What to do if your best Man Bails
We are assuming that this has been done at the last minute and there isn't time to get another man into the former best man's tuxedo. This is a difficult situation but it isn't terminal.
You have two choices. You go with your next best man and just operate one man short. Or you go with your next best man and have another man join the groomsmen even if he isn't in a tux. The choice here is, "Which situation looks worse?" If you are short one man, one of the maids of honor will have to leave (recess) after the wedding without an escort. Also, there will be an obvious shortfall in the groomsmen's line. With the other choice, all of the maids will have escorts and you will have one man in the groomsmen's line out of uniform.
I personally think that a man wearing a nice suit taking the place of the missing groomsman (one of the groomsmen having taken the place of the best man), is better than being one short and having one maid walk out down the aisle by herself.
The bride and groom need to keep their cool. Everyone needs to keep his cool. This is a wedding and you are among friends and family. The missing best man can be dealt with later. Don't let this ruin the wedding. Everyone present will be understanding of the situation even if they don't know what happened to the best man. The bride and groom, and the entire wedding party, need to remember what is important and why they are there. There is absolutely no reason why you can't have a beautiful wedding and a beautiful day even with such a crisis to deal with.
