Top tips for writing your Best Man’s speech
One of the biggest responsibilities of the best man is to stand up at the ceremony and give a speech about the groom. It gives the best man the opportunity to say a few public thank yous that might otherwise go unsaid, and also the chance to send off his best friend into a long and happy marriage with his best wishes. If you’ve been chosen as your mate’s best man but have no idea where to start writing your speech, check out these top tips for writing your Best Man’s speech.
Introduce yourself
Sure, you and the groomsmen are all acquainted with each other, but not everybody attending the wedding will know who you are. Introduce yourself and thank everybody for attending, thank the groom for giving you the honour of being his best man and thank the families of both the bride and groom for their help with the special occasion. Once the thanks are done spare a little bit of time to let everybody know how you and the groom became friends, this is the perfect time for a funny anecdote about your early years as friends.
Make the groom look good
In some respects you are there to make the groom look good, so make sure that when delivering your speech you put in a few mentions to how good a person they are. Say how well suited he and his bride are, what you admire about him and how you think he will go on to be a great husband and addition to the bride’s family. The people listening want to know why you are his best friend and why he will be able to make his wife happy in the coming years and decades.
Don’t forget the jokes
This is your opportunity to poke fun at your best mate, or relative, in front of the entire wedding party so make sure you take it. It doesn’t have to be horribly gruesome, there are probably children and others around that shouldn’t hear about certain things, but don’t be afraid to make him a little embarrassed. It is tradition, after all, to make the groom squirm a little as he sits watching his best man make his speech. Just make sure to keep it fairly clean.
The don’ts
Do not, under any circumstance, mention his ex-girlfriends, that is not going to go down well with anybody. Sure there might be a hilarious anecdote regarding an ex, but you’ll just have to do better and find something else to talk about. Ask yourself if you’d be happy to say it in front of your nan and grandad, if you think your nan would cringe, don’t put it in. Make sure you actually write your speech. Do not leave it until the last minute or worse, wing it. You have been chosen as your friend thought you would do a good job so don’t let him, or yourself down, prepare.
Practice and stay sober
You’ll be nervous about standing up in front of a hundred or so people, so naturally, you might want a drink to calm your nerves. Try and avoid drinking too much until after you have given your speech, that way it won’t be an incoherent mumbling and you’ll be able to remember it much better too. The best way to overcome the nerves is to practice your speech several times, or until you feel as though you’ve nailed it. Write the speech a couple of weeks at least before the big event, giving you enough time to make last-minute tweaks.
In a nutshell, you just need to thank everybody who contributed to the day, make your friend sound amazing and get a few little quips in to make everybody laugh at him. You don’t have to write a thesis so don’t worry about it being too short. Lastly, make sure you finish with a toast to the bride and groom. These top tips for writing your Best Man’s speech should help get you started. Good luck, you’ll boss it!
Image credit:
Feature image
Image 1
Image 2
Hi, I’m Connor and I write stuff. One of the things I like best about weddings is all the free food and drink you get. Sure it’s nice to see your friends and family for a special occasion, but food is my best friend.