Often, wedding speeches can go awry, normally because of too much alcohol consumption and lack of preparation. Here are our top 10 Best Man speech tips to help you put together a kick-ass wedding speech that will make any Groom pleased they chose you as their Best Man.

Best Man Speech Tips

It is a great honour to be asked to play the part of Best Man for a friend or brother at their wedding, so you should treat the role with the respect it deserves. One of the main duties of the Best Man is to make a speech in which you talk about the Groom and his new wife and wish them well in their new life.

1. Plan, Plan And Plan

You can’t just wing a great wedding speech. Unless you’re a professional comedian you will only end up making a fool of yourself, and perhaps even worse the Groom and his new wife. Spend some time thinking about your friend, about any funny stories you can remember or about the times when he’s shown just what a great person he is. Jot them down to help you form the basis of the speech. You will want at least a bullet-pointed list of everything that you want to say on the day.

2. Always Introduce Yourself

Not all the wedding guests will know you so they may well be curious about how you know the Groom. Introducing yourself at the beginning of your speech is a good way to grab the attention in the room.

3. Remember To Be Thankful

It is so important that you thank everybody who made the day possible. From the Bridesmaids to the parents of the Bride and Groom, it is essential that you thank them for all their help with the day. Check with the Bride if there is anybody who should get a mention to make sure you don’t forget anybody. Also, thank the guests for coming and making the day special.

4. Don’t Bring Up Exes

This is a big no-no for a wedding speech. Don’t even dream of mentioning anybody who the Groom has dated before the Bride. Trust us, it’s not funny and nobody will laugh.

5. Remember Your Audience

Have you ever sat through a wedding speech where the Best Man is making jokes that you just don’t understand because they refer to stories that can’t be explained properly? These are known as inside stories, tales that are understood by just a select few, and if you tell them you are ultimately leaving out a huge chunk of your audience. Trust us, this is never appreciated.

6. Remember To Keep It Short

Everybody loves the Best Man’s speech, it is often one of the highlights of a wedding. Speak for too long though, and the excitement about your speech quickly dies away. Stick to 5 minutes at the most, we’re sure you will enjoy the extra time at the bar afterwards.

7. Jokes

Guests will be looking to you to make them laugh during your speech. If you need ideas of some jokes that you can use, here’s a great collection of Best Man speeches. Try and include some personal ones about the Bride and Groom too though if you can.

8. Be Yourself

Nobody expects anything more from you on the day than who you are. There is no need to be formal, speak from the heart and make sure everything you say is in your words. It often sounds insincere when you don’t use your natural voice.

9. Lay Off The Booze (For A Bit…)

Drunken Best Man speeches are just no fun, they’re embarrassing for everybody. Try not to drink too much until the speeches are over. Once they’re done, you are free to drink to your heart’s content, you just might want to stay away from the dance floor if you really go for it.

10. Enjoy It

The Groom has picked you to help him get married. This means that he trusts and respects you as a friend above everyone else. Enjoy the day, including the speech and really celebrate your relationship, it will help engage your audience.

Not everyone can do a YouTube-worthy speech, but put some effort in and you can really brighten up the day for the Bride and Groom, as well as giving the guests a laugh or two. If you are still terrified after reading this, remember, it’s five minutes and then you can get yourself off to that bar. We think you’ll do just fine though.

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