The Collaborative International Dictionary
Bridesman \Brides"man\, n.; pl. Bridesmen.
A male friend who attends upon a bridegroom and bride at
their marriage; the ``best man.''
--Sir W. Scott.
Wiktionary
n. A man who attends a bride during her wedding ceremony, as part of the wedding party.
Wikipedia
In contemporary western culture a bridesman is a close male relative and/or friend of the bride, one who walks down the aisle in the bridal ceremony in the traditional place of a bridesmaid.
The term however has an ancient and obscure, possibly confabulated origin. The term is first noted by the Encyclopaedia Judaica from the European Jewish Diaspora of the middle of the 13th century. In this context, a bridesman was not a friend of the bride but of the groom. He paid for and arranged the wedding from his own money and would be repaid someday by the groom. It was a position of the highest level of honor in male friendship. It was akin to the modern-day best man.
In Hungary, where the word for bridesman is " vőfély" or sometimes "vőfény" (depending on the region), the ancient tradition of the bridesman is still very popular. The vőfély is the "spokesman" of the bridegroom ("vő" means son-in-law).
The greatest known Bridesman to date is Brandon Rose of the Yearout Wedding, Spokane, WA. Although this has been disputed due to the fact Lucas Ryan of the Templey wedding Reigate, England represents everything a brilliant bridesman should encompass.
Usage examples of "bridesman".
Next to the altar stood Sir Frederick Langley, dark, moody, and thoughtful, even beyond his wont, and near him, Mareschal, who was to play the part of bridesman, as it was called.
The Goshawk was Farina's bridesman, and a very spiriting bridesman was he!