View Full Version : Advice for a Best Man Speech
Anyone any advice for making a best man speech? Here's the catch - its not a wedding, its a civil ceremony. Its gonna be frickin difficult to avoid referring to the bride and groom.
Any tips anyone?
TheDaddy
08-05-2006, 22:57
I did one about a year ago, I think the key is to keep it short no more than 5 mins, your job really is to entertain, let their family do all the serious stuff.
don't do one we didn't at our wedding and then friends liked the idea and didn't at theirs...... nobody complained or even mentioned the fact.
Anyone any advice for making a best man speech? Here's the catch - its not a wedding, its a civil ceremony. Its gonna be frickin difficult to avoid referring to the bride and groom.
Any tips anyone?
Just refer to them as the "happy couple"... which they won't be for long... marriage does that :( (Can you tell I'm divorced?!)
Just keep it short, sweet, light-hearted, and optimistic.
monkey2468
08-05-2006, 23:23
Get drunk and make it up!
I have been best man twice. What I did was write some stuff that you know about the bride and groom, then speak to all of there family and friends (when the couple are not around) for all the juicy stuff they thought you wouldn't know about. ;)
I can tell you from my past mistake, write it down in note form, you may have the best memory in the world but don't be like me, I choked ;) :blush: thank everyone for coming, parents, family and friends, read some of the cards, some bits and pieces about the couple, the day etc etc, wish them all the happiness....................... get drunk :tu:
If your that desperate there are plenty of tips, just google :tu:
http://www.thebestmanspeech.com/
TheBlueRaja
09-05-2006, 10:18
This thread is going to be a life saver for me next year....
1. Intro - Thank the guests / the families / etc.
2. Explain it's a special day / and congratulate the couple
3. Background info. Tell a few stories about them, crack a few jokes.
4. Their commitment. Talk about how you think they will be good together
5. Wish them all the best, and you are Done.
I did one about a year ago, I think the key is to keep it short no more than 5 mins, your job really is to entertain, let their family do all the serious stuff.
On the contrary, the only official duty of a Best Man is to respond to the toast made by the groom on behalf of the bridesmaids (who apparently are incapable of speaking for themselves). Then again, there may not be any bridesmaids at this gathering, so as you were ... :erm: :D
I had a best man speech all planned out for my friend's wedding years ago, but in the event the whole process of getting him ready and to the church on time was such an operation all by itself that I just threw the notes out and related the story of the morning to everyone. They all had a good laugh about it anyway.
The thing to remember is not to make the couple the butt of any vicious jokes. Gentle humour is the key. If there's the slightest chance they (or any of the party) won't find it funny, don't say it. It's their day, not the launch of your stand-up career.
And don't forget to say some embarrassingly complimentary things about them as well. Talk them up, be positive and always optimistic.
Scarlett
09-05-2006, 14:16
And watch out for the Groom, my best man got his come-uppance before he started his speach when we produced a birthday cake and all the guests sang happy birthday (it was indeed his birthday). I've seen the vid adn the look on his face was priceless (He didn't have a clue!)
He got his revenge though dragging up stuff from my childhood that whilst embarasing was not going to result in me being lynched. The guests however loved it.
As for advice, I'd write out the whole speech first and then practice. Keep going over it and slowing yourself down. Either take the speech in with you or take some cue cards. Unless your ultra confident I wouldn't try to wing it.
Certainly go for the humour angle, this is the best chance you going to get at making the groom the butt of the gags and is expected. As Chris T said above keep it gentle. Run it pass a couple of mates as well (and possibly your Mum) just in case, that'll weed out any duff jokes and away you go.
Oh and finally be careful how much you drink before the speech. A few glasses of wine with dinner is fine (As is a single shot of something to steady your nerves - and yes, you will be nervous) but standing up and swaying and then sluring your words is generally considered bad form.
Get drunk and make it up!
Oh no, don't do that whatever happens. I got very drunk, toasted Christmas and Yorkshire Pudding and then snored off the rest of the day.
Vlad_Dracul
09-05-2006, 19:52
There are plenty of wedding speech type websites with examples of good speeches. Just have a read of them,pick the best bits out of each and adapt to suit. Then fear of all fears,practice your delivery. Most people are scared witless of public speaking. I used to be but im not now cos ive done it that often that it makes little impression on me. Learn it,look at the crowd,deliver with confidence.
dont panic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would say bear in mind that most of the guests would generally be supporting you as they would honestly be terrified of giving a speech themselves. Keep the humour lighthearted and lay off the booze until after as most people have said.
If you want to do a funny story, see if you can get something from their childhood - it keeps the relatives happy as they remember him as a kid and it will give his mates a good laugh too
On the contrary, the only official duty of a Best Man is to respond to the toast made by the groom on behalf of the bridesmaids (who apparently are incapable of speaking for themselves). Then again, there may not be any bridesmaids at this gathering, so as you were ... :erm: :D
I had a best man speech all planned out for my friend's wedding years ago, but in the event the whole process of getting him ready and to the church on time was such an operation all by itself that I just threw the notes out and related the story of the morning to everyone. They all had a good laugh about it anyway.
The thing to remember is not to make the couple the butt of any vicious jokes. Gentle humour is the key. If there's the slightest chance they (or any of the party) won't find it funny, don't say it. It's their day, not the launch of your stand-up career.
And don't forget to say some embarrassingly complimentary things about them as well. Talk them up, be positive and always optimistic.
All good advice. A couple of years ago, one of my friends was best man at another friend's wedding, and he was trying to entertain the crowd as well as the above. A whole group of us were sitting on one of the tables, and the best man kept looking at us to see if we were laughing. Of course, when we noticed this, we all sat there stony faced, just to wind the best man up. We suceeded.
My own advice? Well, speaking in a language that the bride and most of the guests understand is good*, but apart from that, keep it fairly light hearted, and pay plenty of compliments to both bride and groom.
*A few years ago, my aunt married a man who, while English, was from a Serbian family. His family insisted that all the speeches be in Serbian, thus leaving the bride and over half the guests looking confused and bored for over an hour.
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