Being the Best Man

Being the best man is a huge honor, but as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. Here’s an introductory guide to the duties of the best man…

Assist: The chief responsibility of any best man is to assist the groom in any and all wedding-related duties. This can vary greatly from wedding to wedding, but a few obvious ways a best man can help out are: helping out with the selection of tuxedos or suits for the wedding, direct or drive out-of-town guests to/from the airport or hotel, hold onto the bride and groom’s rings during the wedding ceremony, make sure the officiant receives their payment on the wedding day, serve as a witness for the signing of the wedding certificate, and drive the bride and groom to their hotel/house/airport following the reception.

Attend: Being the best man comes with a long list of invitations as the groom’s main man is expected to attend a wide variety of wedding-related festivities. It’s the responsibility of the best man to be present for any and all of the following events: the bachelor party, the engagement party, a couples shower (if one is being thrown), the wedding rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner, and most obvious, the wedding and the reception.

Oversee: One of the biggest ways that the best man can help out the groom is by overseeing tasks and people that might otherwise be overlooked. The best man is responsible for keeping the other groomsmen in line, making sure they’re where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be there and that they’re doing the right thing. This doesn’t only include the wedding day; the best man can keep the groomsmen in line at other wedding-related festivities as well, making sure the men are on time to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, and that they’ve all rented or purchased their tuxes/suits on time.

Organize: The best man also has a few party-planning obligations of his own, most notably the bachelor party. The best man is the guy in charge of organizing the bachelor party, usually celebrated days before the wedding. This can be thrown by several groomsmen or friends (so don’t be afraid to ask for help) and the cost is usually split evenly among the guys (excluding the groom). It’s also up to the best man to put together a toast for the reception.

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