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Best Man duties and a tale of woe
By nealejames | February 25, 2007
Okay, the definitive list is as follows, although don’t panic chaps; much of this will have been taken care of by bride, groom and associates to the day. Organise suit fittings and pay for the privilege! Organise the stag party and if appropriate pay for the groom. At the very least, be the conduit for all attendees. Oh, and organise the attire you want him to wear, hint hint! Talk with the venue about the order of the day and have a strong understanding of the running order in your mind. Make sure that the service time is the advertised one. This sounds a strange one to mention, but there are documented stories of the bridal party turning up with a hundred or so guests to a wedding that the church had booked in for a different time, or different date! Talk with the ushers to make sure they know what they’re doing on the day. Research your speech! Yes this could seem like a good opportunity to talk about the groom’s earliest conquests and unhealthy interest in sheep farming, but is it appropriate? Find out what kind of guests will be present and some extra gems on your groom. So many Best Man speeches descend into a collective of generic quips gathered from the Internet, so be original - do your research. Be MC on the day. Hopefully this is a skill you can muster, although some couples will invest in a pro. On the day, all the above will neatly slot into place if you’ve done your homework. Pack an emergency kit of headache tablets, credit cards (for unexpected bar bills), spare speeches etc. Make sure you have the rings and brief the drivers of all cars on where the service is. You’re the spokesperson by the way for the bridesmaids, so take a moment to make sure they’re okay. In your well researched speech, toast the couple and comment upon how gorgeous the bride looks. And finally, constantly check upon the couple during the day. Make sure they’re happy and the party is exactly as they would wish. It’s a nice touch to do a similar thing for the guests. After all that, relax and enjoy! Oh yes, and my tale of woe? [The following segment was edited on Valentine’s Day 2008] It was reported last year in the papers that a groom called Chris Adams from Loughborough thought he’d married Gemma Mortell. They had just returned from their honeymoon to find that Gemma had signed the register in the wrong place, allowing Best Man Paul, to scribble his signature where the bride usually signs! It may be an extra task, but perhaps it’s a good idea to pay close attention to the register on the day. Marrying your groom is not officially one of your duties. BUT… as a tidy end to the story and you’ll see Gemma’s response below, it turns out Gemma was certainly not to blame! Thanks Gemma for the update!
Topics: Blog journal, Wedding day tips, Wedding general |
February 14th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Actually i got told by the [Rev] to sign in the wrong place so it was not my mistake.
[Ed - interesting addition to the story, and thanks Gemma for your mail… so it seems the press had incorrectly reported this one. I’ve edited accordingly!]