I, like many of you, have attended a number of weddings. And I've been a wedding attendant on several occasions. Some of these weddings have been small family affair with just a maid of honor and a best man in attendance. And then there have been the huge weddings where the number of wedding attendants reached double digits.

And it was while being a bridesmaid at a friend's wedding where the wedding attendants seemed to outnumber the guests where I began to wonder about why we have these attendants. Have you ever wondered where these traditions began?

The history of the best man goes back many centuries – some sources say as far back as 300 AD. If there was a shortage of young prospective brides were in short supply in the local village, a man simply took his best friend, or “best man”, and went to the next town to steal a bride. The best man then stood by the groom during the wedding ceremony to protect the groom from the bride’s family who may come and try to steal the bride back.

The history of bridesmaids dates back to Roman times. Bridesmaids were originally intended to protect the bride as she traveled to the groom’s village for the wedding ceremony. Legend states that in several European countries, a couple often had as many as 10 attendants and their purpose was to ward off evil spirits. Bridesmaids wore clothing identical or similar to the bride and groom so the evil spirits would not be able to tell who the true bride and groom were. (Now you know who you can blame for that row of bridesmaid dresses hanging in your closet that will never be worn again.)

Fast forward to the present, and while we still have wedding parties, or attendants, the role they play has changed a bit. And I'm pretty sure that single gals everywhere are happy to hear of the changed role of groomsmen. However, having been a bridesmaid several times, I'm truly believe that the job of warding off evil spirits is still part of the experience. of course today, those evil spirits might be helping a bride cover a last minute unsightly blemish or help her recover from a hangover.

And, of course, we need to show appreciation to our wedding attendants. Popular personalized gifts for bridesmaids may include personalized jewelry or an engraved jewelry box. Popular gifts for him can include:

• money clips
• personalized flasks
• cigar gifts

Whatever you decide on to thank your attendants be sure you make your personal gift choices special. Your wedding attendants will certainly appreciate it.

Today, wedding attendants plan and attend bachelor parties and bridal showers, make toasts, assist the bride and groom in planning the wedding and during the wedding and reception itself, and act as legal witnesses. But mostly, attendants today are there to look good and to help the couple celebrate their special day. Far from being a dangerous task, as it once was, being a part of a wedding party is now privilege and a lot of fun.