How To Be a Groomsman

One of your closest friends is getting married and he asked you to be a groomsman!  You may be thinking, "Now what?"  Believe it or not, being a groomsman is about more than showing up the day of the wedding, dancing with a pretty bridesmaid, and partying until dawn.  There is actual responsibility involved in taking on the title of groomsman.

• The groom may or may not ask for a groomsman's opinion when picking out tuxes.  However, after the tuxes are picked out it is the groomsman's job to show up and get fitted properly for his tux.  It's also the groomsman's job to pay for the rental of his tux.
• If you've accepted the duty of groomsman, you had better clear your schedule.  You will be expected to attend the engagement party, bachelor party (you'll be planning that one too), rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, and then of course the wedding and reception.  There'll also be no bailing out early at any of these events.  As part of the wedding party, you'll be expected to arrive early and leave late at all these gatherings.
• As a groomsman, the bride and groom may ask you to do a reading at the ceremony or give a toast at the reception.  You should have plenty of warning -- read between the lines -- plenty of time to plan a thoughtful reading or speech.
• At the ceremony, groomsmen usually also play the role of usher.  In other words, you'll probably be greeting guests and seating them.  You may also end up helping people find parking spaces, the restroom, or the gift table.
• In some ceremonies the groomsmen wait at the altar with the groom.  In other types of ceremonies, you may be asked to walk the bridesmaids down the aisle before the arrival of the bride.
• At the reception, groomsmen and bridesmaids are usually welcomed in as couples and stick together for the first dance.  Typically the bride and groom start off the first dance.  Then the wedding party is invited to join in and finish the number with them.

Remember, your friend picked you as a groomsman because he knows he can count on you.  Make sure to attend all of the important events, and above all be a good friend through what can actually be a crazy time in a bride and groom's life.