Can a girl and a boy be just friends?
This controversial topic has taken heated conversations and debates by storm. But if we were to take a side, we can say a girl and a boy can be just friends. And what better way to prove this is through the presence of a groomswoman and bridesman in modern weddings.
What are a Groomswoman and a Bridesman?
A groomswoman is any female wedding attendant chosen by the groom to support him. She can be a relative, such as a sister or an aunt or can be a friend, such as a female colleague.
A bridesman, on the other hand, is any close male relative or friend of the bride.
Having an opposite gender stand by your side as a groomswoman or bridesman at the altar will give the heirloom tradition an unconventional but delightful spin to your wedding.
Proposing to Your Groomswoman and Bridesman
As a groom, if you thought that your girlfriend was the last girl you would propose to, you thought wrong.
As a bride, if you thought that you would not experience proposing to a man, you thought wrong too.
If you want a groomswoman and a bridesman on your wedding day, properly asking them is needed.
Breaking the news to a female friend to stand as a groomswoman or to a male friend to be the bridesman can be a shocker because, as practised, the female friend stands with the bride tribe, and the male friend belongs to the groom squad.
But you need not worry that much when proposing or expressing your intentions to your intended groomswoman and your bridesman.
With sincere intentions coupled with these groomswoman and bridesman proposal gift ideas, we know you can ease their possible hesitations and get an immediate yes.
And let's open the idea that you have other female and male relatives and friends as backup plans.
How to Propose to Your Chosen Groomswoman and Bridesman
Before buying the groomswoman and bridesman proposal gifts, plan how you intend to express your intentions.
You can get creative similar to how a man goes the extra mile to propose to a woman, such as inviting her for dinner, and when dessert time comes, she will see the question, "Will You Be My Groomswoman?" written on the cake or dessert plate.
You, as the bride, might want to consider setting up a skit to prank the bridesman where a package from a mystery sender gets to his workplace.
When he opens it, he will see another package inside he needs to unwrap, only to find out that there is even a smaller package inside. In the end, he will see a note, "Will You Be My Bridesman?".
A simple and sincere gesture can also mean a lot. You can be straightforward with your chosen groomswoman and bridesman. You can meet them at their favourite restaurant and break the good news.
Proposal Gifts for the Groomswoman and the Bridesman
After deciding how to say your intentions, check out these groomswoman and bridesman proposal gift ideas.
Coffee Mug
Your coffee lover groomswoman will be delighted to see this coffee mug as a groomswoman gift. Let her imagine drinking her favourite brew any time of the day using this coffee mug with a special sweet note asking her to be your groomswoman.
Image source:Etsy
Personalized Witty Card
If your groomswoman enjoys letters, greeting cards and well-wishes, you can pen out a sincere invitation for her. Tell her how having her as your groomswoman on your special day will mean the world to you.
Image source:Rockcandiedesigns
Knife with Wood Engravement
Having a handy-at-home friend can make you consider giving this knife with a wood handle where closely you can see an engravement as a bridesman gift. Instead of a question, you can have his name engraved on the wooden handle.
Image source:Grimfrost
A Pair of Black Socks
For a fashionista male friend, propose to him with this pair of black socks, which he can also use on your wedding day. This pair of black socks go well with any pair of shoes and occasion.
Image source:Etsy
When giving a groomswoman and bridesman a proposal gift, imagine giving them a birthday gift. In this way, there is less tension and stress on your part.
Consider if they are the sporty type, the writer, the reader, the food enthusiast, the traveller, and many more.
Get ideas from their interests and honour your friendship with a thoughtful gift.
The Difference in Preparation for Hen Party
Pre-wedding events such as the hen party add excitement to any wedding guest, especially the girls from the wedding entourage. But with the addition of a bridesman, how does a hen party go? Is there a difference?
A hen party can go as usual. There is no difference in preparation.
You can continue having a spa weekend where everybody gets a well-deserved and overdue time for relaxation. Add luxury to the spa adventure by opening a bottle of champagne.
For the adventurous bride squad, enjoy an action-packed day at a farm and finish an obstacle course of wall climbing, zipline, giant slides and many more.
The hen party is also the best time for the bridesman to interact and get comfortable with the bridesmaids. One possible hesitation of the bridesman during your proposal could be his possible interactions with the rest of the girls on the actual wedding day.
Groomswoman and Bridesman Outfits
On the actual wedding day, the groomswoman can wear a dress whose colour matches the tie or sleeve cuff colour of the groomsmen.
There are also groomsmen with coloured handkerchiefs on their chest pockets or boutonnieres on their tux lapels. The groomswoman dress can also copy or complement the colour of those.
If you and your groomswoman agree to take ditching the gender traditions of a wedding to the next level, she can wear a suit the same as the groomsmen but in a feminine cut.
In the same way, the bridesman can match or complement his suit, tie, bow tie, cuff or boutonniere colour with the bridesmaids' dresses, bouquets, floral hoops, or corsages.
Do the Groomswoman and Bridesman Carry Anything?
A bridesmaid carries a bouquet or floral hoop as she marches the wedding aisle. A bridesmaid can also wear a corsage with the couple's favourite flower on her wrist.
How about a bridesman? Does he need to carry anything too?
A bridesman need not carry anything.
But to make him stand out and different from the groomsmen, you can make him the only man in the entire entourage to wear a boutonniere. The groomsmen will have coloured handkerchiefs on their chest pockets or none at all.
But if your bridesman wants to carry a bouquet or floral hoop or wear a corsage, let him.
How about the groomswoman?
If your groomswoman wears a dress, she can carry a bigger or smaller bouquet or floral hoop with the same flowers used by the bridesmaids.
But if your groomswoman wears a suit, she can use a handkerchief with a darker or lighter shade compared to the groomsmen. She can also have a boutonniere.
Bridesman and Groomswoman in the Wedding Processional
Excitement builds up as the entourage starts walking the wedding aisle. Wedding guests peek through with curiosity and snap photos of beautiful bridesmaids and sleek groomsmen.
With your bridesman and groomswoman, you might wonder how they will do the wedding processional.
The bridesman can walk down the aisle together with the bridesmaids. Once he reaches the altar, he stands on the bride's side.
The groomswoman, on the other hand, has two options for her wedding processional.
She can walk the aisle alone and stand beside the groom's side of the altar or walk from the side and take her place at the altar next to the groom.
If you decide to make the bridesmaids and groomsmen walk by pair, you can also make your bridesman and groomswoman walk side by side.
It is safe to say that there is no one size fits all rule.
Conclusion
It is nice to know that more wedding traditions are changing, such as having a groomswoman and a bridesman.
These new practices allow couples and vendors to add more touches of personalisation to weddings.
If you look at it, there are relatives and friends from the opposite gender who made a memorable impact on the couple's life more than their same-gender relatives and friends.
So, it's logical and thoughtful to let them stand by the couple's sides on their special day. After all, a wedding is a celebration of love for everyone.
A groomswoman and a bridesman will spice up your wedding and strengthen your relationships with your opposite-gender relatives and friends.
