5 Unexpected Best Man Duties

Got your Best Man duties nailed? You should be doing much more than taking care of the groom and roasting him in the best man speech! Here are five duties you might not expect'but which you should be all over, if you're going to be the best of best men.

1. Sort the gifts

What did you think the bride and groom were going to do - stick them in the boot and drive to the honeymoon carting all the gifts with them? You need to be on hand to help move gifts and get them stowed safely in the happy couple's home. Note to beer monsters: that means being sober enough to read labels at the end of the night. Good luck with that.

2. Get everyone together for the photos

How do the bride and groom get the great group shots with everyone smiling (and always that one guy mid-blink)? Best Man, step forward. Your role here is to know all the group photos the bride and groom want, and get everyone together ready for their picture. Make yourself useful, chap. I recommend keeping a list of those must-have shots, and ticking them off when they happen. Be like a boy scout, always prepared.

3. Act as a host at the reception

While everyone else is crying/running around after kids/being too drunk to do stuff, you'll be marshalling the guests, introducing all the in-laws to each other, and basically acting like the most organised man in the room. Hey, at least it'll take your mind off the speech you have to give in 10 minutes' time.

4. Make sure the bride and groom always have a drink in their hands?¦to a point

No, don't get them hammered. This is the biggest day of their collective lives. They should be allowed to enjoy themselves, but they also want to remember it! Make sure they're not empty handed, until they've drunk enough to sink six ships. Then get yelled at for stopping the bride from telling her mother in law what she really thinks of her.

5. Get everyone up on the dance floor

No need to pull out any David Brent-style dancing, but at least make the dance floor look busy by encouraging people to get up and shake their stuff. Actually, scratch that. You've kept the rings safe, you've helped arrange the photos and you've pulled off the biggest speech of your life. It's time to par-tay like the sun is never coming up again. Clear some room to move and get down with your bad self. There's nothing a bridesmaid likes better than a man in a suit doing disco moves.