Best Man Speech: 11 Tips To Guarantee Success

The best man speech. Possibly one of the biggest moments a man has to prepare for in life (apart from the father of the bride speech, that is). But relax, because we’ve laid out some key best man speech ideas - from handy speech writing tips to storytelling ideas - to help plan out the greatest and most enjoyable best man speech your best friend will ever hear. Put your nerves behind you with this easy-to-digest best man speech structure, writing you a one-way ticket to a brilliant speech that will bring tears, laughter and applause. So, follow our simple tips and you’ll cruise through your best man speech with ease. 1. BULLET POINT THE WHOLE THING Choose the top 10 things you really want to say. Include a mix of funny anecdotes and stories, when the groom met the bride, comments on the day so far and anything else you want to add from school to questionable fashion choices, family, a round-up of people to thank and, of course, a few surprises... 2. FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING Be sure to come up with a killer opening line to get the crowd on your side. Whether it’s a witty remark, anecdote about the groom or comment on the big day, the choice is yours. 3. INTRODUCE YOURSELF Don’t forget to tell the crowd who you are and how you know the groom. While a number of the wedding party might already know that you and the groom became close while studying together at university, there will be a handful of people who have no idea who you are. 4. TELL STORIES ABOUT THE GROOM But keep it clean! Your best man speech jokes don’t want to be remembered for all the wrong reasons. You and the boys might find it funny, but the bride and the rest of the guests will be expecting you to keep a lid on anything X-rated. Instead, tell stories of the groom’s character and times you’ve had together. You can allude to wild behaviour pre-relationship, although it’ll be best for everyone if you keep it mild. Think of the grandparents! 5. INCLUDE THE BRIDE Working in a story about how the groom met the bride or how happy she makes your best friend, will always go down well with the crowd. Commenting on how great the bride looks, is quite traditional and a nice point to consider, too. 6. KEEP IT SHORT AND LIGHT HEARTED Best man speech jokes are great, but don’t put pressure on yourself to be a stand-up comedian - the laughs will come regardless as people will be expecting it to be fun. Around 15-20 minutes is a good length of time to get in all of your bulletpointed pieces. So try and give just over a minute for each 10 points and you’ll have it spot on. 7. MAKE IT RELATABLE Some of the guests may not know your closeknit group of friends, so try to keep the overall speech relatable. That way guests will feel like they’re in with the jokes too. Mentioning memories with friends is of course fine, but don’t make it all about that - incorporate maybe something from when the groom was a child, or general points on his personality. 8. DON’T BE AFRAID TO USE PROPS If you’re feeling nervous, props are great for something to hold and talk about. Maybe a funny retro photo of the groom that you can include on each table too, or something edible that can lead on to a story. These work so much better than projectors - which can be fiddly to set up and can lead to your speech not going to plan! 9. PRACTICE The best man speech doesn’t have to be a completely rehearsed, set dialogue. But practicing will help keep timings on track for each of your bullet points. Once you know what you want to say about each part, you can use your points as you go to prompt the next section. If you feel you need the whole thing written out for comfort, that’s fine too. But be aware when practicing, that you don’t want to sound like you’re reading, but speaking to the bride, groom and guests. 10.RAISE A GLASS The best way to finish is to toast the newlyweds. Then you’re done and can enjoy the rest of the party! 11. ROPE IN OTHERS TO HELP If the thought of public speaking fills you with dread (don’t worry, you’re not alone!), rope in the ushers to help with parts of the speech. With a bunch of your friends by your side, your nerves will soon disappear.