Congrats! Your best friend/brother/cousin is getting married and he’s asked you to the best man! Getting a little nervous about the speech? Well, let’s just back up a bit, because being a best man is so much more than giving a great speech before dinner. With the title comes responsibility, and it’s important for you to do your job well. While every wedding is different and may present unique jobs for you, here are the most common tasks set out before you as you go through this season of planning with the groom.

1. Get fitted for your tux and help the other groomsmen do the same. Make your appointment and keep it! Then, check in with the other groomsmen and make sure they get fitted as well.
2. Plan the bachelor party. I definitely recommend doing this well before the wedding. It’s important for you to check with the groom on this one. What would he enjoy? What do you need to consider as far as the other groomsmen’s schedules, ages, distance. All of those things will make a difference as you determine the best way to celebrate the groom. And, keep it classy please.
3. Attend the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. You need to know what the wedding day should look like and where you all need to be and when. Show up, pay attention and help the other guys get to where they need to be. After the rehearsal dinner, go home. You need to be alert and not hungover on the wedding day. Now is not the time for late night partying.
4. Help the groom look his best. Make sure he has everything he needs, remembers to shave, and has all the pieces to his tux on correctly. Stick around that morning and be ready to run last minute errands for things that may have gotten forgotten. Check in with the groom often to see if he needs anything or just help him to remain relaxed.
5. Plan pre-wedding lunch. It’s important that everyone gets fed before the wedding, because dinner probably won’t be for quite a while.
6. Keep track of the rings! This could be the most important job of the day. Guard the rings with your life.
7. Don’t complain. We know you probably don’t love getting pictures taken or wearing a tux all day. You will survive. For the sake of everyone, remain positive and go with the flow. Your attitude with help keep the other groomsmen in check.
8. Be on time. Period.
9. Keep the toast short and classy. The wedding guests don’t need to hear a bunch of embarrassing stories from your college days. Keep your speech to the point and appropriate for everyone. If you aren’t funny, don’t try to be funny. If you tend to ramble, keep a short list of bullet points and stick to them. Most of all, relax.
10. Return the groom’s tux . . . on time. You have to take your tux back anyway, so offer to return the groom’s as well. This will take the load off someone else that doesn’t already have to go to the rental place, like the groom’s mom. Gather the tux and all of the pieces and take it back when you return yours.

I hope this helps. Most of all, you just need to stay in touch with the groom and be his go-to guy! Have fun!