By the time that we had graduated high school, my best friends and I had already come to the agreement that we would be each other’s groomsmen when it came time to us being married. Now, seven years later, being a groomsman for my best friend’s wedding will become a reality next summer. When my friend asked me to be apart of his wedding as a groomsman, even though I should’ve been the best man, I felt almost as if I was being proposed to, and in this moment friends became true brothers. I couldn’t be more excited for my friend and ready to help him with whatever he needs to marry the love of his life.

I’m at the age -- my mid-twenties -- when most people seem to get married and start the next level of being an adult. My best friend’s wedding won’t even be the first one that I attend this year, and although I’m not a groomsman in the other wedding, I’m still doing whatever I can to help her prepare for her wedding this winter. I’m sure that won’t be the end of it though, because all my other close friends are in serious relationships, all probably within a year of marriage proposals. I’m surrounded by friends my age that are all on the verge of marriage and I’m still single.

The stereotype to follow would be that I would feel some kind of pressure to jump into a relationship because of my friends, or to have a quarter life crisis, but I actually feel none of this. Going to a wedding alone might seem like a sad or terrifying experience but I couldn’t be more excited to go to these weddings of my best friends. Since I’ll most likely be going to these weddings single, it allows me the opportunity to truly be there for my friends. In any instance, I would have the time and freedom to help with any last minute needs of their weddings. Because of this I would be able to fulfill the duties of being a groomsman and possibly ease the stress of my friends on their wedding days.

My friends’ wedding days should be about them and not about me. Because I’ll be going alone I’m able to easily travel to these weddings. For the wedding where I’ll be a groomsman, I’ll have to travel to Arkansas and when my friend told me this, I had no hesitation in telling him I would be there. In both instances, I was able to tell my friends that I would be there at their weddings no matter the date or distance because it is much easier to do that as someone who is single.

Not only will I be able to be there for my best friends on their biggest days, but I’ll also get to have fun at these weddings, especially with open bars. I’ll get to drink, dance, and meet new people all without the pressure of getting married myself just by being at a wedding. I can’t wait to be there for my friends on their most important days. Hopefully I’ll be able to give some speeches that’ll bring laughter and tears to my best friends’ eyes and help to make their wedding days run smoothly.