Do’s and Dont’s for the best man and maid of honor

Best man:

1. Don’t tell the groom, “Don’t do it, there’s still time.”
2. Don’t get the groom drunk before he walks down the aisle.
3. Don’t encourage the groom to be nervous.
4. Don’t persuade the groom to cheat at the bachelor party.
5. Don’t get too drunk to give your speech at the reception.
6. Do calm his nerves down before the ceremony — without alcohol.
7. Do tell him how lucky he is to have found such a great girl.
8. Do help him make his bride happy. No matter what.
9. Do throw him an amazing bachelor party — no cheating allowed.
10. Do help him pick up the tuxes and make sure they all fit correctly.

Maid of honor:

1. Don’t encourage her to be mad at the groom if he isn’t helping with the wedding.
2. Don’t make the bride any more nervous than she already is.
3. Don’t tell her you’re too busy to help plan with her.
4. Don’t tell her she looks “OK” in her wedding dress.
5. Don’t lie to her during dress shopping. If it makes her look hideous, tell her!
6. Do help her as much as possible with whatever she needs.
7. Do tell her how amazing she looks on the big day.
8. Do tell her how happy you are for her.
9. Do buy her a sexy outfit for the night-of or the honeymoon.
10. Do make sure you have all the details of your duties that day before the ceremony starts.

To be a great maid of honor or best man, it’s tough work. It takes time, money and a lot of patience. Don’t say yes to the bride or groom before you know what you’re getting yourself into.

“Being the maid of honor is so much fun, but it can also be stressful,” said Leslie Millard, junior in marketing and journalism and mass communication. “I think a good maid of honor tries to take all of the stress off of the bride so that her big day can be perfect.”

Top MOH duties include planning the bridal shower and bachelorette party. Other duties include: helping pick her wedding dress, getting the perfect shoes, picking her hairstyle for the big day, how her makeup should look and getting her nails done.

The bride needs to look amazing on her special day, and the maid of honor is her assistant. She comes first, no matter what.

“When I was the maid of honor for my sister’s wedding, I went to a lot of appointments with her and gave my opinions. It is always nice to have a second opinion on everything, from the flowers and photo spots all the way to the tiny accessories,” Millard said.

This will be the one and only wedding — hopefully — and it’s on your shoulders to also make sure nothing goes wrong. If the bride has a breakdown, she’s coming to the maid of honor … no pressure!

“For the day of, the maid of honor needs to know how to place the dress just right for the ceremony and help with those oh-so-dreaded bathroom breaks at the reception,” Millard said.” She is there to make the bride look and feel flawless, like she should.”

The main best man duty is planning the bachelor party. Let’s face it, the best man has it a lot easier than the MOH, so hopefully he doesn’t screw up the few duties he does have.

Make sure the bachelor party is fun and exciting, but also no naughty business. Don’t encourage the groom to cheat on his bride. Even if it is the bachelor party and his “last night as a free man,” it’s still not OK. Don’t screw up his marriage before it even starts!

Some other duties the best man is in charge of: keeping the groom sober before the ceremony. The bride will never forgive him if he walks down that aisle wasted and doesn’t remember saying, “I do.” So keep the booze away until the bubbles are blown, rice is thrown or whatever else they do after the ceremony.

These duties don’t sound too tough, but they are vital. A bad best man and/or maid of honor will ruin a great wedding if they don’t fulfill their duties correctly.

Again, no pressure.

Lastly, and most importantly, listen to the bride and groom. It’s their day, and they are the most important people, especially the bride. You’re there to help them with whatever they need.