Best man: Assistant Bridenapper?

[Lisa]

A friend asked a question about why weddings had a best man.

A quick search of the internet gave a consensus that the best man was either there to help hold a reluctant bride during wedding, or to beat off relatives who were unwilling to let the bride wed.

The pages cite a variety of traditions - anglo saxon, germanic, and so on, and there is enough variation to make my UL sense tingle.

Just Lisa
P.S. It has been ages since I've dropped by! Glad to see the Whalefant is still around.