Role and responsibilities of a wedding witness

Nowadays, the rules for marriage registration in the registry office are such that in order to obtain a certificate of the conclusion of a marriage union, witnesses are no longer needed. However, according to established traditions, their presence next to the newlyweds is extremely important and necessary.

The surrounding people believe that wedding "boyfriends" in the usual sense of the word are persons confirming the legality of marriage. Their role should be played by those people who really believe in the love of happy newlyweds and sincerely wish them good luck in their future life together. There are usually 2 witnesses at a wedding celebration - the groom's best friend and also the bride's best friend.

The custom of choosing wedding mates has been known since the times of ancient civilizations. It was from here that the tradition of witnesses to dress as beautifully as to young spouses began. If you literally believe in wedding omens, then witnesses dressed in this way will be able to deceive the evil force and will not let her harm a happy married couple during the holiday.

For a long time in Russia, the role of the groom's witness was very honorable for any man in the street.

The choice of the newlyweds most often focused on the best friend - on the person who will always be happy to help the new family in any difficult times. It could be a boyar friend or a fellow vigilante. Such a person helped in the preparation of the holiday, monitored the correct implementation of certain rituals, was the real host of the feast.

Previously, only one witness was chosen from the side of the future happy husband, but in our time a new tradition has been born - to select witnesses from both sides at once.In the same period, marriages began to be concluded in the registry office, and therefore someone was needed to witness the legality of the procedure being performed.

In many countries of the world, all the traditions related to the wedding day are honored, especially since they have been going on from time immemorial, which means that their performance has been checked more than once. But it is worth knowing that the role of the best man is a huge responsibility, as it implies many responsibilities.

The best man not only has fun with all his heart at a friend's wedding, he has a number of specific functions; a considerable amount of trouble will be shifted onto his shoulders - from choosing an outfit for the groom to preparing a memorable bachelor party.

Some newlyweds nevertheless decide to do without such persons as witnesses when registering their union. But then the groom and his betrothed may be deprived of the best days before their own wedding, because they will have no one to help in preparing the entire festive event, because whoever, no matter how a friend or girlfriend, will shift onto themselves some of these very burdensome tasks in preparing the celebration.

Previously, exclusively all newlyweds chose witnesses for themselves, since it was customary to think that the decision to become a husband and wife without witnesses could not be serious and legal.

There are rules for choosing a best man that have appeared long ago. To some, they seem outdated and stupid, while others fully follow these rules, wanting to fulfill everything that was punished by old beliefs. How to choose the right best man for a wedding, what weighty characteristics should applicants have?

The first friend of the groom can only be a man, the main thing is an unmarried one. If a married best man is chosen, then, according to legend, he can lose his own happiness in the family.

According to tradition, two lovers can be admitted as witnesses, however, with such couples you need to be a little on the alert - if they quarrel before the celebration, you may be left without witnesses. Therefore, it is better to immediately look for single witnesses, ideally those who almost do not know each other.

For the role of best man, you need to choose a person who is very energetic, as active as possible, then the whole wedding celebration will be very fun, and the newlyweds themselves will remember the wedding day for a long time. Since the best man is often transferred to certain responsibilities for the preparation of competitions, he, of course, must also be sociable and very positive person. If the toastmaster is invited to the celebration, then the witness will need to take the most active part in all the games proposed.

He should also be a very responsible man, whom you can always rely on, because the quality of the wedding event itself can directly depend on him, as well as how interesting the redemption of the young and other wedding ideas will be.

Even relatives of the newlyweds can act as best man. But the closest relatives, such as dad, uncle, traditionally cannot play this role. It is better to choose a best man from not too close relatives - you can choose a cousin, for example.

Previously, most often only believers were taken as the groom's friends. But with traditional registration at the registry office, this rule can be omitted. But if the young themselves are baptized and, in addition to civil painting, also dream of getting married, then it is necessary to observe such an ancient tradition.

The following are the responsibilities of a newlywed witness.

• To assist in the preparation of the bachelor party.
• His responsibilities also include escorting the groom to the bride's home and providing comprehensive assistance in buying her out. Therefore, the best man must come to her house with money, various sweets and a bottle of champagne.
• In the registry office, the best man must put his signature on the certificate of marriage.
• It is he who must make sure that the guests and newlyweds have something to drink and what to eat during the walk, the best man must also open bottles of champagne and pour it into glasses.

• It is he who thinks out in advance the route of the walk and photo sessions of the young and finds suitable transport for these purposes.
• The witness is obliged to help the witness entertain the guests.
• The best man keeps order at the wedding banquet. At many wedding banquets, fights can occur, so the best man will have to monitor the behavior of overly violent guests and relatives.
• In addition, he must help the groom completely bring his appearance in order before the long-awaited meeting with the bride.
• The best man should check before going out to see if he and the groom have forgotten his passport and rings, bridal bouquet, additional requisites and little things.

The best man should help to accept gifts for the newlyweds from their guests and take care of the integrity and safety of everything donated.

At a banquet, the best man should not sit with folded hands, he actively entertains young people and guests. Usually, the witness adjusts to the toastmaster: he will dance if necessary, and even sing, and play along in any rally at the right moment.

In addition, the witness should always be near the bridesmaid - she becomes his companion for the entire wedding. It will not be easy for both of them: everyone will drink, walk, have fun, and they will need to take the rap for everyone.

This list of duties of a witness can be expanded depending on the theme of the wedding celebration. If this is a thematic wedding, then the function of a witness in this case will also include the obligation to help with the selection of the necessary props and costumes for the newlyweds, and the decoration of the venue for the celebration of the thematic banquet. The role of a witness today is quite serious and requires special responsibility.

The witness should also look at the wedding celebration in an appropriate way, so that the newlyweds are not ashamed of him. The appearance of the best man should be appropriate for the chosen style of the wedding, but still, the outfit is chosen according to his own taste.

• It may well be a black classic suit with a snow-white shirt and the right tie.
• A white suit will look festive, and a bow tie can become a very original accessory.
• Considering the fact that the best man at a wedding banquet will have to participate in many contests and various types of entertainment, it is best to choose a dark-colored suit, and shoes are chosen to match the color of the suit itself.
• The outfit should be elegant, make a good impression, because the best man is the second person at the banquet after the groom. And the presence of a stylishly dressed witness next to him will all the more oblige him to look great.

The witness must behave decently - until the end of the celebration be in a sober state, because his help may be needed at any time. Also, the witness should know that his behavior can be most directly superimposed on the atmosphere of the whole holiday.

Newlyweds should take to their friends those people whose social status will not contradict the general atmosphere of celebration. They also select witnesses based on the specifics of the relationship between young people and these people. What kind of candidates might not be suitable for the responsible role of best man?

• You cannot make a widowed person a witness. If you believe the ancient signs, this kind of wedding assistants can attract trouble to the young.
• People who are too boring, overly shy and in their own way inactive in life are also not very suitable for such an important role, since they are unlikely to be able to fully fulfill the duties assigned to the best man.
• Also, you should not choose those who will not share the joy of the newlyweds about their long-awaited marriage. Envious people and gossips have no place in the close circle of young people.
• It is usually considered a bad omen to invite the groom's namesake to the role of best man.

• When the invitees start shouting “Bitter!”, The witnesses, in turn, should not forget to shout “Sweet!” In response.
• It is forbidden for a stranger to cross the road for the newlyweds, therefore the best man and the witness walk, slightly ahead of the happy newlyweds.
• Under the threshold of the groom's dwelling, the best man puts an open padlock. After the groom carries his young wife across the threshold of the house, the best man must close the lock with a key, hand the lock to the newlyweds, and throw the key away.
• Another important mission is entrusted to witnesses. One of them must carry a white thread with him throughout the entire wedding, in case one of the wedding rings accidentally falls. In this case, the one who has dropped passes the ring through the thread, then the best man burns the thread that has absorbed the negative energy.
• Witness with witness must kiss at the very end of the festive banquet. So they hedge the young and take over the possible negativity of someone present.

Some of the responsibilities of a wedding witness are listed in the following video.