Wedding Day Advice | Speeches

Be a stand-up guy
Helping you prepare the perfect wedding speech

There’s no doubt that being asked to stand as your friend’s best man is a real honour. Naturally, you want to do this thing right, which includes delivering a really memorable best man’s speech. Luckily for you, we’ve put together a list of guidelines to help get you on your way. So grab a pen and paper and start reading.

Traditionally, the best man is introduced to speak third, after the father of the bride and the groom have spoken. The best man’s speech is usually the one that guests look forward to the most, as it is the most light-hearted and amusing of the speeches at the reception‚ so it’s okay to show off a little (no pressure!)

Sometimes, the best man may be asked to do double-duty and stand as the MC too (aren’t you the lucky boy?!) so bear that in mind when doing your preparation.

Before you begin, make sure you read our article on how to deliver a great wedding speech. This will guide you in the right direction as far as preparation and delivery go. As stressed in the article, don’t forget to confer with the other speakers and the MC a month or so before the wedding so that the content of the speeches don’t overlap.

Photo courtesy of Once Wed

And introducing…
The elements of the best man’s speech

There are no hard and fast rules about exactly what you need to say or how it needs to be said. Ask the bride and groom if there is anything that they would like you to include, and don’t forget to practice your speech so that all you’ll need is a couple of key words on an index card. Here are a few points to consider.

Duration: 4-8 minutes (around 900 words)

Message: Words of congratulations to the bride and groom, from yourself as well as on behalf of those who couldn’t attend the wedding; amusing anecdotes and words of wisdom for the groom

Tone: Sincere, funny and wry. The best man’s speech should amuse the audience.

Humour: Generous, tasteful jokes are in order (consult our jokes and quotations article for some ideas)

Speech components:

• A light opener or introduction
• The main body
• A closing quotation, poem or statement
• Your toast to the bride and groom (and/or their parents)

Don’t forget to:

• Warmly greet the guests
• Thank the bride and groom for asking you to be the best man
• Read emails and messages that have been sent by those who could not attend
• Address the bride from time to time, even though your main focus is the groom
• Wrap up the humour at the end then extend your warm and sincere wishes to the married couple
• Deliver a sincere, heartfelt toast to the bride and groom

When speaking about the groom:

• Talk about the groom as a child
• Mention anything amusing about your friendship with the groom that may be relevant
• Relay funny anecdotes about how the bride and groom met
• Avoid talking about ex-girlfriends or anything else that may embarrass him (or, worse, the bride)
• Speak of any amusing incidents involving the planning of the wedding

Remember:

• It’s okay to be funny, hilarious even, but offensive, humiliating remarks are a no-no
• Break the humour periodically with a sincere, kind statement
• Decorum is key, so avoid guffaws of laughter and turning the reception into a circus
• An outpouring of sincerity, warmth and humour is your main aim
• If you need further inspiration, search online for best man’s wedding speech examples
• Visit www.chargeyourglasses.com where you can build your speech line by line.

Addressing a large audience is never easy, but if you follow our guidelines and practice your speech a good few times, we know that you’re going to do just fine. Don’t forget that everyone is already feeling warm and fuzzy‚ your speech is just the cherry on top. Good luck!