Being best man is both an honor and a huge responsibility - if you think it's just a case of buying a few beers on a boy's night out, think again! You've got a lot of organizing to do, there's etiquette to follow and, of course, the dreaded speech to make. Fear not, however, asBe a Best Man in a Day For Dummies is here to help. It's a humorous, yet information packed step-by-step guide to your role and responsibilities.

This is a cut-down version ofBeing the Best Man For Dummies. Topics covered include:

The bachelor partyThe wedding preparationsThe ceremonyThe receptionWriting the speechDelivery and presentationTen essentials to bring to the weddingTen nightmare wedding scenariosTen great speech opening lines

Dominic Bliss was a founding editor of the men's wedding magazineStag& Groom and is now a freelance journalist and editor who has written forGQ,Big Issue,Men's Health,Sky The Magazine andOlympic Review amongst others.

Introduction 1

What You Can Do in a Day 1

Foolish Assumptions  1

Icons Used in This Book  2

Chapter 1: Best Man Basics 3

Important Advice to Heed  3

Acting as the middle man  4

Keeping in with the in-laws 5

Shining at the engagement party  6

Being the best best man a man can get  6

Chapter 2: Stag Dos and Stag Donts 9

Sticking to the Guest List Only 9

Choosing the Organiser 11

Getting Out and About 13

Taking to the Sporting Life 14

Deciding on Evening Entertainment  16

Sorting Out the Details  17

Gathering the Boys on the Day  19

Setting Him Up  21

Getting the Stag Home  22

Chapter 3: The Build Up 23

Getting to the Church on Time 23

Preparing Your Wardrobe  24

Ushering the Ushers  30

Rehearsing the Wedding Ceremony  31

Organising the Grooms Last Night  33

Chapter 4: Wedding Day 35

Rise and Shine  35

Cool as a Cucumber  36

Cross-town Traffic 36

Band of Brothers: Organising the Ushers  37

Dutch Courage: The Grooms Last Drink as a Free Man  38

The Moment Arrives: The Ceremony  39

Postnuptial Duties 42

Chapter 5: The Wedding Reception 45

The Reception  45

Guest Appearances  46

The Receiving Line  47

Master of All He Surveys 48

Seeing Off the Newlyweds 50

Chapter 6: The Speech 53

Putting Pen to Paper  53

Practice Makes Perfect  65

Delivering the Goods  66

Chapter 7: Where to Go from Here 75

Taking Your First Steps towards a Winning Stag Do  75

Visiting dummies.com 76