The best man role is one of the greatest honours a friend can be given. If you accept this honour and fulfil the groom’s expectations, you could go down as a legendary best man.   

Here is a guide as to what to expect and what you should be doing.

Meet the family

This is an important duty that is unfortunately unavoidable, as both families will certainly want to meet the best man and make sure he’s going to make things run smoothly. Set up a meeting with the parents, bride and groom so you can all discuss the wedding and the arrangements. This will also help you if you’re not sure about what you should be doing as you will be more than likely be allocated jobs.

Choosing the ushers

Although the groom is likely to choose the ushers, he may want some input from you. The ushers are an important part of the wedding despite many people’s views; they are essential to the wedding and are there to help out if anything needs doing. Make sure the ushers are respectful, reliable, polite and helpful as there main job will be welcoming and helping guests get to their seats quickly and comfortably. Lazy, unhelpful ushers won’t make the big day a special occasion and consequently you will get some of the blame, so make sure you and the groom choose the right guys.

Wearing the right clothes

Make sure you and the groom get together and decide on the outfits. Give yourself plenty of time to have the suits measured and collected. You will more than likely be the one who picks up the suits once they are ready, so make sure you know where and when they need to be collected. Also keep them somewhere extremely safe prior to the wedding; so don’t keep them in the kitchen next to the cooker.

Start on your speech

This isn’t a school essay, so don’t leave it till the night before. Start preparing the speech several weeks before the big day, so that you are prepared. Being prepared will also keep the nerves at bay. You can get hold of material through friends, family and especially the internet, which has hundreds of sites dedicated to helping you create a great speech. Many of the guests will be looking forward to your speech but don’t let that pressure you; they are mainly friends so whatever you say is sure to be well received. Don’t feel pressured to be funny either; not all speeches are humorous many are meaningful toasts to friends – although if you can, try and throw in the odd funny story about the groom.

Organising the stag party – the fun part

This is probably the best task you’ll have throughout the wedding – so make the most of it. This is the part where you get to organise an almighty night or weekend full of fun and debauchery. The groom will be expecting a night or weekend of excitement in some aluminous city, so don’t just get a few friends down the pub for a drink, this will not cut it. The best man is often judged on the stag party, so the more monumental the event is the higher you’ll be regarded. Be creative and add in a few unexpected treats that will get the crowd worshipping you for giving them the best weekend of their lives – yes, this is where you can become a legend.