Picking favorites is always a touchy thing, so when choosing your groomsmen you want to be careful not to bruise any egos. You’ve got your best buddies brothers, cousins, college roommates, and pals from elementary school. They’d all like to be included in the wedding party, and some may even be hoping for the “best man” position.
It’s a delicate task, but here are some tips from the Knot to help you get it done!
How Many?
You can choose as many–or as few– groomsmen as you like. The groomsmen often double as ushers and help by seating the guests. the groomsmen also escort the bridesmaids down the aisle, so you may want to keep the boy-girl ratio even. If you decide on having a few groomsmen but want to include more friends or relatives, you can include them as ushers and let them help seat your guests.
What About Her Brother? Or Your Sister?
Your bride may have her heart set on a brother or good friend as groomsman. As long as you get along with the guy, it’s the right thing to include him. The opposite is true too: If you’d like your sister to serve as bridesmaid, your bride will probably agree. There’s another option for the forward-thinking types: your sister can stand on your side, in an official groomsman role, and your fiancee’s brother can stand on her side with the bridesmaids!
Who’s the Best Man?
He should be someone close to your heart, obviously. But aside from that, there are other factors you may want to consider:
- Tasteful: Since he’ll make the first toast at the reception, you want someone who’s a good public speaker and can avoid making inappropriate remarks.
- Responsible: After all, he’s the one holding onto the ring until you slip it on your new wife’s finger! Plus, the more dependable he is, the more you can look to him to help you with wedding-related chores.
- Fun! It’s his job to organize the bachelor party, but just make sure his idea of fun is somewhat similar to your own!
- Calming: It would be ideal to have a comfortable presence beside you before, during, and after the ceremony. ]
Photo from Groomsmen.com