It’s interesting how our cultural practices change over time. For example, our weddings. It’s customary for the bride and groom to have attendants: bridesmaids, groomsmen, and a best man. But how did these customs originate?

I recently found an eye-opening article on the Mental Floss website regarding the idea of having groomsmen and a best man. It seems their original purpose was far from ceremonial.

In an earlier (less civilized?) time, if the parents of a prospective bride would refuse to consent to a marriage, a man would frequently ask his closest male friends to help physically abduct his chosen. Or maybe he was simply in a hurry. Hence the job fell to “groomsmen.”

But the groomsmen were not finished after a mere kidnapping. Next they were expected to protect the groom from any repercussions from the bride’s family. And the more groomsmen the better, especially if this was taking place in ancient Rome, where weddings required 10 people to witness the ceremony. This being a less-enlightened time, witnesses could only be men, so the more groomsmen the merrier to ensure a legal procedure.

Which brings us to the best man. This role is believed to have originated in 16th-century Gothic traditions in which the “best” man was frequently the one who kidnapped the bride. Then during the ceremony, he stood next to the groom for two very practical reasons: to protect the bridal party from attackers, and to prevent the bride from trying to escape. Best man indeed!

And did I say an earlier time? Unfortunately, this practice is still known to exist in some places today.

Now that I know the history, I’ll never view a wedding in the same light again.

For the complete article, see “The Disturbing Origins of Groomsmen at a Wedding” by Jane Alexander at https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/disturbing-origins-groomsmen?