Best Man

The good news is she said yes! Now all you have to do is ask your good friend to be your Best Man and your work is pretty much done as far as the wedding goes. (Just kidding ladies!) So how did the term Best Man come about?

Back in the day, prior to 1000 AD when the term was first recorded, it was not unusual for most weddings to be the result of a peace treaty between warring clans, groups, nations, etc. Sometimes this would involve a groom kinda sort of kidnapping the bride. To guard his back during the excursion he would be sure to take the best swordsman from his circle of friends with him. In fact, the other men that are part of the wedding party, groomsmen, ushers, etc are symbolic of the extra men that provided the muscle.

In the early 1800s the official term Best Man entered the British wedding traditions in a much more congenial way.