Nailing Your Best Man Speech For A Perfect Finish
Being chosen to play the role of Best Man is a great honour – and a big responsibility! One of the most important parts of a Best Man’s job is the speech and so, in this article, we’re sharing our tips for making sure that your Best Man’s speech is a hit and not a miss.
What’s the word on wedding speeches?
Speeches usually take place either following the wedding breakfast or just before dessert and coffee are served and, traditionally, speeches are made by the father of the bride, the groom and the best man – and it’s the latter that we’re focusing on today. The Best Man’s speech is an essential part of the wedding proceedings and so, in this section, we’ll take you through the steps and structure that make up great Best Man speeches.
Timing
There will probably be lots that you want to say about the bride and groom but you want to avoid a long rambling speech which will have the guests losing interest while their champagne slowly goes flat. Ideally, your speech be no shorter than two minutes and no longer than five. This will ensure that you have time to honour the couple without boring the guests or cutting into other parts of the festivities.
Structure
As we’ve mentioned, you’ll almost certainly have a lot to fit into your speech and so having a structure is really important. In this section, we’ll take you through the correct structure for this all-important speech:
- Introduction – You will want to begin by introducing yourself and explaining your relationship to the groom; for example, you may be the groom’s brother or best friend since childhood.
- The groom – The next part of your speech will focus on the groom and, at this point you may want to share a fond story about him as well as singing his praises as a friend.
- The bride – This is where you mention how beautiful the bride looks and talk a little about how she has transformed the groom’s life for the better. You may also want to include an anecdote about how the bride and groom met if appropriate.
- The toast – Your speech should be concluded by asking the guests to raise their glasses in a toast to the bride and groom.
Best Man speeches Do’s and Dont’s
Now that we’ve taken you through the structure of your speech it’s time for a few rules so, in this section, let’s take a look at some Best Man speech Do’s and Don’ts:
The Do’s
- Consult with the groom – While you don’t have to share your entire speech with the groom beforehand, it’s a good idea to have a conversation with him with respect to anything that he does – and definitely doesn’t – want you to include. This simple step is super-important in ensuring that you don’t say anything which may add a sour note to the proceedings.
- Keep it clean – While the odd joke and / or anecdote is fine, do bear in mind the fact that there are likely to be elderly guests and parents with children present who may not appreciate anything too rude.
- Make it heartfelt – Although most people will expect maybe a touch of ‘laddishness’ to your speech, do also try to include your heartfelt love and support for the groom.
- Practice – It’s essential that you practice your speech beforehand to ensure that it flows smoothly.
The Dont’s
- Mention any of the groom’s former partners – ever! Trust us, this will not end well.
- Make it all about you – While you may have shared some great memories with the groom, remember the day is about the happy couple.
- Drink too much – There’s literally nothing more embarrassing than a drunk Best Man’s speech so try to save the celebrating for later.
- Upstage the groom – Although you may want to mention that the bride looks stunning, it’s best to leave the gushing to the groom whose speech will follow yours.
Making great memories
From helping the groom to get ready to assisting with any issues during the day, the role of Best Man is one that should never be taken lightly. One of the last duties of the day for the Best Man is that all-important speech – and you want this to be remembered for all the right reasons. You do therefore need to prepare your speech well in advance and make sure you practice it to ensure that it goes smoothly on the big day.