How to be the perfect best man

Well done! Your best pal has asked you to be his best man. Now all you need to do is step up to the challenge and fulfill this role to the full. By following these top tips, the groom will never regret asking you to be his best man.

Don’t upset the bride

Keep the stag party and bridesmaid jokes to a minimum when around the bride. You probably think it’s hilarious to wind the groom up about having a lap dance or drinking tequila shots off a stripper’s tummy, but if the bride is in earshot then you’ll be sorry.

If the bride is happy, the groom is happy, and if the groom is happy, then you’re happy!

See also:
- Top style tips to steal from royal weddings
- Tips from 5 top wedding planners
Arrange a top stag do

One of the main responsibilities of being a best man is to arrange the best night of the groom’s life. It takes much thought and time to plan a stag party that is both cost-effective and utterly entertaining.

Arranging a stag do where each element runs seamlessly into the next, with minimum travel and hassle (and minimum cost) is the optimum goal. Do you accept your mission?

See also:
- Ideas for the best man's speech
- Best man checklist
Don’t be late

Probably one of the worst things a best man could do is to turn up late on the wedding day – the day the groom needs him the most. Don’t make your buddy sweat more than he already will be and be sure to be there dead on the time he has asked you to be.

Your role is to keep things cool and calm on the big day so try your best not to rock the boat by being late.

See also:
- Top style tips to steal from royal weddings
- Tips from 5 top wedding planners
Hold your drink

While it’s okay to be the drunken fool at the bachelor party, keeping the groom and his groomsmen amused all night, it’s not best practice at the wedding reception in front of the groom’s family.

Why ruin the impression you gave during the wedding ceremony of being a chivalrous gentlemen? Keep up this charm as it will reflect well on the groom too.

See also:
- Top style tips to steal from royal weddings
- Tips from 5 top wedding planners
Be an entertainer

One of the biggest expectations of a best man is to deliver a witty, charismatic speech full of puns and funny tales from the past. Don’t leave your speech-writing to the last minute as you should give it the time it deserves.

Think rhymes, props and never-heard-before jokes. The father of the bride’s speech is intended to be sentimental, but everyone’s counting on you to make them laugh.

See also:
- Top style tips to steal from royal weddings
- Tips from 5 top wedding planners
Don’t lose the ring!

Oh for the love of weddings. To all best men out there, don’t under any circumstance forget the bride’s wedding ring! Could you imagine the kerfuffle this would cause during what should be a serene and special moment? This is quite ironic, but it can happen, so don’t let it be you.

See also:
- Top style tips to steal from royal weddings
- Tips from 5 top wedding planners
Return the suits

It’s not all about the stag do and the wedding day – your best man duties should continue after the big day. This includes returning all of the groomsmen’s suits if they have been hired, or taking them all to the drycleaners if they’re their own.

You could even offer to collect the developed wedding photos or book a table in the couple’s favourite restaurant for their return after the honeymoon.

See also:
- Top style tips to steal from royal weddings
- Tips from 5 top wedding planners
Be a charmer

Being a best man is all about putting the groom in a good light and making all of the wedding guests think how decent you both are.

Chat to the groom’s family, catch up with his parents and just be generally chivalrous. See guests to their seats in the ceremony and reception, offer to call a taxi for guests going home, and don’t forget to constantly tell people what a stand-up guy the groom is and how happy you are for him!

See also:
- Top style tips to steal from royal weddings
- Tips from 5 top wedding planners
Watch the groom’s back

A few rules for best men; don’t let the groom get too drunk on his stag party and end up doing something he will later regret (tattoos, injuries and arrests included); don’t let the groom get too drunk the night before his wedding and end up waking on the day of his wedding with a hangover and looking like a zombie; and don’t let the groom get too drunk at his wedding reception and end up embarrassing himself in front of his entire family, friends, colleagues and above all, new wife.

Stick to these three golden rules and you’ll be remembered as the perfect best man.

See also:
- Top style tips to steal from royal weddings
- Tips from 5 top wedding planners
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