Best Man Wedding Speech

A chance to be a best man at someone’s wedding is quite certainly an honor, but we all know how badly that honor can backfire if there is just one slip! No one really minds being the best man (you get a great suit at the bridegroom’s expense!), but then there is some excess baggage to contend with. The trepidation starts after the bachelor party, because until then all the best man is doing is arranging for the chicken drumsticks and the booze for the party, and thinking about how he will get to kiss the entering bride and waltz with the pretty bridesmaid. But the jitters begin badly enough to give dyspepsia when the wedding is just around the corner.

The best man wedding speech is something the whole congregation will be looking forward to, and that is all the more reason why it should not be messed up. Here are some points that help to keep the best man wedding speech entertaining, and even the star of the evening.

Best Man Wedding Speech Tip # 1 - Keep the best man wedding speech crisp and personal.
Being the best man, the spotlight is already on you, and you should not make it worse by rambling on relentlessly! An ideal length for your speech would be five to ten minutes, and definitely not longer than that. If you put in some anecdotes of your personal experience with the bridegroom (leave all the humiliating things out!), then the speech will be really well received and will linger better in people’s memory.

Best Man Wedding Speech Tip # 2 - Use a very strong opening.
The battle is half won if you begin your best man wedding speech with an interesting start. Keep it informal. Welcome people to the evening and then say a warm line about who you are and how you are related to the bridegroom. Then follow it up with a joke or an amusing fact about the bridegroom. You must actually make an effort for this icebreaker line, and it is not at all a bad idea to think about it for a couple of days before the wedding and even have a couple of rehearsals in front of some close people.

Best Man Wedding Speech Tip # 3 - Speak of your relations with the bridegroom.
You have to emphasize on the fact why you are the best man. But of course, you are not going to say that in as many words! All you have to do is to speak about some of the common experiences you and the bridegroom shared together. This must come after you speak briefly about the academic and professional qualifications of the groom. Tell about the nature of the bridegroom. Use some adjectives here, but not the generic run-of-the-mill kind. Through your speech, your relationship with the bridegroom must be reflected.

Best Man Wedding Speech Tip # 4 - Do not leave the bride out.
A common mistake done during most best man wedding speeches is that the poor bride is always relegated to a sideshow. You must not commit that if your time comes. But it sounds good if you speak from the bridegroom’s perspective. Like, say about the time he told you for the first time about her, what his expectations and expressions were, etc. Speak about special moments you know of, such as when the groom was thinking to get a present for his bride to-be. Take this moment to impress upon the bride how much the groom actually cares for her, and even let the listeners know that there is good romance blossoming among the couple.

Best Man Wedding Speech Tip # 5 - Do not forget your etiquette.
A best man wedding speech is not all about speaking. You have to remember all your manners and etiquette, especially since all eyes in the hall will be on you. Rehearse yourself on where to stand on the dais, how to hold the glass, how to make eye contact with the people you are speaking with, general body movements, etc. It is also good if you do some voice practice, so that your voice comes out in the right pitch when you speak. Most importantly, do not forget to cheer the bridal couple (you will be surprised at how many best men forget to do this important thing, mostly due to nervousness) and have your own toast. It will be immensely awkward for you if you raise the toast for everyone and then walk off the podium without having yours!

Giving a best man wedding speech is not easy and those few moments in the bridal spotlight can be quite nerve-wracking. But it is a way of showing your solidarity with the bridal couple and it is a great honor. You, on your part, should take this seriously and make a great speech for all the listeners, including the bridal couple, to remember for years to come.