These days, it’s perfectly fine to choose a woman as your best man. She wouldn’t be referred to as the “best man,” of course, but as the “groom’s honor attendant,” instead. (Conversely, if a bride chooses a “male maid of honor,” he’d be called the “bride’s honor attendant.”)

Although she will stand on your side, your female best man must wear an attire that is of the same formality as the dresses of the bridesmaids but of the same color as the groomsmen’s suits. But unlike the male attendants, she should wear a corsage instead of a boutonniere. (In the same manner, a male maid of honor should wear a boutonniere instead of carrying a bouquet.) Just make sure to tell the photographer about this set up so she’d be included in the photos along with the groomsmen.

No matter what the genders of your attendants are (or whatever is the reason for choosing someone of the opposite sex as your best man), the most important thing is you choose the people who are important in your life; with whom you want to share your special day.

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After the big day, you sure have a lot of people to thank for participating in your wedding. And these include your groomsmen. Expressing your gratitude to your groomsmen via gifts is a great idea. It just shows that you value their support and friendship. The gifts don’t have to be expensive nor too cheap, as long as your groomsmen realize that you put a lot of thought in those gifts.

Have you decided on how much you can spend on groomsmen gifts? Before buying any items, you must consider your budget first. Along with other wedding expenses, you should make a budget for your gifts.

When budgeting for gifts, determine your limitations. Do not focus on impressing the recipients by giving expensive gifts. Instead, determine how much you can spend base on your budget then make the most of it. Show your appreciation, but do not blow your budget. It doesn’t matter whether you are giving them identical mugs or branded wallets, as long as these things are within your capacity to pay.

When you budget for your groomsmen gifts, remember that it’s not about how much you can spend. It’s about how much you appropriate their participation in your wedding.

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Your gifts to your groomsmen don’t have to be so grand or earth-shaking. But it should be meaningful. The following is a list of inexpensive groomsmen gift ideas that you may choose from:

• Movie tickets or restaurant gift certificates – Let your groomsmen enjoy a special time with their respective significant others, in return for their help in letting you have a very momentous time with yours.

• Sports tickets – This is perfect for sports-loving groomsmen who want to see their favorite local team live in action.

• Engraved keychains, lighters, or money clips – These are popular choices that can be personalized with engravings.

• Shotglasses – Either from the wedding itself or have them purchased and personalized with the date of the wedding.

• Personalized baseball caps or t-shirts – Have these items embroidered with the word “Groomsman” and the date of the ceremony.

Whatever gifts you give, as long as you are sincere with your appreciation, the price won’t be an issue.

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Boutonnieres for groomsmen are quite similar to the one worn by the groom. The only difference is that the ones worn by the groomsmen are smaller. If the groom and the groomsmen are wearing matching tuxedos, you can distinguish who’s who by looking at the boutonnieres. A boutonniere for a groomsman is generally less elaborate, less lavish in appearance and has fewer blooms.

You can save money on boutonnieres for groomsmen by making them yourself. All you need are small or medium sized flower, ferns or baby’s breath (you can use both), a pair of scissors, and florist tape. Just cut the stem of the flowers, then arrange them beautifully with the fern or baby’s breath. Use a pin to attach it to the lapel of the tuxedo.

Remember that boutonnieres for groomsmen should also complement the bridesmaid bouquets. The best way to do this is to choose a flower that has the same color as the bridesmaid gowns.

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Leather journals are excellent gifts for bridesmaids and groomsmen. To personalize the journals, have their names engraved on the cover in gold ink. You can have this gift made to order from craft shops or from an online store. To complete the set, be sure to add a fountain pen and ink.

Or you can give each bridesmaids a monogrammed clutch bag personalized with their initials. They would find it useful and special at the same time.

As for the groomsmen, why not a monogrammed gym bags? Have each bag made in different colors to give your groomsmen a bit of individuality.

Alternatively, you may choose to give the groomsmen or the bridesmaids non-identical gifts. Since you and your spouse know each of them very well, take into consideration their interests and hobbies. Is their a sporty groomsman in the wedding party? Why not give him a jersey of his favorite basketball team bearing his name on the back? How about that bridesmaid who loves to ride? You might want to give her a charm bracelet with a horse trinket.

Ultimately, you can make your presents special by making it relevant to the recipient’s personality.

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It’s up to you to decide on the number of groomsmen that you like to have. But traditionally, the ratio is one groomsman for every fifty guests. This is so because groomsmen also double as ushers and help the guests be seated. So, the best thing to do is determine the number of your guests before considering how many groomsmen you’d like to enlist. This customary rule is just a suggestion. Still, you may want to keep in mind that the larger your wedding would be, the more groomsmen you are going to need.

If you are having a relatively small wedding, then obviously, you only need to have a few groomsmen. If you don’t want your other friends to feel slighted for not being picked as groomsmen, you may assign them some other duties. This way, they’d still feel that they are part of your wedding party.

It is also advisable to coordinate with your fiancee. Groomsmen escort the bridesmaids down the aisle, so you and your spouse-to-be may decide to keep the ratio of boys and girls even.

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Prepare

When you were asked to be the groomsman, it is expected that you are going to make a speech. So even before the wedding day, you should have an idea on what to say. If it’s making you nervous that you are afraid you might forget what to say, try writing the important points of your speech.

Make it short and sweet

Groomsmen speeches shouldn’t be long. Remember that the ideal is 2 to 5 minutes. You wouldn’t be standing there too long that you have to worry about wetting your pants because of nervousness.

Remember why you’re there

If you find yourself going in circles, remember that you are there as a groomsman because you are a friend to the groom or the bride, or both. Express your appreciation for the friendship and end the speech by initiating a toast to the newly wed couple.

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Weddings are the most joyous as well as the most emotional moment in one’s life. People all over the world, take it as another opportunity to add happiness in their lives, moreover, it’s a moment of lifetime, and it is said to the beginning of a new life altogether. Marriage is said to be the bonding of two souls into one, it is the purest form of relation one shares with his life partner after his mother. Matrimony in different countries is witnessed through different cultures and customs according to their religious practices and norms.

Especially, marriages in India are observed with great respect and believe. The people of India, have great trust in the ritual called marriage, they take it as the bonding for seven lives or birth. Here, rituals, customs, religion, prayers, principles, God, believe, temples, are given more importance than any other thing. The rituals observed in Indian marriages vary according to the area, religion, language and the community. India is a land of unity in diversity and the different types of marriages practiced in the country proves the grandness in the culture the country has.

The scale, at which the Indian marriages are celebrated, corresponds to the seriousness and importance of the marriages in the Indian system. Here, it’s obligatory for women to get married and lead her life, being the responsibility of her husband. The women are considered as the Greh Laxmi, and are supposed to bring positive vibes in the house; they are in many religions also given the stature of Goddess. India has around 21 languages except Hindi, 28 states, ‘n’ number of religions and further infinite number of caste, each caste having different rituals for performing marriage ceremonies. This is the vastness of the types of marriages celebrated in India.

Each religion be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, Christian, or any other celebrate the marriage with great pop and gaiety. The shopping, preparations, functions, ceremonies, form an important part of the marriages. Shopping for the bride, groom, relatives, and friends is a tiring job, which acquires a lot of time and energy, but is still enjoying and interesting. One gets to explore the latest fashion trends in terms of clothes, jewellery, house holds, home- interiors, infrastructure, etc. which is quite a different experience if the person is involved in all the marriage preparations. Food for the marriage is the most important part, it is a very delicate part of the marriage, as food is something, which is remembered over the ages, especially Indian food being popular all over the world for its tastes.

The functions of the marriage start few days before the actual marriage ceremony, with a common culture of engagement, in which the Indian bride and groom exchanges rings with each other, which is followed almost everywhere in Indian matrimonies. Then, follows the rituals, in accordance to the religion and the community to which the bride and groom belongs. Mehandi is another event, which is the most common and popular ritual practised in Indian marriages, in which the Indian is applied with Heena or Mehandi designs on her hands and feet, marking a shagun for the marriage. In some castes, mehandi is applied on the groom’s hand also, as a type of blessings from the elders in the family, as the same is applied by elders on both the hands of Indian bride as well as the groom.

Then comes the final day of wedding, of which the rituals are observed either in the early morning hours or late night, depending upon the religion in which the marriage is performed. The ceremony involves customs, which binds the Indian bride and groom for the rest of their lives in a sacred relation called marriage and they both are required to walk hand in hand in all the situations of life.

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