Just imagine—your doorbell rings and you open it to find a well-dressed man (think James Bond meets Taylor Swift music video love interest) whose only job is to heed your every command. Sounds pretty great, right?
ManServants are trained and eager to wait on you hand and foot, and these dapper gents have become a hot commodity for almost any event, especially bachelorette parties and weddings. They’ll entertain you with chivalry and charm at your bachelorette party, assist you in the office with menial tasks, serve as arm candy at important events, and even work your wedding as greeters to get the party started. Of course, this isn’t a completely new concept—Queen Victoria is rumored to have had a manservant of her own! And if she deserved it, you deserve it. So why not hire a ManServant (or two, or three) to pamper and please you and your friends? After all, it’s in their job description to treat all of you like absolute queens.
Read our Q&A with an anonymous ManServant to find out about his craziest stories, lessons learned and what it takes to do the job right.
The Knot: What’s it like to be a ManServant? Walk us through a typical day.
ManServant: On a typical day, ManServant headquarters will email us with a proposed event. So, it might be Lauren’s bachelorette party on Saturday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The email would say, “Lauren’s going out to dinner and wants you to serve drinks at her apartment with a group of friends for a few hours before they go.” Sometimes we’ll get specific requests, like, “Act out a scene from Lauren’s favorite TV show, or sing her favorite song.”
TK: Is there a dress code?
MS: We always wear a black or navy suit with a bow tie. It’s very smart and upscale, and it must stay on throughout the whole event—that’s one of the rules.
TK: What’s your favorite thing to do at a bachelorette party?
MS: I’m actually a singer myself, so I often get asked to sing at bachelorette parties. Requests are really nice because it’s usually a song that’s really important to them. That’s one of the things that’s great about ManServants—we’re always encouraged to use our talents on the job.
TK: Are there certain rules you or the bachelorettes need to follow?
MS: There are certain codes of conduct. We can’t swap numbers with the girls, or if we’re booked from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., for example, and they ask us to go out with them afterward, we’re not supposed to. It breaks the illusion of having this seductive, imaginary figure that comes and serves your every whim. It’s ruined if the ManServant goes out with them and starts telling them his real name and what he does aside from ManServants. It’s nice to quit when you’re winning—when they’re still kind of in love with the romance of the situation.
TK: What are the pros of your job?
MS: I’m an old-school romantic, so I love hearing about how the bride-to-be met the groom. I’ve actually had a few moments where the bride-to-be turned to me and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll find it one day.” As a single guy, it’s nice to hear stories of true romance—especially in New York City, which sometimes feels like a not-so-romantic place.
TK: Are there any cons?
MS: Not really. When you break it down, my role is essentially to flatter while looking obviously well dressed and well groomed. We entertain a group of really fun young ladies and guys. I don’t see how anyone could find cons in that.
TK: What’s the craziest thing you’ve been asked to do on the job?
MS: One guy at a birthday wanted me to do the “Time Warp” dance from The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the middle of his living room—the entirety of the song! We’ll get some requests that we have to turn down as well. If you’re in a room full of people and someone says, “Take your shirt off,” we just have to say, “Ladies, listen, I can keep you entertained with my clothes on, believe me. Maybe you can give me another request and I’ll be more than happy to fulfill it.” Of course, we’ll get odd requests once people have a few drinks. They’re going to start to get more cheeky, so it’s just about how we deal with it.
TK: What would you say to anyone considering becoming a ManServant?
MS: I would highly recommend it. We’re not just models that stand there and look pretty. If you’re considering it because you’re a model or a very good-looking young guy, make sure you have humility as well. If you can’t have a laugh at yourself, or if you take yourself too seriously, there’s no way you can do it. Some might say, “We want you to be our Fernando for the night and you have to speak in a Spanish accent,” and you can’t say, “Oh, I can’t do that.” You just have to give it a go and have a laugh with it and enjoy it, because at the end of the day, it’s someone’s prewedding celebration and I want to make it as fun for them as possible.
TK: Do you have any last tidbits you want share?
MS: Yes! Some brides have started adding ManServants to the singles table on the actual wedding day. We’ve noticed people hiring ManServants for handling last-minute wedding details, keeping them calm, serving champagne at the entrance, dancing with guests and socializing at the reception.
ManServants are available in New York, Los Angeles and Palm Springs, California.
