Following nationwide search by leading stag and hen travel expert, Red 7
Sean Keenan from Stokeinteignhead in Devon has been crowned Britain’s Best Best Man, following a nationwide search by leading stag and hen travel expert, Red7.
The competition was created by Red7 to celebrate its 20th anniversary, and the changing role of the Best Man over that time, but it was the story of Sean’s time as Best Man in June this year that really blew the judges away.
Nominated by Thom Brown, the groom who chose him for the prestigious role, Sean was a first time Best Man – and has decided that, following his win, he will never take up the job again!
Sean, 41, commented: “Generally speaking, I enjoyed the Best Man process, but having won this competition, I will retire from all future Best Man obligations with my undisputed unblemished record firmly intact. 
“I actually turned down another friend who asked me to be his best man at the same time as Thom, as I wanted to commit 100% to one wedding. I felt awful at the time but this award definitely confirms I made the right decision!”
Despite being a first-timer, Sean went above and beyond from the get-go to ensure that his mate had the perfect wedding experience.
Sean organised a long weekend in Amsterdam for the stag do, including a private booth for boxing-mad Thom to watch the Joshua v Klitschko fight… and when one of the party missed his flight home, it was Sean who organised, and footed the bill for, his safe return.
When the suit hire firm ‘lost’ the bridal party’s suits, less than 24-hours before the wedding, Sean saved the day for a second time. Stepping up in the groom’s time of need, Sean drove the two-hour roundtrip to the tailor’s multiple times in a day to find a solution, securing upgraded replacement suits for entire party.
Sean’s efforts are all the more outstanding considering that he was raising money for family charity ifightforjames, in support of children with muscular dystrophy, and training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for charity MDUK at the same time. The charities are causes close to Sean’s heart as all three of his sons have been diagnosed with the condition.
In fact, Sean was unable to attend the official Britain’s Best Best Man announcement in person, as he was on his way to Kilimanjaro base camp ready to begin his charity climb, instead, Sean joined the event via FaceTime.
Speaking after being named the winner, Sean said: “This really means a lot to me, for different reasons. I have put myself through a lot this year with training for this climb and other things going on outside of being a Best Man. So, to be nominated by somebody I genuinely respect and admire was very flattering.
“Being a Best Man is not a joke the way it used to be - just getting hammered the night before and turning up with the price tags still on your shoes. For me, there was an element of responsibility to the bride and groom, being as you only get one go at it.”
Thom added: “Sean made sure our day went exactly as planned, whilst injecting humour into the entire event. His dedication to us on the day and in preceding weeks was miraculous for someone with so much going on. He even took time out of his training for climbing Kilimanjaro to help make our wedding perfect. He really does deserve this award and being able to put him forward has allowed me to give back a tiny amount of what he gave us on our special day.”
The winner was announced at a lavish event in Brighton hosted by ‘King of Stags’ Ian Lucas, founder of Red7. The night began with drinks at the Jurys Inn, followed by dinner at the recently launched Malmaison, moving to private areas at Bohemia and The Jetty and finally dancing in the VIP area at Shoosh nightclub on Brighton’s seafront.
Ian commented: “The number and quality of entries to the Best Best Man competition was fantastic, but Sean really showed how important a first rate Best Man can be. He went the extra mile, and then some, and is a very worthy winner.
“We wish Sean all the very best for his Kilimanjaro climb – hopefully he’s made up on the training he missed for the stag do!”
For more information on Red7, please visit www.redsevenleisure.co.uk.
Photo credit: Victoria Dawe.
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