The Complete Guide To Best Man Duties

Being your mate's right-hand man at his wedding involves a list of best man duties. The best man is undoubtedly a huge honour. You're noticed and valued as someone with great importance in the wedding party. Great news! It might seem difficult, however, to remember everything to ensure your buddy has the day of his life. That's why we're here! Today, we're going to be going over all of the things you need to do as the best man, best woman, or best person - along with some tips and tricks to make the whole process that little bit smoother.

Best man duties - what are they, and what is expected?

Arrange A Stag Do Is Part One For Your Best Man Duties

Number one on the list of best man duties is to arrange a stag do. We highly recommend planning this a fair few months in advance. To some, this may seem a little overkill. Isn't a stag do just a fun night out with the groom's mates? Yes - it is indeed. But there is much more to it than meets the eye. The earlier you start planning, the less stressful it is. Your other duties won't be compromised with a last-minute stag do plan, and you can fully concentrate. First things first, ask the groom who he wants at the stag do. Get a date in people's diaries ASAP, so people can take time off for work, travel, etc. You then want to come up with a general idea of what you want to do.

We suggest creating a group chat and bouncing some ideas around with the other guests in attendance. Where is it going to be? A full week, three days, a single evening? Are you on a tight budget, or going all out? Once these things have been agreed on, put the groom and his interests first. Is your best bud a sports guy? How about some sports challenges? Is he into wine? Go to a vineyard! The opportunities are endless. To arrange a truly awesome stag do, though, you need to think of the groom and what he wants. It's his day, after all! We also recommend doing the stag do a month before the wedding. Give the guy some time to recover!

Help Choose Groom's Wedding Suit

Next on the list is the attire side of the wedding. Best man duties go beyond partying, being a shoulder to cry on, and drinking. You've also got to help the groom with his suit! To the surprise of many, suit shopping is actually one of the foremost duties for the best man. And it's not just for you - but for the rest of the groomsmen, too. Firstly, you will need to discuss whether the groomswear is to be hired or bought. You also need to have an understanding of who is paying, whether it's the couple or the party. Once that's decided, you can get cracking.

Make sure you and the groom have a strong idea of what you're looking for, and where you're looking. Checking in with him often is a good idea - we all love surprises, but maybe not too many before the big day... You need to round up all of the other important members of the wedding party to try on the suits, too. If the nearly-weds want a cohesive look throughout the day, then making sure the suits are well-fitted and matching is very important. If you need some groom-spiration, we have a host of groom suit ideas to look through. Some grooms have also opted for "emergency kits", with extra cufflinks, ties, and shoe polish for the day of. Another task for the best man is to return the groomsmen's suits when the newlyweds are on their honeymoon. 

Help The Groom Get Ready On The Morning Of The Wedding

Getting the groom ready before the big day is very important. Not only that, it's a wonderful time to share. Whatever your relationship with them - whether you're best friends, brothers, cousins, or long-lost twins - this moment is truly special. This goes beyond best man duties, it's just a great time spent together. Being with them before this next chapter in life is beautiful and symbolic. You are there to relax him, keep his spirits up, and of course, get him dressed. Ensuring his suit and tie, bow tie, or cravat is perfect, and that everyone has the right pair of shoes on. Having a playlist of his favourite songs isn't a bad idea, either. You need to get everyone in the mood!

Organise A Gift From The Groomsmen

Although not compulsory, organising a gift from the groom's nearest and dearest is always a lovely touch. In our opinion, it's also one of the nicest best man duties out there. You could choose to club together with the rest of the bridal party and get a gift, or you could get something special just from yourself. It goes without saying that price really doesn't matter here. Something small and sentimental will do wonders. This is just to show you care, and that you've got their back. That's the greatest gift of them all! If you're stuck on ideas, we've got an article all about groomsmen gifts, just for this very moment!

Keep The Wedding Rings Safe

Now, this is an important one. I think we can safely say that no groom in wedding history wants to rock up to the aisle and not see any sight of a ring. The best man is entrusted by the nearly-weds to keep the wedding rings safe ahead of the ceremony. This step is fairly self-explanatory - i.e., don't lose them! Keep them somewhere safe. Keep checking to make sure they're still wherever you left them, and you'll be grand.

Best Man Duties = Best Man Speech

Of all the best man duties, this one is usually the most remembered. That's right, the best man speech. We're not going into the nitty gritty of writing the speech here, as we've already got an article dedicated entirely to that. But make sure to not forget about the importance of this speech! It gets people in the mood to party afterwards, and it's a great time to talk about your relationship with the groom. The tone of your speech is up to you and is dependent upon the kind of relationship you have with them. Just make sure you've got a strong sense of what you're going to say, and set the tone for the rest of the evening! Giving a wedding speech is no easy task, so follow the three Ps. Prepare, practice, and perform!

Decorate A Wedding Car

To round off your best man duties, we've got a fun one for you. Whether you're artistically inclined or not, this task is certainly a sigh of relief in comparison to speech giving! We are, of course, talking about decorating the wedding car. The whole wedding party can get involved in this task, but as the best man, you are in charge of the design and organisation. Keep your eyes peeled, as we've got an article coming out soon all about wedding car decoration inspiration. If you need help before that, though, we've got a section dedicated to wedding car decorations over in our wedding car inspiration and hire article.

Best Man Duties, complete! Well done - have a drink on us.

Hopefully, you're feeling more confident about your best man duties after this. Just remember that the most important aspect of being the best man is being there for the groom. Giving them the support, love, friendship and help they need will forever be more valuable than how many jokes you can fit into your speech. If your best mate happens not to be a man at all, then the rise of the best woman might pique your interest. As the best man, remaining cool is of the utmost importance. Why not look cool at the same time, with some wedding sunglasses, too?