Wedding Day Advice | Wedding Planning

Duties of the Best Man: There’s more to being a best man than you might at first realize. Not only will you have an important role to play on the wedding day, but you will also be an invaluable helper in the months leading up to it. You’re the groom’s right-hand man, the one he’ll depend on to be what all truly good friends are: dependable, trustworthy, and helpful.

On the day itself, your duties as best man will be to help iron the glitches out of a hectic schedule that requires getting the groom to the ceremony on time regardless of traffic, bad weather, or an over-zealous bachelor party. You will cast a watchful eye over the ushers, hand the ring to the groom on cue, deliver an eloquent first toast at the reception (and you may be the MC as well), and help to make the newlyweds’ exit from the reception as graceful as their entrance.

To be chosen as best man in a friend or relative’s wedding is an honor. It means being a very special person in the groom’s life, one who is trusted with several important responsibilities.

Photo courtesy of Brandon Schmidt

Best man’s responsibilities and duties
This is what’s waiting for you!

• Assisting in any way you can throughout the wedding planning process.
• Rent and pay for a tux, and go for fittings and assist with the formal wear arrangements of groomsmen.
• Collects and returns all formal wear rentals on time.
• Hosting a stag or bachelor party
• Attend all pre-wedding parties, rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.
• Help the groom dress and make sure he gets to the church on time.
• Keeps the bride’s wedding ring until the ring exchange. You may be asked to hold both rings or none at all if the ring bearer has them.
• Sign the marriage license.
• The couple will give you a sealed envelope with the officiant’s or church’s fee in it. You will give this to the priest/officiant before the ceremony.
• Sit to the groom’s left at the reception.
• Escorting the maid of honor in the wedding ceremony recession.
• Dances with the maid of honour.
• Make a first toast to the bride and groom. This is usually done before dinner but in some cases right after.
• Mingling with guests and making introductions.
• Help maid of honour bring gifts to the bride and groom’s house.
• Reviewing the duties of the ushers with them.
• Making sure all ushers arrive on time, well ahead of the guests and the start of the ceremony.
• Making sure the ushers are seating the guests properly at the reception.
• Ensuring the newlywed couple leaves for their honeymoon in dependable transportation (perhaps you’ll chauffeur them yourself in your own car) with all luggage accounted for.