Have you been asked to be Best Man in an upcoming wedding? Congratulations – it’s quite an honor, but you’ll need to remember that this is about a lot more than giving a speech and planning the bachelor party. While both of those jobs are important, it’s the little things you do for your buddy that he’ll truly appreciate. The groom will be under a tremendous amount of stress in the weeks and days leading up to the wedding. Here are some of the big things you can do that will ease the Groom’s mind and solidify your position as Best Man.

Learn your responsibilities and you may just end up earning this patch.

Organize the Bachelor Party – No brainer here. Giving the groom a memorable last night out with his buddies is one of the most important things you’ll do. Check beforehand on the groom’s thoughts regarding strippers and heavy drinking. If you’re planning on dinner before the party begins, it’s always nice to include the fathers and younger siblings who wouldn’t otherwise get a chance to be a part of the party. Another growing trend is holding a grooms shower earlier in the day.

Write your speech – Let’s face it: We’ve all seen some “interesting” Best Man speeches in our lifetimes. Your goal is for your speech to be remembered for its classiness, rather than for the number of many embarrassing stories you can share with the groom’s unsuspecting family and loved ones.

Assist the Groom with wedding planning tasks – Help the groom and his family decorate for the rehearsal dinner, arrange the wedding transportation, and help out-of-town guests with directions. This might not sound very fun,  but it’ll be a huge help to the bride and groom.

On the day of the wedding, be the groom’s right-hand man – From the time he wakes up; you need to be at the groom’s side, keeping him focused and on task. If the wedding is later on in the day, you may have time to take him out for breakfast or a quick nine holes. In the hours immediately prior to the wedding, help him get dressed, drive him to the church, and give him a pep talk. He’ll undoubtedly thank you for calming his nerves.

Remember your Best Man duties – Keep the rings safe and sign the marriage license as a legal witness to the nuptials.

The Reception – We all know how much fun you can have at a wedding reception (especially one with an open bar). After you give your speech, you’ll surely want to let loose – but remember that it’s important that you’re able to help a little after the party is over. You may be asked to drive the couple to the hotel or to the airport. If not, the bride’s family is always appreciative of extra help in cleaning up and packing gifts into cars.

Your final job – If the bride and groom are bolting early the next morning, you’ll be needed to return the groom’s tux to the rental shop.This is a great gesture and one that will surely solidify your standing as BEST MAN!

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Create a grooms registry, purchase groomsmen gifts, and get advice for grooms at TheManRegistry.com

Tags: Best Man Duties, Best Man Speeches, Groom

This entry was posted on Monday, February 2nd, 2009 at 2:41 pm and is filed under The Best Man. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.