Waiting or walking Groomsmen?

Ours will most definately be waiting!! I dont think the groom will be too keen hanging around the front of the church on his own!! lol

Def think having them waiting will be good for the groom to help keep nerves at bay

Ours will also be waiting, think its more of an American thing for them to walk with the bridesmaids, might be wrong though

Ours will be waiting too. I agree, think its an American thing.

Yep, I think it's an American thing - we went to a wedding in America a few years back and OH was a groomsman. Each groomsman walked down the aisle with one of the bridesmaids though OH didn't really know "how" to walk and ended up linking arms with her like he was the girl! I don't know, it just looked hilarious and she looked annoyed with this poor English lad not having a clue!

Mine was waiting...he had to be there early to meet the vicar anyway. I've never heard of the groom making his entrance first.

They wait they don't walk. (As others said walking is an american thing same as bm walking in first)

On a side note when did they become 'groomsmen'?

The whole idea of "groomsmen" is an American thing. In Britain, traditionally there is a best man, who gets the groom to the church or wedding venue in plenty of time before the service and waits with him at the head of the aisle, hands over the rings when required and then sits down, and there are ushers, who greet the guests at the door, hand them an order of service, enquire whether they are guests of the bride or the groom and indicate where they should sit (bride's guests on the left, groom's on the right, with close family nearest the front). After the service, the BM pays the officiant and any choir/organist and, with the ushers, makes sure everyone has a lift to the reception and knows how to get there.

In America, groomsmen walk the bridesmaids down the aisle in advance of the bride (unlike in Britain, where the bride tends to enter followed by the bridesmaids). I'm not sure what else they're expected to do, except presumably go to the stag night.

We left the best man with the groom and the usher walked the matron of honour down. Worked really well. We married on a stage so it might have looked weird, having an extra person hanging around.

The best man will wait with the groom... And the groomsmen will escort my bridesmaids down the aisle as part of bridal procession! It's the only way I've ever seen it done and I've been to many weddings! I'm not American either...

Great! I'm going to do it this way too!!!! If it is an 'American' thing, then my guest will be glad to see it a little different. The bestman will wait with my hubby to be =)

There might be a traditional way to do it, but that doesn't mean there's a 'right' way. Like most of these things it comes down to personal preference. What do you and H2B want for your day?

To my mind, Groomsmen go to the church at same time as OH. They generally hand out order of service, light a few candles etc and prevent OH from changing his mind and bolting. By the time you arrive with your BM's, everyone including groomsmen should be safely seated.

Then you enter followed by your BM's.

However on leaving, you should file out as follows:

Bride and groom

MOB & FOG

FOB & MOG

Chief BM & Best Man

BM & Usher

BM & Usher

BM & Usher etc etc etc

Groomsmen/ushers/whatever you want to call them should be there to support the groom, in my cabbage, and so should be at the front with him, or ushering at the back, not acting as arm candy for the bridesmaids. I have never seen them coming in in pairs at any wedding I've been to, though they have occasionally left together, which I think is less of an issue.

Each to their own... People can do exactly what they want! It works for some and for others it won't! To may it seem that it's an issue is just plain rude.

the groomsmen an still do ushering duties prior to the brides arrival, but once she arrives all guest should be seated anyway!

Again personally most weddings I attend have ushers who carry out those duties they are separate from groomsmen and not a part of the bridal party. (I became confused regarding ushers/groomsmen because for me they are totally separate)

like I said the groomsmen escorting the bridesmaids is the ONLY way I've ever seen it done. The groom and groomsmen usually hang around outside on till the brides arrival is imminent, the best man and groom then go into the church while the groomsmen await bridal party and then enter church as part of bridal procession...

i didn't realise this was not the 'normal' British way of doing things.

culturally for me the bridesmaid and groomsmen literally dance down the aisle in coordinated steps celebrating arrival of bride.