Best man duties are very important. A best man is the person or persons whom the groom chooses to stand beside them during the wedding ceremony. But there’s much more to it than that. The Best Man has duties throughout the wedding events and not just on the wedding day. Read more to find out what those duties are!
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What is the Best Man for a wedding?
The Best Man is the honor that is bestowed upon the person or sometimes even persons whom the groom of the wedding chooses to stand beside them on their wedding day. But one thing is very important for you to know. You do not have to have a best man. Yes, most weddings have someone hwo stands in place to support the groom but you don’t have to have one.
You just want to be sure that you are matching what the bride has in place. If she has a Maid of Honor, and especially if she also has an additional Matron of Honor, it will be best if you have a best man to fulfill best man duties. This is just to help your wedding party to be evenly balanced.
If you do hve a best man, as many do, I believe the best man should support the groom in tangible needs but also in spiritual needs. The best man doesn’t just have to be the person to plan a bachelor party as tradition often calls for. This person can be instrumental for the groom to look to for support when it comes to having someone to talk to and for anything that comes up big or small as well.
The best man is there to help the groom deal with some of the stresses of the wedding that may come from family, friends, financial, or just general wedding stress. Often times the groom is overlooked in the process as someone who has little or no stress. This could not be further from the truth. The groom may not have as much or the same kinds of stress that the bride does but they definitely have stress and will deal with issues that they want to talk with someone about.
What Wedding Events does the best man attend?
It’s important for the best man to know that fulfilling best man duties is not just about supporting the groom at the wedding. It means that they will help to manage and host all of the events that are related to the bride and groomsmen as well. This could be a “guy time” event with just the groom and groomsmen.
It could also mean being present at the wedding shower depending on whether the bride and groom choose to have a joint wedding shower. It also means showing support for things like the honeymoon. Sending some time of gift or acknowledgement in addition to the general wedding gift is always a great touch by the best man. And of course, the best man will be present to stand by the groom at the wedding and at the wedding reception when he will traditionally offer a best man speech.
All this to say, depending on the wedding there may be different events that the best man is asked to attend. This will depend on other factors such as what kind of wedding is being held. If it’s a destination wedding for example, the tasks that the best man is asked to do will be different. For an elopement, the couple may not even have anyone present besides the officiant. It’s all up to what the couple ultimately decies.
What wedding events is the best man in charge of?
The best man is in charge of everything that the couple asks him to do and what they agree to do. Please don’t make the mistake of assuming what you will or will not do. If the couple doesn’t ask you do to a best man speech, you will not be in charge of giving one. If you are not asked to plan a party for the groomsmen, that will not be on your plate. There are some things that you can prepare for just in case, but it’s best to have a good, thorough, conversation about what you will do ahead of time.
Traditionally, the best man is in charge of some kind of gathering of the groomsmen and best man, wedding rehearsal, wedding ceremony, and wedding reception. Again, in rarer circumstances, they might be asked to attend a wedding shower as well.
What does the best man do on the wedding day?
On the wedding day, the best man is critically important. They should be ready first thing in the morning to expect the unexpected. They might be asked anything from providing transportation that no one was expecting to need or helping with the groom’s attire and accessories. It’s typical for the best man to spend time with the groom when they are getting dressed and encourage them. This is also a great time to pray for them.
The best man will usually be asked to take photos with the wedding party sometime in the morning as well. I would recommend that the best man pay attention to when they will take photos and be ready ahead of time. Depending on what time they are, if they are very early in the morning and there is a large gap, you may even want to get dressed and then changed into something that is better for doing some of those tasks that you are asked to do.
Just take care of your suit or tux when you change. But sometimes it’s better to not wear it for most of the day if you can avoid it just in case you need to move some furniture or do something that requires some work.
At the ceremony, the best man stands by the groom. This is an important position and shouldn’t be underestimated. This is one of the most important moments of the groom’s life and one they will never forget. Being for them, literally, is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Be there for them however you know how. If you have a great memory to get them to laugh or need to straighten up their tie, that’s something you can be ready to do for them.
