The wedding season is in full swing this summer. You may have been invited to a few weddings here and there or even asked to be someone’s best man.
A best man is one of the groom’s attendants on his big day, most often the groom’s best friend gets this honor. It’s a significant thing to be selected as one.
This clearly shows how the groom takes your relationship with him as a well esteemed one. So don’t take your role lightly; instead, do your best to make your best mate’s wedding a memorable one while looking your best!
Being a best man comes with tons of responsibilities which you just cannot shuffle through. The duties can be divided into two groups, first being all those before the big day and the second being the day of wedding.
Run down for few of the responsibilities before the wedding:
• Planning the Bachelor Party
The bachelor party is when all the guys get their alone time, away from their significant others. It’s imperative you spend a good amount of your time and energy on this party. In planning the bachelor party, the most important aspect is choosing an activity. The activity can range from having a small or large budget trip (make a travel budget and stick to it), spending a night at the casino, doing something as sporty as skiing, or going to the beach for a small, fun getaway. Make sure whatever you choose is not risky because we’re looking to have fun and not getting into unnecessary trouble. Focus on including the things or centering the party around the activities that the groom loves or is excited about. If not that, try to include activities that the groom has never done before in his life to make the party more thrilling for the groom; he is going to take the biggest step f his life in the form of marriage, after all, might as well take all his fears out of him and prepare him for the life to come. *wink wink*
• Go to Rehearsal and the Rehearsal Dinner
Make sure you make a toast at the rehearsal dinner, leaving out the best bits for the Big Day. Your toast as the best man matters a lot to the groom, so do not do it without preparation. Yes, a toast must come from the heart, especially when it is for your best friend’s wedding, but you do not want to look like an incoherent man incapable of putting his feelings into the right words now, do you? So jot down all the important things and all the emotional things about your friendship, all the ight and lows you have seen together, and do not forget to add in a few words about the bride, her relationship with your best friend and how beautiful you think it is. It will, of course, be an added advantage if you are close to the bride, too. An impressive, heart touching toast at the wedding is one of the most essential things to make you the best man at your best friend’s wedding; you got that right, suits and boots are not the only things that matter when it comes to being a great best man.
Duties for the Wedding Day are as follows:
• Before the Ceremony
You’re the best man; make sure you act like one. You have to be around the Groom at all times while he dresses up for the occasion, followed by driving him to the location. With that, it would be your responsibility to look after the groomsmen as well. Make sure the boutonnieres are distributed and well worn.
• At the Ceremony
Your biggest responsibility would be carrying the ring. Make sure your best friend’s happiest day doesn’t turn into his worst nightmare by being irresponsible with the ring. It is better to keep it safe in your pocket while you enter with the groom and take it out at the right time.
You might have to sign a witness paper post marriage as well so do not freak out! With that, don’t be too nervous for the speech; it’s your best guy’s wedding, go all out. Last but not the least, do not forget to decorate the getaway car as per the Bride’s preferred flowers. This will work as the cherry on top for the whole shenanigan.
With the duties out of the way, it is vital that you look your utmost best on your best friend’s big day. You never know you might be next! Here are a few tips to work upon:
• Grooming
It is essential you spend a good time on grooming not just for the wedding but also on a day to day basis.
Nose hair, ear hair aren’t sexy. It is imperative you pluck them in the direction they’re growing in. If you have unruly or even a unibrow which keeps you on the edge, getting them done would be a great idea. You don’t have to get them all perfect; the professional will make them naturally, giving you a neater look.
• Healthy Lifestyle
Since you’d be in the spotlight, it would be great if you start preparing for your role few months in advance. You can start off by eating healthier and hitting the gym. Eating healthy does not mean you can’t have the occasional beer that keeps you going, just follow a balanced diet which consists of all food groups without compromising on the comfort food once in a while. With that, exercising will not just get you in good shape but will also give you the confidence you might be lacking. You don’t have to splurge on a gym membership, running around the block, 5 days a week would work wonders! Also, when we mention a healthy lifestyle, we do not mean that you only take care of yourself; remember, you are the best man but the groom is the Main Man, he needs to look his best on his big day. So, as his best man, take it upon yourself to lead him towards a healthy lifestyle: keep an eye on his diet and make sure it is balanced, make sure he is keeping himself physically active and that a protruding belly is nowhere in sight, try to keep him hydrated. He cannot look his best appearance wise until and unless he is feeling his best on the inside, too. His skin, his eyes, his teeth, his bones, everything will show whether or not he is a healthy man. This is the 21st century, we want our men to take care of themselves just as well as women take care f themselves.
• Mind the Hair
Get a fresh haircut post the wedding; not on the day of the wedding, though. The thing about haircuts is that they can be unpredictable; not just that, they are also instantly unfixable. If a haircut goes bad, you need to wait for a couple of days or weeks to let the hair grow out in order for any damage control to be done. Not just that, even if you do get a nice new haircut that is different from the one you always get, you will need get used to the way your face looks with the new hair; you also need some time to understand how to style the new hair, because when you get a haircut at the salon, the stylist styles it for you and later when you are at home and have shampooed all the hair product away, the hhair becomes a little tricky to handle. So take your time, get a fresh haircut to give off a cleaner and much more put together vibe. With that, trim or rather groom your facial hair according to your face shape. You can find tons and tons of information about your face shape and the desired beard to go with it online.
• Shoes! Shoes! Shoes!
Some say good shoes are a cliché but trust me when I say, it is true! Shoes can make or break your whole look. It is important that you invest or even borrow well-fitted shoes for the ceremony. Make sure they’re polished and are comfortable so that you’re at ease while running around, making sure everything is perfect. When you go shoe shopping, keep the following things in mind:
Decide your outfit beforehand.
If you don’t know what outfit you will be wearing, whether it will be formal or casual (it will depend on the theme of the wedding), and how exactly it will go with the wedding’s theme, you will not be able to purchase the right pair of shoes. Therefore, be entirely sure of your outfit before you set out for shopping.
Versatile:
Buy something that is versatile that can be worn later on, too. Often when we buy clothes or shoes for a particular event, especially a wedding, they become unsuitable for other occasions and all the dollar you invested in them goes to waste.
Make sure the color of the shoes is as neutral as possible:
Get something like black, brown or tan. Going for something too fancy can make you look like a clown, and you most certainly would not want that. If you have decided to go formal, buy dress shoes that are either darker than the color of your suit or in a sharp contrast with it (if you want your shoes to stand out). Tan shoes, for example, look great with a dark blue suit.
Make sure you don’t just gab the first best pair you see in a shop.
Look closely, wear the shoes, walk around in them and feel the comfort/discomfort carefully and with patience. You will not know at once if the shoe is causing you discomfort. Also, just because you are able to squeeze your foot in a shoe does not mean it fits you well. A shoe that is too tight can cause serious damage to your foot, toes and your nails. Do not risk it just because your heart trips over a stunning pair; always keep your health and safety first.
Do not go shoe shopping alone.
The way we see ourselves and our appearance is often different from the way others see us. While it is perfectly okay to wear what you want and look the way you like, sometimes we can end up making a fool out of ourselves. We cannot always trust our own judgment and, as humans, our knowledge is limited; your friend might know a thing or two more than you or the average person about footwear or aesthetics overall, hence their opinion will be crucial. You don’t want to spend hours at the mall and end up buying something that gets damaged in the first wear only. Also, take your suit with you and try the shoes on with your suit, so your friend can tell you exactly how it looks and whether or not they go with each other.
• Get fitted for a tux/suit
No matter if you rent, borrow or buy the tux/suit, make sure it’s well fitted. Nothing is more unattractive than a poorly fit tux. It would be terrific if you go with the kind which compliments your body type so that you look the best you possibly can while being comfortable in your own skin. Make sure the fit is neither too tight nor too loose; get it made to fit you as comfortably as possible, allowing you to move your arms and legs all ways and not making it difficult for you to sit (which often happens when you are wearing pants). Also ask the tailor to leave room for modifications, as the suit should be ready at least a month or two weeks before the wedding day, and you can always gain or lose a few pounds in that duration. Hence, your suit should have room to accommodate the extra pounds while still making you look remarkable.