid, or the maid/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 a western white 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. Formerly, the best man would read out the telegrams of those who couldn't attend.

In various cultures

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 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 confidant and be discreet about the details he shares with the new couple.

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.

In 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 India, there are different customs in different states. In Hindu marriages of north India, the best man is always with the groom one or two days prior to the wedding. He cares for the groom's wedding attire and items and sees that the groom is not stressed. The counterparts from the bride's side always try to tease or try to come to terms with the groom's best man. The groom's pair of shoes is something which the bride's side is eyeing on the wedding day. Usually the shoes are stolen during the wedding lunch or some religious ceremony and hidden at a secured location completely under control of the bride's team. The groom's best man and his team are responsible for searching and stealing them back unbeknownst to the bride. If they fail, a small cash ransom is negotiated between the groom and his best man and the bride's counterparts. The shoes are then returned to the groom.

Bachelor party

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, entirely by the groom. The dinner was seen as the groom's last chance to entertain his friends as a single man; after the wedding, dinner parties at his home would always be presided over by his wife in her role as hostess.

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 can be shared by all of the participants, or all of the participants except the groom, who becomes the guest of honor.