The Best Man (How I Met Your Mother)

Ted is called in to speak to Barney before his wedding to a mystery bride. Barney wonders if should have gone with "the other tie", as this is the "tie" he will have to "wear" for the rest of his life. Barney fears that this will be the worst wedding of all time. Ted responds by saying that they have already been to the worst wedding ever: Punchy's.

In September 2011, the gang attended Punchy's wedding, with Ted as the best man. Ted reveals that he had become infamous for crying each time his high school friends ask him to make a toast at their weddings, so he is determined to make his wedding toast perfect.

Meanwhile, Lily and Marshall are not prepared to reveal Lily's pregnancy. At the wedding, Lily gets Marshall to consume all her drinks; Marshall becomes extremely drunk as a result. After seeing all the couples with babies, though, they become convinced that they should reveal Lily's pregnancy to the group.

Robin pokes Barney about not calling Nora. Lily realizes that Robin still has feelings for Barney and encourages her to tell him. Robin denies it, and is prepared to tell Barney that there is nothing between them when he pulls her onto the dance-floor, proving Lily right. Barney receives a call from Nora, whom he reveals he actually called multiple times. Robin feeds him the words that she had intended to say to him and Barney succeeds at convincing Nora to meet him again.

Ted reveals to Robin that he is losing faith that he will find "the one", now that all his high-school friends have families he is still alone. Robin convinces Ted not to lose hope. When Marshall and Lily reveal her pregnancy to the group, Ted becomes emotional and cries during his toast. Marshall stands up for Ted, saying that Ted's tears are because he is happy that Lily is pregnant. However, his words are unclear and Punchy's wife Kelly assumes that he is referring to her and reveals that she is also pregnant. Kelly's news causes a fight between Punchy's family and her family (There is a possible inconsistency in this because in Sandcastles in the Sand it is heavily implied that Punchy's father died several years earlier. However, when Kelly's father insults Punchy, an older man jumps up and says, "You can't talk that way to my son!" However, this could simply be Punchy's step-father).

Returning to Barney's wedding, Ted assures Barney that he has chosen the right tie when Lily enters the room to inform Ted that Barney's bride-to-be has asked to see him. As Ted leaves the room, Lily questions Barney over the choice of the actual tie he is wearing, making him change.

Donna Bowman of The A.V. Club rated the episode an A, praising the episode as the mark of "professionals at work both in front of and behind the camera, demonstrating impeccable timing, delivering moments of real emotion, and never forgetting what makes them funny."[2]

• "The Best Man" at IMDb