This one’s for the gentlemen. I recently received an email from a new bridesmaid whose boyfriend is going to be the best man in the same wedding. She was on the lookout for a few sites to help him navigate his groomsman duties, and I had to sympathize with her struggle. There are tons of wedding websites out there, but they’re pretty focused on us ladies. But groomsmen have just as many responsibilities as bridesmaids—they have to write funny speeches, plan wild parties and stay sober enough before the wedding to withstand a paparazzi session and keep track of one really expensive piece of jewelry. So, I present a roundup of my favorite resources for the best man and groomsmen.
Alpha Groom
The Alpha Groom website (and app!) has lots of great articles and tips for grooms and groomsmen alike. Grooms will find help with planning the proposal or writing wedding vows and best men/groomsmen can find ideas for planning a bachelor party and a breakdown of their wedding day duties. This about sums up their spot-on take on what it means to be a best man: “It is your job as the best man to have the groom’s back like he had yours in the dim, laser light clubs or the side-of-the-road watering holes you stalked as a pair of single hunters. You are the best man because your buddy trusts you to have his back at his time of greatest need and most worry—his wedding day.”
A Gentleman’s Guide to Best-Man Hood
This article from Slate’s Gentleman Scholar Troy Patterson could be considered the one-stop shop for how to be the bestest best man. The writer sums up the spirit with which one should approach best manning thusly: “If the wedding is at a vineyard, and if in the vineyard there are snakes, then you will drive out the snakes as discreetly as possible. Flirt with the mother of the bride and any other mother who wants to be flirted with. Build a rapport with the wedding planner. And always and forever OBEY THE BRIDE.”
Staggered
This UK site specializes in helping you plan and book the stag do—they even have a toll-free number for instant advice! They also have plenty of articles to cover the rest of the groomsman experience. One of my favorites? This compilation of several thousand wedding jokes to incorporate in your best man speech.
The Art of Manliness
While The Art of Manliness can school you in everything from how to shave to how to “stop just hanging out with women and start dating them,” it also has a few great articles on the art of being a groomsman. I particularly like their take on the bachelor party, in which they advise men to ditch the strippers and revive the tradition of toasting the groom while also doing something he’ll enjoy…though they do recommend that it not be “anything insanely dangerous” (definition of “insanely dangerous” at your discretion).
A wedding website devoted to groom (and groomsman) style, this resource is the man’s guide to tying the (windsor) knot. It’s packed with a really creative mix of features, from real weddings and style inspiration boards to gift guides and fashion tutorials. If you need to know how to mix and match your groomsmen’s attire or where to find manly gifts that don’t suck, this is your destination.