Choosing the best man and groomsmen can be difficult for a guy with a large circle of friends or family. Nevertheless, take a few steps to make sure the male side of the bridal-party is stress, and drama free.
Ideally, a best man should be a close friend or relative who is willing to pitch in and help with the planning or day-of activities. A good, best man is one you can trust to keep the ring safe, plan a fun and appropriate bachelor party, and who will be able to be on hand for weird tasks during the wedding (ie handing out tips, making sure the limo is on time) so the groom can spend his time with his new wife.
In general, the amount of groomsmen is about equal to the amount of bridesmaids, but this is hardly a dead-set rule. If you are having a large wedding, extra groomsmen can be handy when it comes to crowd control, seating, and similar issues. Make sure that each guy is willing be helpful- slackers and flakes may be welcome at the bachelor party, but can be a drag and a stress as groomsmen.
As with bridesmaid’s attire, this is an individual question that may depend on the budget of the wedding and the financial situation of each guy. If you are requiring them to rent a suit, it’s customary for it to be paid for out of the budget, but if the groomsmen offer to pick up the tab, that’s okay too.
One problem often faced is that groomsmen may not all live in the same area. Most large chain rental houses (such as Men’s Warehouse) allow the groom to place an order for all suits, but have the individual garments picked up by each groomsman at his local store. This can allow each guy to pick up his suit a few days before the wedding and have it altered if necessary.
If you prefer, you can have everyone wear their own suit to the wedding. You may want to specify the color of the suit, pants, shirt, and shoes, and get together a few days in advance to make sure everyone matches well enough. The groom can buy matching ties for each guy to wear to help coordinate the look. This can be a less-expensive alternative in many cases.
Grooms traditionally give out small gifts to groomsmen at the rehearsal dinner or bachelor party. If knick-knacks don’t suit the bill, consider sporting for a fun outing together, such as an afternoon at a paintball range or golf course.
