What Do You Call A Male Bridesmaid?

What do you call a bridesmaid that is a male? No, this is not a joke. Well, it could be. But I don’t have some witty punchline and that’s not why you are here. Instead, you want to know the right terminology for this important figure of the bridal party right? Well then, here is what you want to know.

So, what do you call a male bridesmaid? A male bridesmaid is commonly referred to as a bridesman or a brides attendant. If he is, however, serving the role of chief bridesmaid, instead of main/matron of honor, he can be referred to as the Man of Honor.

So far so good.

Terminology sorted.

Personally, I like bridesman.

So going forward, that’s how I will refer to him in the rest of this article.

But what does a bridesman do?

Does he serve the bride a little differently and how does having a male bridesman affect the general running of the big day?

Let’s find out!

What Does A Bridesman Do?

A bridesman will often undertake the very same duties as any traditional bridesmaid, with a few minor exceptions of course!

So that means pre-wedding, during the wedding, and post-wedding duties.

And all of these duties can be summed as simply as this. A bridesman should be there for the bride and the wedding guests.

What that constitutes specifically will differ from wedding to wedding, bride to bride.

Nevertheless, what is important here is that the bridesman is fully aware of what his role is and what he needs to do.

He should be comfortable at all times too.

Let us quickly take a look at what some of his duties could be throughout the various phases:

Pre-Wedding

• Support the planning – or organization of the special day.
• Be there for the bride – whether this be emotional or more hands on support.
• Bridal Shower/Bachelorrete Party – either helping to plan, or attending. This may mean that these events are slightly different – he does need to feel welcome, included and not akward here!
• Rehearsal and Dinner – Where he can attend and can set expectations of his role on the special day.

Wedding Day

• Getting ready – while he will not need to spend as much time getting ready, and may even need his own room or place to change, he should still be invovled to some extent here. He could be the person who pops out and gets breakfast, or he may even arrive later.
• Help where possible – with anything that crops up, needs to be sorted, purchased or saved!
• Photos – be there reading for the photo shootn with the bride and bridesmaids.
• Help Guests – throghout the day, answering questions and just generally being a helpul guy.
• Reception party starter – along with the bridesmaids, he should help get the guests off their feet and to the dancefloor.

Post-Wedding

• Cleanup – Be prepared to help with any cleanup, take decorations down and do any bits to support the end of the wedding.
• Paying vendors/tipping – the brideman is ideal for this. He can settle up with any vendors that need payment or tipping.
• Morning-after brunch – the bridesman should be here too.

Is It Weird To Have A Male Bridesmaid?

It is not weird to have a male bridesmaid; it’s a completely acceptable thing to do and is becoming more and more common. Regardless of traditional views, it’s a great way to include a close friend or family member.

And that’s the key here.

It is fair to say that this is not something that is traditionally done.

Males were, and in most cases still, today, commonly seen as groomsmen or ushers.

But as time goes by, more and more wedding traditions are being broken.

And that’s what weddings are all about.

Celebrating, and doing so in a way that the bride and groom require.

While having a bridesman will impact the day a little, and will perhaps mean a little planning upfront, it is encouraged to have one if this is what you want.

The only exception here being if the groom is not too happy with it, or if there is something in the past that could result in tension or suspicion.

That being said, so long as it’s a close male family member, or a friend with a special unromantic kinship in years prior, it is certainly not weird.

For the most part, it’s only weird if you make it weird. Or there is something that could result in people perceiving it that way.

Finally

Bridesman.

That’s what you can call them.

And chances are, you’ll be seeing more of them in the future.

This relatively new trend is starting to be seen at weddings more and more.

And rightly so.

It’s a great way to honor a male family member or special friend.

Special being the important word here.

Just consider who it is and how it will work on the day.

You don’t want to make this weird.

Either for your groom or your guests.

So long as he is appropriate for the role, you should have no issues.

And another attendant waiting on your hand and foot!

Well, we can all dream.