When a man gets married, it is obligatory that his friends play a couple of practical jokes on him. That is, after all, what friends are for. Men look at this ritual as a kind of payback or punishment for leaving the pack to go out on his own with "a woman" who will now stand between them and their friend. The new wife is not deemed as the enemy, per say, but she is on the other side of a fence which they cannot cross. Gone are the days of all night rambles without repercussion.

There are many tricks and pranks that are standard procedure and are usually expected. The mystery of when is the only element of surprise left for these traditional pranks. The best man, however, is allowed one original prank before the invisible line is crossed. Only the best man or best friend of the groom is allowed this leeway and anyone else who attempts it -- has crossed the line and will be severely chastised by the group. He becomes an outcast of sorts for an indefinite and unspecified period of time and the group knows only by instinct when that penalty period expires.

One of the traditional pranks is the greasing of the doorknobs of various dwellings owned or occupied by the husband to be. Large amounts of Vaseline are applied to the doorknob causing extreme difficulty in turning the knob to enter or exit. Another such original prank is the fake wedding favors, which could now be deemed as unique wedding favors as they consist of a package or condoms, a deck of naked lady cards and various other small items of a sexual nature all tied
up in a nice little gift bag and placed before the bride and bridesmaids seats along with a fake invoice with the company logo of the original wedding favor supplier. This causes the bride to think that all the guests received these items and the shipper made a terrible mistake.

Toilet paper is another favorite prank when the friends of the groom get together and TP their buddy's yard. In the wedding tradition, which differs from the Halloween trick, vast amounts of toilet paper are used and a thorough job is complete, usually late at night while their friend is asleep. This wedding prank can be carried out up to one week after the nuptials. Usually the TP party occurs while the couple is off on honeymoon.

The coup de resistance, as it were, is the best man's prank, which can be quite original. My personal favorite the cricket joke, as it is both funny and embarrassing for the happy couple. It is vital to know what vehicle they will be using providing they will use one at all to go on the honeymoon. During the wedding or ensuing reception, thousands of live crickets are placed in the vehicle. When the newlyweds get in the vehicle and drive off, they do so to the tune of crickets noisily protesting their new home. It is hilarious to see them pull up to a red light next to other cars or even better, a police car, with crickets chirping so loudly that they have to blast the stereo or endure the laughing stares of strangers.

When your friend gets married, take your time and come up with something really original and unique. He may act upset at the time, but as soon as you are together without the new wife, he will appreciate you for it.