Your friend’s wedding is around the corner, and the groom has asked you to be the best man, congratulations! Being the best man is a great honor but comes with several responsibilities. During the reception, the best man typically gives a speech, which may be incredibly intimidating for some people. Of course, you want your speech to be brilliant, but where do you start? Writing the best man’s speech is easier than you think, and we are here to help! Here we will provide some valuable recommendations for writing your speech, including an outline and even best man speech examples!
Starting your best man speech may seem daunting if you’re new to speech writing. So, let’s begin by developing an outline of the elements you’ll likely want to include. This will be the best man speech structure:
Use this best man speech template to start thinking about how to structure your speech and each element you must include. In the following section, we will discuss each piece, what it should look like, and best man speech examples to guide you along the way.
A great opening line can capture the wedding guests’ attention, get them invested in your speech, and set the tone. Consider if you’re going for a romantic or funny speech; this should determine how you start.
Remember, if you’re going for a funny speech, make sure you also include something sentimental – the take-home message and the closing toast are great places to focus on the sentimental.
Tip: don’t mention that you’re nervous; people assume that you’re nervous you don’t need to say it out loud.
Best man speech examples of opening lines:
You should thank the people who spoke before you, compliment the wedding and express gratitude to those who made the wedding possible.
This is likely the biggest part of your speech and should take up the most time.
You’ll likely want to include some background context before jumping into the story that gives the guests an idea of who you are and your relationship with the groom. Use it as an intro to build up some anticipation for the stories you will tell but make sure to make it about the groom and not about you.
Then, jump into the story or stories you’d like to tell. Since this is the most significant part of your speech, you want to choose a captivating or funny story that will interest the guests. Include sensory details to help bring them into the story and make them feel like they were there with you. End with a final punch line that leaves the audience with a big feeling – laughter, tears, or surprise.
Don’t forget to mention the groom’s partner. Say how you initially met their partner or some sweet things you love about them.
The story portion is the body of the speech where you’ll bring in some funny moments, poke fun at the groom, and maybe share something a little embarrassing, but you’ll want to bring it all together with a take-home message. Bring it back to the relationship you’re celebrating or a theme you’d like to focus on.
Finally, end your speech with a toast to the newlyweds. Raise your glass, and deliver a short, heartfelt toast of optimistic good wishes to the couple. Alternatively, you can end with a funny toast if that’s your preference, but end on a positive note, even if it’s weird. Your speech should end with congratulations to the couple.
Best man toast examples:
Often, the best man tries to be funny in their speech, which is excellent, but there are a few things you shouldn’t mention, trust us.
Try to keep things lighthearted and playful. Witty banter and playful teasing are great, but don’t take it too far; avoid insulting the groom or highlighting any major insecurities – you know your relationship best, so only you know where that line is.
Also, remember to keep it (mostly) clean. There may be parents, grandparents, and children in the room.
Even with a good best man speech template and all the funny stories to tell, writing might still feel challenging. So, here are some examples of best man speeches that can give you some ideas.
Just because you’ve written the speech doesn’t mean you feel confident about getting up in front of a room full of people and giving it; that’s okay. Here are some best man speech tips to help you prepare to give the speech that will help you feel more confident on the wedding day.
Take the time to practice your speech by reading it aloud; it will help you prepare the delivery, help you feel more confident in your words, and recognize areas where changes in wording may be necessary. Try to practice in front of an audience. If you don’t have an audience to give you feedback, you may want to consider recording yourself giving the speech so you can watch it back to see how you can deliver it better.
If you want to give the best speech, you’ll likely want to try to memorize it or at least tell parts of the speech from the heart, such as cute anecdotes or stories. So, rather than taking up the entire speech written down word for word with you, consider writing notes or prompts to help you through.
Varying the way you give your speech will help you capture and hold your audience’s attention.
A speech from the best man is an essential part of the wedding reception, and the length is really up to you, but we suggest keeping the speech in the 3 to 5-minute range. If you’re not a public speaker, it’s okay for it to be shorter; but make sure to include the appropriate thank yous and say something nice to the couple. Also, keep it under 10 minutes; there are often many speeches during a wedding, and if it’s too long, you will lose the interest of the wedding guests.
The best man should thank the groom and the couple on behalf of the wedding party. They may also choose to thank the couple’s parents. Generally, the best man’s speech aims to tell stories about the groom.
Speeches traditionally happen at the wedding reception before dinner. Some people believe there is a proper order in which the speeches should happen, but it doesn’t necessarily matter. Make sure you know when you are supposed to speak to be ready.
Yes! Some people aren’t great at public speaking but still want to support their loved ones by giving a speech, so bring your notes if you feel it will help you. However, it is vital to be familiar with your speech so you aren’t just reading it word for word from your notes if you can.
Planning ahead for the best man’s speech is wise. Consider starting to write your speech about two months in advance so you have ample time to prepare, revise and practice.
If you plan to make a joke, you should pause to give people a moment to laugh before continuing, but what if they don’t laugh? That’s okay! Our jokes aren’t always going to land, don’t let the lack of laughter derail your speech. If the laughter doesn’t come, you can chuckle at yourself and let the audience know they’re supposed to laugh by adding another one-liner or making fun of yourself. For example, say, “This is where you’re supposed to laugh,” or joke, “Is this thing on?” or “Sound guy, can you cue the laugh track?”. Then keep going; they will likely laugh at some of your other jokes.
At the Groom Club, we help grooms up their game at every stage of the wedding process, from the proposal to the honeymoon. Ready to propose? Learn how to make it perfect. Need help deciding what to wear to your engagement party? We’ve got tips.
Make the Groom Club your go-to spot for all the latest on how to make your wedding unique and memorable. Discover all our latest articles today and subscribe to our newsletter for more TGC content.
