Give a memorable best man speech and be the toast of the wedding

You can’t sleep and haven’t eaten since breakfast. Your palms are sweaty and you can’t concentrate. Tomorrow is the wedding day and you are completely unprepared. No, you’re not getting married, you’re the best man!

Think getting married is hard? You’re not the one who has to give the speech. To a man, everyone I’ve ever talked to that has been a best man in a wedding, and this includes myself, considered it a nerve racking and stomach pain inducing task.

Let’s face it, almost all of us hate public speaking. And no event is bigger in our lives than a wedding. With all of the money spent and planning involved, we as best men want to add something to the big day instead of subtract something with an awful speed. Here are some tips for making your best man speech all it can be.

First, make it personal. Always, and I mean always, include a funny anecdote that is personal to you and the groom. Depending how long you’ve known each other, this can be from when you were kids right up through your college years. Is the groom your brother? How about recalling an incident when you both incurred your parents wrath? You may want to steer clear of bachelor party stories on this one!

Second, keep it short and sweet. I can’t tell you how many best man speeches I’ve heard that started off great and had the crowd in hysterics, only to teeter off into the 30th minute. Five minutes is probably the longest you want to go.

Third, humor, humor and more humor! Trust me, you need to loosen everyone up with a little (or lot of) humor. It’s a tense day for everyone and humor is just what everyone needs. From the bride and groom to all of the guests, a funny joke (without being mean spirited) or humorous anecdote will get the party started.

Fourth, finish up with some sentimentality. You’ve laid the brickwork with your funny story, now have everyone in the palm of your hand with a heartfelt finish. Relate what an honor this is, how much the bride and groom are meant to each other or both. Tell everyone what a great friend the groom is to you and what a special day this is.

Finally, implore everyone to raise their glass for a toast "to the bride and groom." Follow these simple guidelines and you should be in great shape.

Simon Brady is the webmaster for Executive Gift Shoppe, offering a great selection of personalized men's gifts, including groomsmen gifts, desk sets, cufflinks and other men’s accessories.