Duties of a Best Man: Part One

It can happen to you anywhere, at any time.

You could be in the pub, or relaxing on your sofa with a beer. You could be on a car journey, or enjoying a nice meal. But whenever or wherever it happens, you'll always remember the moment you are asked the most important question of all...

“Will you be my best man?”

The moment after you have agreed (and I’m assuming you will agree – he wouldn’t have asked if he wasn’t expecting you to!), you will find yourself overwhelmed with all of the responsibilities that have now been dropped on you. Organising a stag do. Making sure Great-Aunt Mildred stays off the whiskey until after the ceremony. Making sure that everything runs smoothly. Trying not to chat up all the Bridesmaids at once. Oh, and making a speech in front of everyone the groom likes enough to invite – including his family!

Well don’t panic. We are here to help. In this special multi-part blog, we’ll give you advice on a wide range of best man-related topics, to ensure you are as prepared as you can be.

If there is one piece of advice you should always remember, it is this: DO NOT LEAVE EVERYTHING UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE!

It's often the case that after you've been asked, there can be a significant amount of time until the wedding itself - maybe a year or more. You may think, therefore, that you don’t need to worry about anything for ages, but that is just not true. Because as well as being a support for the groom (who will already be knee-deep in wedding planning) you’ve got to arrange the stag weekend, and plan the speech. (Don't panic, we'll discuss those in future installments)

But sometimes it can be the smaller responsiblities that cause problems, so we're going to look at one of those today - looking at suits. It is one of your jobs to go with the groom to look at some suits and help him to make a decision. You will be there for moral support and suggestions – but make sure that you are helpful! You may be out of your depth (unless you happen to go suit shopping regularly) but it's likely that the groom will be as well, so that’s not a problem.

There are some important things to remember while looking at suits.

Regardless of how scruffy he is on a normal day-to-day basis, the groom is going to want to look his best. This is the one time you can tell him that something makes him look fat, doesn’t suit him or makes him look like a penguin waddling across an iceflow. Be Honest. He will thank you for it.

1. The groom will have been told what the colour scheme is. It will never be something as simple as “Green” or “Blue”. It will be some weird colour such as “Bottle Green”, “Burnt Amber” or “Lavender Mist”. Hopefully he will have been given a swatch (that’s a piece of coloured fabric to you and me) that you can show the person in the suit shop, so that they can ensure that the cravats / ties / handkerchieves / cummerbund etc match! If he hasn’t got a swatch, then tell the assistant what the colour is “officially called” and work from there. If you don’t have a colour scheme at all – don’t panic. Pick the suit and worry about the colours closer to the time...
2. It’s OK to ask the assistant for help. I know it seems unnatural – it’s not something we (as men) often do, but this is one of those occasions where it will really help.It is a scientific fact that suit shops make men extremely thirsty. You must therefore ensure that you visit a pub directly afterwards in order to alleviate the problem. Suggested doseage is a minimum of three pints each of the finest beer. (Please note that this has no medical basis whatsoever. Please drink responsibly – Editor)

Hopefully that will get you through the suit shopping. That is just the start of your responsibilities – but rest assured, we will be with you every step of the way! Come back soon for our second entry, all about the best Stag Do Locations!