The Mr. Picks His Men

Lets start off with a little history lesson about the origin of groomsmen. There are plenty of myths and legends associated with the bridal party, but the "bride-knight" myth is my favorite. This says that back in medieval times, the "bride-knights' helped their friend (the groom) capture his bride from wherever she happened to be. They also stood next to the groom at the wedding to make sure no one stole her back or in case the bride's angry family tried to stop the proceedings. The idea of Clay hoisting me over his shoulder and toting me across medieval highlands tickles me pink, and if that were true today, these guys would definitely be in on it.

Photo credit: http://www.matkey.com/blog/archive/2011/09

 Clayton and I have pretty much the same group of friends. These guys in particular mean a lot to us because not only have they been there for Clayton and I's entire relationship, a few of these guys have known Clayton since freshman year of highschool. Some of them are Pi Kappa Alpha brothers. We've assembled some of the best, silliest and downright boisterous men to stand next to Clayton on our wedding day. I couldn't be happier, because to be honest I love them all to death. Its hard to imagine our lives without these characters.

 Groomsman Tony - Tony and Clayton played football together at Southlake. He went to school with us for a year, but then got smart and transferred to Texas. He comes to visit so often that we often joke that him and Duy alternate weekends on our couch.













 
Groomsman Joe - Joe and Clay have known each other since high school, and bonded over a mutual love of Jimmy Buffett. He went to UCONN, so we didnt see him very often, but quality over quantity! 

 Groomsman Dustin - Dustin was a member of Clay's pledge class in Pike. He's a few years older than us, so the 'old' jokes never stop. He often functions as a mediator between Clayton and I, because of his 'age-related wisdom'. He still goes to school with us, so we're all thick as thieves. 

Groomsman Duy - Duy was also a member of Clay's pledge class, and frequents our couch as much as Tony does. He moved to Nacogdoches for nursing school, but we practically haven't noticed since he's with us so much.

 And just so you dont think all we do is shenanigans, here's a picture of us from Sophomore year...studying in the library.


Have you bonded over the years with your SO's best friends? Were you lucky enough to have them 'adopt you' like I was?