Following on from posts on Best Man duties the week before the wedding, and the duties of a Best Man on the day of the wedding, we continue the duties theme by having a look at duties that should be completed 3 months before the wedding day.

1.  Have the Bachelor Party arranged.

Have the final number of attendees confirmed so you can finalize travel and accommodation arrangements.  If you have not heard back from someone who has been invited give them a call to see if they are able to attend, once you have exact numbers confirmed pass this information on to the hotel. Ideally you should have the Bachelor Party taking place 2 months or so before the wedding day.

2. Ensure wedding accommodation is secured for the other Groomsmen.

If you have Groomsmen attending the wedding who are not from the area be sure that they have accommodation for the event. You may want to discuss with the Groom to see if he has any family members or friends from far afield that might be seeking accommodation themselves and assist in organizing this for them.

3.  Begin writing your speech.

Why 3 months before the wedding? Because your speech is the single most important duty you have to perform, it is how you will be judged in the eyes of many people. Irrespective of whether you aim to write a funny Best Man speech or a short Best Man speech begin planning early so that by the time the wedding day arrives you have it perfected and ready to deliver with style.

4.  Arrange a wedding gift on behalf of the Groomsmen.

While the Best Man and Groomsmen may be accompanied to the wedding by their wives/girlfriends and thus already have a gift in mind for the Groom as a couple, it is also a nice idea for the Groomsmen and Best Man to come up with their own gift for the Groom. This need not be expensive but the more unique and personalized the better so spend time finding the best gift and have fun in presenting the Groom with a memento of the day.

5.  Get in contact with the Bride and Maid of Honor.

While this task is optional, you courtesy will be greatly appreciated by both the Bride and Maid of Honor if you make contact with them to tell them that both yourself and the Groomsmen are available should the Bride’s party need assistance in any way.

Having as many tasks completed as soon as possible will ensure you don’t have a mountain of Best Man tasks and duties to perform as the wedding day draws nearer, allowing you to enjoy the build-up to the wedding and providing you with the time to rehearse your Best Man speech.

The duties of a Best Man go beyond delivering a toast and acting as the Groom’s witness at his wedding ceremony, there are many other duties expected of you so to help you be best prepared the following is a guide to the tasks you should be doing one week before the wedding day.

1. Check with the Groom who is picking-up the suits.

Make sure that you are clear on who is arranging the collection of the wedding suits, and double-check with the Groomsmen to see if anyone wants to be refitted, so they are dressed comfortably for the wedding.

2. Be aware of the venue for the wedding rehearsal and ensure guests have directions to it.

If out of town guests are coming to the wedding rehearsal, it is a nice gesture to call/email them with directions to the venue.

3. Have a toast ready to give at the rehearsal dinner.

This is just a short toast in honor of the Bride and Groom and should not be confused with the main Best Man speech which you give on the wedding day.

4. Call the various wedding vendors to confirm the wedding details.

It is well worth your time to call each of the various wedding vendors such as the photographer, the limo driver, and DJ to reconfirm times and ensure there are no hiccups on the big day.

5. Know who wants to speak at the wedding.

If you are acting as M.C then you need to know who plans on giving a speech at the wedding, so in order to properly rehearse your introductions ensure you are aware of this information.

6. Spend time perfecting your Best Man speech.

The week of the wedding is not the time to begin making changes to your speech, so spend the time practicing the delivery of your speech so it gains maximum impact.

7. Get plenty of rest.

As Best Man you will find the wedding day an extremely busy day with an onslaught of activity from the moment you wake up, so do yourself the ultimate favor and get as much rest as possible during the week of the wedding.

It is important for to discuss with the Groom who is doing what so that there is no crossover and you can delegate some duties to the Groomsmen in order to save time or to help them feel more included in the occasion.

Bachelor Parties – 4 Items To Leave At Home.

With your Best Man speeches covered the other main duty to prepare for is the time-honored tradition of the Bachelor Party. Bachelor Parties should be great fun where you and your friends provide a “last hurrah” for the Groom to enjoy before he officially becomes a married man. They are great fun to arrange and usually provide memories that will last a lifetime but just be aware not to party to excess and make sure the Groom is looked after for the night and isn’t caught in any compromising situations (I think you know what I mean guys!).

1. A Camera.

No matter how tempted don’t bring a camera to the Bachelor Party as you inevitably will only end-up taking embarrassing photos that might come back to haunt you. The Best Man typically organizes the Bachelor Party so you will get the lions share of the blame if the Bride gets to see and is offended by the pictures.

2. A Cell Phone.

Aside from the fact that most cell phones have cameras (see No.1 above) there is also the danger of one of the drunken Groomsmen calling someone at home announcing “You’ll never believe what we are up to now…”, before long word will get around of whatever activity you are indeed up to and could make for an uncomfortable ride home.

3. Alcohol.

You won’t need to bring alcohol with you for the journey as there will be plenty of alcohol in whatever casino, club, pub that you are going to, arriving drunk will only ensure a swift exit courtesy of the bouncers.

4. Excess Cash.

How many people do you know who come back from a Bachelor Party with money in their pocket? Exactly none, so don’t be tempted to bring too much money with you as you will more than likely spend every cent.

While Bachelor Parties may not cause the anxiety that Best Man speeches cause they still need to be managed responsibly otherwise you may end up feeling a whole lot more nervous about seeing the Bride and her family on the wedding day and the delivering of the Best Man speech will be the least of your worries.