I’ve been best man five times – from successful stags to sincere speeches, here’s my wedding advice

Father-of-two Francis Nesbitt, from Kilkenny, has been best man five times and says that while it can be a stressful and costly experience, he was always delighted to accept the honour

Francis Nesbitt at his home in Co Kilkenny. Photo: Dylan Vaughan

Francis Nesbitt

“Like most people, my late 20s and 30s were busy attending weddings of friends and family. But I had a particularly busy time as I was asked to be best man five times during that period. From old fishing buddies to college friends, there were a lot of stag parties to organise and speeches to write.

Of course, being asked to be a best man is obviously a great honour, but make no mistake, it comes with real responsibilities. This isn’t just about making a speech at the wedding and not losing the rings. It’s also about being a project manager as well as a fire fighter right through the wedding day. There is also the event planner role when it comes to the stag, and the cat wrangler role when it comes to getting the other stags to pay.