Best Man Duties & Responsibilities with Checklist
The wedding is a big day. Two people become tied for life and celebrate their new future together. Since it means a lot to them, everyone from their family and friend group needs to be there for them and make sure they have the time of their life. This is why choosing the right people to help is very important.
Being the best man is not only fun as you might think. But as a friend this position comes as a crown of every friendship so you need to accept it responsibly.
A wedding can be really stressful to organize, so every help is necessary.
Since the bride and groom can’t finish all the work by themselves, they rely on their friends and family to help them.
The best man is usually a very close friend of the groom or a cousin. Choosing a best man might be tricky sometimes if you have a large group of friends, but nevertheless, the best man needs to be someone who you trust with all of these important responsibilities.
Checklist of best man duties
- One of the hardest but also the most important roles every best man has is to be an emotional support for the groom. Wedding planning is a lot of stress, and if you think that everything is going to go smoothly, the chances are that there is going to be more chaos than you think. This is why it is important to have a best man who knows you well and who will be there through thick or thin. This person needs to be responsible but also he needs to know how to lift up the mood from time to time when the mood is getting low.
- Best man is also there to help the groom get ready for the honeymoon, help him with packing, changing and taking care of his clothes after the ceremony.
- Groom and other groomsmen need to look formal for the ceremony, so this is when the best man organizes everything and takes care of the rental clothing and other necessities. Suit fittings are also necessary so that everyone’s suit is just right. Best man organizes all of the fittings and finds the right tailor or shop for this duty. Everybody needs to be matching, and also the groom should, of course, be the eye-catcher that day.
- He can also help the groom to get ready for the wedding especially if his suit is complicated or if he needs to get his suit from the tailor or shop.
- Best man needs to make sure the groom is ready on time and prepared for the wedding. Since everything needs to be ready on schedule, best man is there to remind everyone to speed up their work.
- Best man needs hand out the boutonnieres to the groomsmen and all of them need to place them properly. They need to be in the left buttonhole of the suit.
- Bachelor party is that one night all of the guys go out as friends for one last time, before their friend ties the knot. So, this night should be special. Planning of the bachelor night is best man’s responsibility. He needs to take care of everything. Location, activities and finances are also his responsibility as well as other groomsmen. Every best man gives all of his effort to make this night unforgettable for his friend.
- He also enters the room together with the groom. This action puts him even more into the spotlight and accentuates his position in the whole ceremony.
- When the church ceremony is over, best man escorts the maid or matron of honor from the church.
- When the reception is over the best man needs to take the groom’s suit back to the rental or to the shop, since he won’t be able to do that.
- Best man also needs to make sure he is present at the dinner rehearsal. This is important because everybody needs to know their place during the actual ceremony. Groomsmen come in a specific order, so to make sure there is no chaos in front of the aisle, it is best to rehears everything ahead.
- Best man needs to stand next to his friend (groom) in front of the aisle. He also holds bride’s ring until the couple exchanges their vows. Best man needs to make sure he has the ring when the vows are over, so finding a safe place for the ring is very important.
- Best man is in some way coordinator for all the other groomsmen. They need to know what are their duties and they need to perform them on time and in the right order. Best man explains the groomsmen their duties and makes sure the ceremony goes smoothly.
- Best man’s duty is to be a marriage witness. He needs to sign the marriage certificate so his position is not only as a friend but also he has a legal position or a part in closing the marriage.
- If the groom gives this duty to the best man, then he will pay the officiant or give him the envelope with the money when the ceremony is over. This is not best man’s responsibility but it can be if the groom trusts his friend enough.
- Best man and the maid of honor represent a couple on the wedding, so they need to be announced at the beginning of the ceremony. They can also share a dance after the newlyweds. Best man can dance with other bridesmaids and the bride during the ceremony to keep the party going. His duty is to make sure everyone has a great time, so lifting up the atmosphere is the key.
- One of the most important best man’s duties is the toast. This is the opportunity to thank your friend for trusting you with this important position and to wish the newlyweds a great life and marriage. Toast should be emotional but also not too serious. You don’t want everyone crying at the end since this is a happy occasion.
- Groom can also trust his best man to take care of the gifts received during the reception. He can even put them on their account if they leave for their honeymoon before they are collected.
- Decoration of the getaway car is another best man responsibility. He can also share this duty with other groomsmen and bridesmaids.
- Best man also needs to drive the newlyweds to the hotel or to the airport after the ceremony. To do this he needs to be sober and if he wants to enjoy the night, he can hire a limo for the groom and the bride. This way they can getaway safely.
- Best man needs to take care of the groomsmen accommodation. If some of them live far away, they need to have accommodation for the night of the ceremony. They also need to know know where to fly in and out, where everything is located and how to get to the needed location.
- Another duty is to be a responsible part of the groomsmen group. Nobody wants incidents on their wedding and best man needs to keep the groomsmen away from alcohol if the situation gets to critical.
- Best man is also there to help everyone around at the ceremony. If guests have questions, best man is there to answer them since the bride and the groom won’t be able to devote themselves to everyone. The guests all need to be seated where they are supposed to, so best man together with the maid of honor helps them to find their place.
In the end, a wedding is a big party and a celebration of love so every best man should have fun and enjoy his friend’s wedding.
After all the hard work before the ceremony, everybody needs a little bit of fun.
After we have listed all of the best man’s duties, the only conclusion is that the best man’s duty is not only fun.
Since this day means a lot for the couple best man needs to be responsible and fulfill his duties.
This is why it is important that the groom picks out someone who is close to him and knows him well and how much this day means to him.
The best man is a friend, a chaperone and an emotional support for the groom. He needs to keep the party going and make sure everything goes according to plan.
