guest post by Emelina Vigier
Being a groomsman is a great honor and meaningful experience for any friendship. But being a great groomsman also often requires a little know-how. It’s not hard, but there are certainly things you’ll need to know if you want to be as good a groomsman as you can be to your friend.
Lend a Hand
Your job is to help the groom not have to worry about certain aspects of their wedding. It’s easy enough to say “let me know what you need help with”, but what’s actually helpful is taking the lead and offering help with specific tasks. Things like picking up the groomsmen suits, telling people where to sit, or picking people up from the airport or their hotels. These small things are very important, and not always what a bride or groom are able to do themselves.
Plan the Party
The groomsman is usually in charge of planning the groom’s bachelor party. Depending on the groom, this can mean numerous things. Some want a big blowout party with lots of drinking or gambling while others prefer something more low key like a camping weekend or fishing trip. You know your friend better than anyone, outside of their bride, of course, and planning their bachelor party is a crucial step.
The Night Before
On the day before the wedding, there is a lot to keep track of. Keep an eye on the groom and be there for him if he needs anything. Also make sure if there’s anything he needs to remember and if so, keep an eye on that as well. Being punctual the night before the wedding is important, otherwise he might not make it to the rehearsal dinner on time.
Be Open
The groomsmen will likely be a collection of people from different periods of the groom’s life. They may be high school friends, college friends, siblings or relatives. Do your best to get to know everyone and their tastes in order to try and make it fun for everyone. There’s likely going to be one or two guys who don’t know the others. If that’s you, do your best to be outgoing. If you know it’s someone else, do your best to be welcoming and include them in everything.
Time is of the Essence
If you’re someone who is chronically late, check it at the door for your friend’s wedding. You’ll need to keep track of time for the groom and entire groomsman party. Make sure you’re not late to anything. In fact, try your best to be early to everything you need to be at. The last thing the couple needs to worry about is where you are or getting ahold of you when there are so many other things going on.
Help with Answers
On the day of the wedding, guests will probably have questions about where to go, the wedding schedule, and likely many other things as well. Help as best you can to answer those questions or at least find out who can. Sometimes you may need to work to locate someone or act as a go-between for questions between the bridal party and the groomsmen.
Throughout the day, check in with your buddy and the bride or bridesmaids to see if anyone needs anything. Thoughtfulness will go a long way. This is an important, happy day for the couple but it can also be incredibly stressful. Help them out in little ways like making sure they have drinks and keeping the party going.
Have fun!
One of the most important parts of a wedding is the fun that comes after the ceremony. Be the first one on the dance floor and get the party going. It’s important to have a good time but pace yourself. Don’t overdrink and become an embarrassment to both yourself and your friends.
Take pictures
While most couples splurge for a professional photographer, there will no doubt be moments the photographer won’t be there to document. Snap a few pictures at the bachelor party, tasteful ones of course, or other groomsmen-only events. These will someday serve as awesome memories for the couple, so send the photos along to them afterwards. They’ll be grateful you captured moments that otherwise would have been missed.
