Best man
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Best man (disambiguation).
The best man is the name given to the male assistant to the bridegroom at a wedding. Usually the groom gives this honor to someone who is close to him, either a brother or his closest male friend.
In the context of a traditional American/British white wedding, the best man's duties typically include:
- Organizing a Bachelor party for the groom
- Possibly helping plan or organize some details of the wedding
- Getting the groom to the wedding on time
- Supervising the groomsmen
- Holding the bride's ring at the altar
- Giving a speech at the wedding and thanking the bridesmaids
- Decorating the car of the married couple with soap, ribbons, cans and whipped cream.
The groomsmen assist the best man with these functions.
When the groom wishes to give this honor to a woman, she may be termed the "best woman" or "best person." The bride's equivalent of the best man is the maid or matron of honor. A neutral term is "honor attendant".
[edit] Best man in various cultures
In Uganda a best man does what is described above but he is also challenged to guide the newlyweds in 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 hears from the new couple.
Best Man Dating back hundreds of years ago in Scotland, the best man was more like a partner in crime. When a man wanted to take a wife he simply took her. Since this amounted to kidnapping and the young lady's family could be expected to object, the groom need courage and manpower. He selected the best and bravest friends to accompany him, and the best among them became known as the "best man" at the wedding.
In Chatham County, North Carolina and other rural areas the best man is traditionally the father of the groom
