You may be lucky enough to have one particular childhood friend who is perfect best man material – or be planning to ask your brother or other family member to perform the best man’s duties. There is a trend these days towards having more than one best man – some grooms even end up with as many as six! Whether this is because they are overwhelmed with wonderful mates, or just can’t be bothered to choose just one, this guide will help you understand what makes a perfect best man and how to go about choosing him.
Once you understand what the best man is traditionally required to do, it will be easier to decide which of your friends is best suited to the job. Remember to tailor the list to fit your own style of wedding – some ceremonies are more formal than others.
The best man will be...
Looking after the rings and presenting them at just the right moment during the ceremony. Loved by makers of comedy programmes, this task seems to provide lots of opportunities for mishap. Your best man must be reliable and responsible – no lost rings, please!
Making a speech that won’t end in a very quick divorce. The best man’s speech is traditionally a chance to make a bit of fun of the groom’s past, but no bride wants to listen to a litany of sexual exploits – and any mention of ex girlfriends is a complete no no. Remember, it won’t be the best man she blames for the speech – it will be you. Choose wisely.
Organising the wedding gifts for bride and groom as they arrive, finding a room to store the wedding presents and making sure they are safe for the duration of the day. Obviously, this needs to be done by someone who hasn’t been propping up the bar all morning!
Among other things, the best man will need to keep the
bridesmaid gifts and
usher gifts to hand for the groom to give out during the speech, make sure the bride and groom get the wedding presents before they leave the reception, and be supportive and cheerful all day.
The Usher
If you have another friend or family member you’d like to involve in the ceremony, why not make them an usher? The usher is traditionally responsible for seating the guests as they arrive at the church or venue, and helping the best man meet and greet guests and take care of the wedding presents.
Best man and usher gift
The groom should select a special gift for the best man and usher or ushers. This could be something such as
engraved gifts, to thank them for their help and support. Ideas for engraved gifts for usher, or best man gifts, include engraved hip flasks or tankards, personalised champagne or
engraved pens. Another idea for an usher gift is a set of
engraved cufflinks as
wedding thank you gifts.
Date posted: 16/02/2010
