Wedding Etiquette Forum

Firing Best Man

We are having a destination wedding (in Memphis).  The best man is my fiancee's best friend (30 years +).  It's now three weeks before the wedding.  He still hasn't booked his flight, he still hasn't gone for his tux fitting (I've reminded him every second day for a couple of weeks now).  He suffered a major surprise separation from his wife about 9 months ago (wife announced she was a lesbian - seriously).  I sent an email to him a couple of weeks ago explaining that if this is too difficult a time for him to be part of this ceremony just let us know there will be no hard feelings.  No response from him.

When we first asked him he said he couldn't afford it.  I told him we would pay for the flight and he could stay with my son in his hotel room.  When we were setting up the tux we let him know that we would pay for it.  When I had already picked the colors of the wedding party (red because it is so close to Christmas) he had a fit.  He doesn't look good in red.  The tux is a morning suit style - just an inch or two of the red vest is showing along with a red bow tie.  Oh, and I found oodles of pictures of him on Facebook in red T-shirts, etc.  He finally let up about the color.  (My bridesmaid had already bought her dress when he announced he wasn't happy with the red so changing the color was not an option.)

Originally my son was going to walk me down the aisle in a coordinated suit instead of the tux.  I ordered my son a tux and told him he's the Best Man on stand-by.

How long do I let this go on before I just say enough is enough!  Tuxedo rental place said they need at least two weeks.  I need an answer by Nov. 19th.  Wedding date is on December 5th but we are picking up the tux on December 3rd in another city (wedding is in Memphis but we will be in Nashville for a week).  

We are having a very small wedding and I have already asked another person to be the unofficial "Master of Ceremonies" because I just can't trust the Best Man.

Any advise?  (Or maybe a hug.)  
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Re: Firing Best Man

  • You should not have made your son the best man on standby.  The groom picks his best man and he already did.  If his friend doesn't show then there is no best man at the wedding.  How about you stop nagging him?  That could actually be part of the problem.  He's having a rough year and you harping on him may be making him feel defensive and resistant. 

    BTW you could have changed the color.  His vest and bow tie do not need the match the bridesmaid's dress.  If his tux is black then the vest and tie can be black.  


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  • Blue_BirdBlue_Bird member
    Sixth Anniversary 500 Love Its 500 Comments First Answer
    edited November 2013
    scribe95 said:
    Why are you dealing with any of this? Your fiance should be dealing with his Best Man - NOT YOU. And seriously sending him reminder emails every other day is ridiculous. This is totally Bridezilla territory - made worse by the fact that he is GOING THROUGH A DIVORCE and you don't seem to care about anything but yourself. Leave it alone. Your FI is an adult. He can handle it.
    Yeah, I'm confused. Are you the bride or the groom, OP? If you're the bride, you really need to stay the hell out of it. You are way out of line. When you said "my fiancee's best friend", I assumed you were close to your future wife's male best friend. Now that I'm rereading it, I'm wondering why you're creating such a huge mess and messing with your fiance's friendships.
  • You will feel better if you try  not to worry about this.  What ever happens happens.  If he doesnt show up go with your plan B.  He should speak up and tell you what is going on in his head though.
  • This man's wife just left him FOR ANOTHER WOMAN, and you're pitching a fit because he won't wear the color you want him to?  Are you effing for real here?  Surely you are really not as self-centered and cruel as you are making yourself come across. You need to seriously BACK THE HELL OFF of this guy and let it go before you ruin your FI's and friend's friendship over a FREAKING TUX. He could show up in pajamas and clown shoes and you'll still get married. It was very nice of you to offer to pay his expenses so he could be there, but seriously, this guy has way bigger things in his life to deal with than your wedding. Stop being such a bridezilla and show some concern over his mental and emotional health as a friend, and understand that it's probably incredibly painful to him to even think about your wedding while he's dealing with this.  Your behavior is pathetic and reprehensible.
  • I agree with PP's, especially ceceibson. It sounds like he was trying to not be in your wedding from the start. Have you considered that it is possible that he just didn't want to be in it, and used finances as an excuse? Maybe after going through a divorce, being in a wedding party just wasn't what he wanted to do.

    Your constant badgering is doing nothing but creating a wider divide in your FI's friendship with this guy. Leave the poor guy alone. Let him do his own thing. If he shows up, great! If he doesn't, then you need to let FI talk to his friend, and keep yourself out of it. No one's wedding was ever ruined because there wasn't a BM.
  • Yes, I'm the bride.  The best man and I are like brother and sister and he chats with me as much as my fiancee (I share all of our conversations with my fiancee).  And yes, we have been with him every step of the way with the separation.  In the email I sent him I was very understanding and tried to gently let him off the hook if this is too hard for him. For your info, he's not returning any of my fiancee's emails.  My fiancee is as frustrated as I am.

    My reminders by the way are very subtle like, "by the way I'm free this evening if you want me to go down with you to get your measurements".

    We are having a very small wedding (one Bridesmaid, one Best Man).  It would be very obvious if one were missing which is why I got a tux for my son as well and we do need two witnesses.  He understands the situation and if needed he will perform double-duty.  

  • But cant we all agree that if he wants to back out, he should be man enough to tell her?
  • Yes, I'm the bride.  The best man and I are like brother and sister and he chats with me as much as my fiancee (I share all of our conversations with my fiancee).  And yes, we have been with him every step of the way with the separation.  In the email I sent him I was very understanding and tried to gently let him off the hook if this is too hard for him. For your info, he's not returning any of my fiancee's emails.  My fiancee is as frustrated as I am.

    My reminders by the way are very subtle like, "by the way I'm free this evening if you want me to go down with you to get your measurements".

    We are having a very small wedding (one Bridesmaid, one Best Man).  It would be very obvious if one were missing which is why I got a tux for my son as well and we do need two witnesses.  He understands the situation and if needed he will perform double-duty.  

    Okay...? No harm will be done if you don't have a Best Man. I'm telling you, not one single person who attends your wedding will care, and even if they did, are you telling me that the opinion of a person who would actually care about that matters more than the relationship that you are potentially destroying with this man?

    I also don't get the reference to the witnesses. If he doesn't show up, you still have two witnesses... they don't need to be your wedding party. Best Man and Bridesmaid are just titles.
  • But cant we all agree that if he wants to back out, he should be man enough to tell her?
    Yes, of course. But no one here is going to make him buck up and tell her and her fiance, so she needs to be prepared that he just may not show up, and it's not going to be the end of the world.
  • Thank you. ktjanesmom.  Basically I came on here to vent with other brides and instead I got picked on but you have been very understanding and I appreciate it.
  • I'm outta here and won't be on this site from now on.  What a waste of time.

  • We are having a destination wedding (in Memphis).  The best man is my fiancee's best friend (30 years +).  It's now three weeks before the wedding.  He still hasn't booked his flight, he still hasn't gone for his tux fitting (I've reminded him every second day for a couple of weeks now).  He suffered a major surprise separation from his wife about 9 months ago (wife announced she was a lesbian - seriously).  I sent an email to him a couple of weeks ago explaining that if this is too difficult a time for him to be part of this ceremony just let us know there will be no hard feelings.  No response from him.

    When we first asked him he said he couldn't afford it.  I told him we would pay for the flight and he could stay with my son in his hotel room.  When we were setting up the tux we let him know that we would pay for it.  When I had already picked the colors of the wedding party (red because it is so close to Christmas) he had a fit.  He doesn't look good in red.  The tux is a morning suit style - just an inch or two of the red vest is showing along with a red bow tie.  Oh, and I found oodles of pictures of him on Facebook in red T-shirts, etc.  He finally let up about the color.  (My bridesmaid had already bought her dress when he announced he wasn't happy with the red so changing the color was not an option.)

    Originally my son was going to walk me down the aisle in a coordinated suit instead of the tux.  I ordered my son a tux and told him he's the Best Man on stand-by.

    How long do I let this go on before I just say enough is enough!  Tuxedo rental place said they need at least two weeks.  I need an answer by Nov. 19th.  Wedding date is on December 5th but we are picking up the tux on December 3rd in another city (wedding is in Memphis but we will be in Nashville for a week).  

    We are having a very small wedding and I have already asked another person to be the unofficial "Master of Ceremonies" because I just can't trust the Best Man.

    Any advise?  (Or maybe a hug.)  

     

     

    (((((((hugs)))))))

    for what its worth I don't feel like this is bridezilla at all. I think that when you ask someone to do something and they say they will, then they don't, it doesn't look bad on you. I also think that you have been gracious about offering to pay for things and being understand if he can't be there for you right now.

    There is not one girl in my WP that could tell me she wanted a different color dress that I would say "oh okay" to! There is no way! There are just a few things where its okay to say "its my wedding on" and the color of the tux/dresses is one of them.

    Don't let these judge-y stuck up B-words bring you down even further. I hope your BM comes through, but if he doesn't I'm glad that someone will be there to stand up for your FI, especially because even though these ladies say a wedding doesn't NEED a best man, most places require witnesses to sign the paperwork which is really the big best man duty.

    Good luck.

  • But cant we all agree that if he wants to back out, he should be man enough to tell her?
    I don't think this has anything to do with being "man enough".  He has suffered a devastating loss.  We have no idea how this has impacted his personal and professional life, nor do we know how it has impacted his extended family.  

    @Typing Tornado:
    You say you have been with this friend "every step of the way" during this separation process and "chat" with him.  When is the last time you and/or FI had an actual conversation with him?  Have you spoken with him without bringing the wedding into the conversation?

    From his POV, I can see how he could be very conflicted.  Wanting to celebrate someone's marital happiness when your own has literally been taken away without warning is a tough sell in anyone's book.  He may be worried his demeanor will spoil your day.  He may not want to disappoint his long time friend, but cannot bring himself to be forthright because you keep accommodating his excuses.  Let the man bow out gracefully.  Let it go.
  • We are having a destination wedding (in Memphis).  The best man is my fiancee's best friend (30 years +).  It's now three weeks before the wedding.  He still hasn't booked his flight, he still hasn't gone for his tux fitting (I've reminded him every second day for a couple of weeks now).  He suffered a major surprise separation from his wife about 9 months ago (wife announced she was a lesbian - seriously).  I sent an email to him a couple of weeks ago explaining that if this is too difficult a time for him to be part of this ceremony just let us know there will be no hard feelings.  No response from him.

    When we first asked him he said he couldn't afford it.  I told him we would pay for the flight and he could stay with my son in his hotel room.  When we were setting up the tux we let him know that we would pay for it.  When I had already picked the colors of the wedding party (red because it is so close to Christmas) he had a fit.  He doesn't look good in red.  The tux is a morning suit style - just an inch or two of the red vest is showing along with a red bow tie.  Oh, and I found oodles of pictures of him on Facebook in red T-shirts, etc.  He finally let up about the color.  (My bridesmaid had already bought her dress when he announced he wasn't happy with the red so changing the color was not an option.)

    Originally my son was going to walk me down the aisle in a coordinated suit instead of the tux.  I ordered my son a tux and told him he's the Best Man on stand-by.

    How long do I let this go on before I just say enough is enough!  Tuxedo rental place said they need at least two weeks.  I need an answer by Nov. 19th.  Wedding date is on December 5th but we are picking up the tux on December 3rd in another city (wedding is in Memphis but we will be in Nashville for a week).  

    We are having a very small wedding and I have already asked another person to be the unofficial "Master of Ceremonies" because I just can't trust the Best Man.

    Any advise?  (Or maybe a hug.)  

     

     

    (((((((hugs)))))))

    for what its worth I don't feel like this is bridezilla at all. I think that when you ask someone to do something and they say they will, then they don't, it doesn't look bad on you. I also think that you have been gracious about offering to pay for things and being understand if he can't be there for you right now.

    There is not one girl in my WP that could tell me she wanted a different color dress that I would say "oh okay" to! There is no way! There are just a few things where its okay to say "its my wedding on" and the color of the tux/dresses is one of them.

    Don't let these judge-y stuck up B-words bring you down even further. I hope your BM comes through, but if he doesn't I'm glad that someone will be there to stand up for your FI, especially because even though these ladies say a wedding doesn't NEED a best man, most places require witnesses to sign the paperwork which is really the big best man duty.

    Good luck.

    So it's more important to make sure that you have the colors you want on your day than your best friends mental health?  Scary.

    At this point, I think you should move forward without him and let him focus on getting through a really difficult time in his life.  Don't you see how having to stand up at a wedding only a few months after his wife left him could be incredibly difficult?
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  • (((((((hugs)))))))

    for what its worth I don't feel like this is bridezilla at all. I think that when you ask someone to do something and they say they will, then they don't, it doesn't look bad on you. I also think that you have been gracious about offering to pay for things and being understand if he can't be there for you right now.

    There is not one girl in my WP that could tell me she wanted a different color dress that I would say "oh okay" to! There is no way! There are just a few things where its okay to say "its my wedding on" and the color of the tux/dresses is one of them.

    Don't let these judge-y stuck up B-words bring you down even further. I hope your BM comes through, but if he doesn't I'm glad that someone will be there to stand up for your FI, especially because even though these ladies say a wedding doesn't NEED a best man, most places require witnesses to sign the paperwork which is really the big best man duty.

    Good luck.

    To the bolded: Anyone can be a witness as long as they are of age. It does not have to specifically be the MOH and BM.

    Also, the OP is defiintely in bridezilla territory because she is putting her wedding before the devastating mess that the BM is in. He's got a lot bigger things to be dealing with right now than this bride.
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  • We see him every week.  We are in constant touch on facebook as well.  He posts silly stuff on our pages at least daily.  Of course we would check on him immediately if that stopped.  

    At first I thought the excuses were legitimate which is why I was so accommodating.  As soon as I put 1+1+1 together and realized that maybe he was trying to get out of it I sent him the email.  It was a lengthy, compassionate email and gave him the opportunity to gracefully bow out with no hard feelings.

    He wasn't the best man at my F's first wedding and he has given him a hard time of it for years.  We didn't badger him into this - if we hadn't asked him he would have been hurt severely.  
  • You will feel better if you try  not to worry about this.  What ever happens happens.  If he doesnt show up go with your plan B.  He should speak up and tell you what is going on in his head though.

    But cant we all agree that if he wants to back out, he should be man enough to tell her?
    Maybe he doesn't want to talk to these people about what is going on in his personal life because all they seem to be able to think about is their wedding? I agree that if he wants to back out he should speak up, but I would bet money that this couple isn't making him feel like he's able to do that.
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  • We see him every week.  We are in constant touch on facebook as well.  He posts silly stuff on our pages at least daily.  Of course we would check on him immediately if that stopped.  

    At first I thought the excuses were legitimate which is why I was so accommodating.  As soon as I put 1+1+1 together and realized that maybe he was trying to get out of it I sent him the email.  It was a lengthy, compassionate email and gave him the opportunity to gracefully bow out with no hard feelings.

    He wasn't the best man at my F's first wedding and he has given him a hard time of it for years.  We didn't badger him into this - if we hadn't asked him he would have been hurt severely.  
    He may be in a different mind set now.  It seems like you are trying to be sensitive, but he may just not be ready.  If he doesn't buy the tux or show up, you can just move forward without him.
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  • kristbot said:
    Maybe he doesn't want to talk to these people about what is going on in his personal life because all they seem to be able to think about is their wedding? I agree that if he wants to back out he should speak up, but I would bet money that this couple isn't making him feel like he's able to do that.
    Actually most of the time we don't talk about the wedding.  The email I sent him made it very easy to back out without any ill feelings.  I chose to send the email instead of talking in person to make it easier for him.  
  • @typingtornado I think you should just stop talking about the wedding with him. Try to be a good friend, and if he doesn't get the tux and show up to your wedding, so be it. Your wedding will still go on.  Also, you really shouldn't have a stand by best man, that's really unfair to your son. I understand you each just wanted one attendant, but in this situation I think it would have been more appropriate to ask your son if he wanted to stand up with your fiance (not best man). And if the best man shows up, then your fiance has 2 attendants and you have 1.  
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