Being chosen as best man is an honour and carries responsibilities. What is expected of the best man and how do you fulfil your role.

 

Nowadays, a best man mainly serves as an accompanying support for the groom or bride during the wedding preparations. As it is a legal requirement to have witnesses present at the ceremony, the role of the best man is often reduced to signing the marriage contract at the registry office. However, for more traditional brides and grooms, the best man has many other responsibilities:

 

The best man must take special care to be on time for all wedding preparations.

The best man is often expected to (co-)organise the stag or hen party. The best man should organise the type of celebration according to the tastes of the bride or groom.

If the bride or groom chooses certain clothes for the groomsmen and flower children, the best man must ensure that the clothes are collected in good time and, if they are rented, that they are returned on the day after the wedding.

Often the best man also looks after the wedding rings and presents them at the right moment.

For the wedding ceremony at the registry office, the best man must bring his ID, as he must sign as an official witness to the marriage ceremony.

A best man also helps by reminding the bride or groom of anything that might be forgotten before the wedding.

The best man is often needed at the fitting and when putting on the wedding dress or suit.

At the request of the wedding couple, the best man gives a short speech before the start of the banquet.

When unwrapping the gifts, the best man makes a list of the gifts and the givers so that the bride and groom know afterwards who brought which gift.