Were you lucky enough to be named Best Man? Congrats! You’ll be the groom’s right hand for their wedding. While the primary duties of the best man include organizing the bachelor party and providing emotional support, the best man speech is the final responsibility that many best men fear. You’ll want your speech to be heartfelt, emotional, witty, and most importantly, you’ll want to do your best in honoring the newlyweds. Here’s an fail-safe guide to writing and delivering an unmatched best man speech.
Tips for Giving a Best Man Speech
Plan ahead.
You don’t have to show up with a perfectly edited and memorized speech, but it’ll pay to plan properly. Begin brainstorming and jotting down thoughts, stories, jokes, and quotes you might want to incorporate into your speech. Make sure you’re orating, not just reading off a piece of paper. Remember, connecting with the wedding guests is what will make your speech stand out.
Practice with an audience.
Just like everything else in life, practice makes perfect. We recommend grabbing a few friends to act as an audience. If you don’t want anyone to hear the speech before the big day, film yourself on your phone and watch the video to see what you need to fix.
Grab their attention.
When beginning your best man speech, a killer opening line is the best way to grab the audience’s attention. If one-liners or jokes aren’t your forte, hop online and search for inspirational quotes. Here are some of our favorite quotes to integrate into your speech.
‘At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.”
– Plato
“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
– Emily Bronte
“The most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a woman’s heart.”
– Timothy Titcomb, J.G. Holland
”A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”
– Mignon McLaughlin
Add humor.
Contrary to popular belief, best man speech jokes don’t all have to be corny. Whether you’re giving the groom a full roasting or you want some clever one-liners to entertain the crowd, adding humor can ease your nerves and provoke happy tears. Take a few jabs at the groom by cracking jokes at his poor golf game, dancing skills, etc. To help you get your creative juices flowing, here are some classic and funny jokes for your best man speech:
“Loyal, caring, sincere, honest, and a great man. But enough about me!”
“It’s been an emotional day, even the cake is in tiers.”
“I’d like to congratulate the groom on a wonderful speech. I always knew it would be hard to follow, and I was right. I could hardly follow a word of it.”
Tell a story.
Since your best man speech should be sentimental, consider sharing a personal story that people can resonate with on deeper level. Find a connection between your relationship with the groom and your support for the couple. You’ll earn major kudos if you discuss how much of a perfect match the bride and groom are.
Compliment the bride.
The groom selected your role as best man, but it’s just as important for you to acknowledge the woman (or man) he’s marrying. It pays to be giving with complimentary words when paying tribute to the bride. Engage the audience by asking questions like, “Doesn’t our bride look stunningly beautiful today?” These type of statements will encourage the wedding guests to applause.
Keep it short and sweet.
Wondering how long a best man speech should be? In most cases, wedding guests don’t want to listen to ten minutes of inside jokes. To ensure that your best man speech doesn’t draw yawns, keep your speech under five minutes. In addition to keeping it short, keep it sweet. The average wedding will have guests from all ages, so try your best to use family-friendly content throughout your speech.
End with good wishes.
The final part of your best man speech will play an important part in how the audience reacts to your overall performance. A perfect way to end your speech is to raise your glass and propose an uplifting and inspiring toast. Ask the audience to stand as you wish the bride and groom a lifetime of love, laughter and happily ever after.
Mistakes to Avoid in a Best Man Speech
Here are a few things you should exclude from your best man speech.
Don’t mention ex-girlfriends.
Unless you want to be public enemy number one, avoid mentioning any ex-girlfriends. You may think it would be hilarious to see them squirm, but this is guaranteed to bomb on the day.
Don’t swear.
A best man speech isn’t the time or place to use profanities. If your Grandmother wouldn’t approve of the language in your speech, consider rewriting it.
Don’t wing it.
Unprepared speeches rarely go as planned. Avoid making bizarre off-the-cuff comments by writing down your speech and practicing a handful of times ahead of time.
Don’t get drunk.
Although you may be tempted to ease your nerves and gain some liquid courage with a few beers, make sure you don’t overindulge before your speech. This common mistake can lead to inappropriate remarks or drunken ramblings. There will be plenty of time after the speeches to indulge and join the celebrations of the wedding fully.
The Takeaway
Penning a best man speech can be tricky. Even if you’re afraid of public speaking, we hope this guide helps you deliver your best man speech with equal part poise and entertainment. Don’t forget to have fun!
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