The Groomswoman or Best Woman
Including Ladies on “His Side” of Your Wedding Party
In today’s world, if your fiancé’s best friend is a woman, he can ask her to be a Groomswomen or a Best Woman. No one should raise an eyebrow, and if they do, chances are that they are the ones who are behind the times.
Your fiancé and the woman taking on either one of these roles simply needs to know the etiquette protocol. A female groomswomen wears an outfit similar or the same to that of the bridesmaids. To distinguish her from the bridesmaids she can add an accessory that matches something the other groomsmen are wearing. While a female groomsman should not walk guests down the aisle, she can hand out programs. Another nice idea is to assign her the job of helping friends move into the receiving line after the ceremony. When she walks down the aisle, have her escorted by one of the groomsmen, just as you would a bridesmaid.
A best woman should wear a dress of her choosing, and make sure it doesn’t clash with the maid of honor’s outfit. She can either join the groom at the altar or walk down with the rest of the wedding party.
Both the best woman and the groomswomen are invited to all parties, and can host the bachelor party or any other pre-wedding bash. If women are on the man’s side, make sure all the other men are informed, and any romp to a macho bar is reconsidered. When people of the opposite sex are in your wedding party, it’s common to also have co-ed showers and co-ed bachelor/bachelorette parties, or to opt instead for a simple engagement party.
As for duties, nothing changes. The groomswomen will have to be fitted for her outfit at the same time as the bridesmaids, and the best woman usually takes care of tips, picks up and drops off tuxes, and makes a toast at the reception. Both buy a gift for the couple, and both should be given a gift from the groom.
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