Making the Perfect Best Man Speeches

Sometimes, best man speeches can be such a challenge to create that the best man ends up more stressed than the groom himself. The perfect speech has to have the perfect balance of humor, sentimentality, and brevity. Although it may seem intimidating, giving a great toast on that special day doesn’t have to be impossible. Follow these tips to make sure that your speech hits the mark.

Everyone expects best man speeches to have a little humor involved, and getting the crowd laughing might seem like the hardest part of your speech. The first key to remember when you’re trying to put a little humor in your speech is that the purpose of your speech is to honor the bride and groom, not make fun of them. You no doubt have countless embarrassing stories about the groom or bride (or both) but bringing up memories that will leave the couple red in the face won’t be a welcome addition to the reception. Instead, choose funny situations you and the couple have been involved in; getting stuck in an elevator, a couples retreat gone wrong, helping him frantically pick out the ring. When you can find a memory that makes them smile without making them blush, you’ll get the crowd laughing and not lose any friends.

Aside from humor, best man speeches also need to contain sentimentality. You want to let the couple know how much you care about them and let the crowd know how special the couple is. A fail-safe method is to talk about how you’ve watched the bride and groom develop through their relationship. If you’ve seen their personality change positively or noticed knew qualities emerge while they’ve been dating, let them know. A common fear of best men is being too cheesy, but remember one thing. Weddings are cheesy. Sharing heartfelt feelings about how glad you are to know the bride and groom and how happy you are that they’re together won’t turn people off. Get in touch with your sensitive side and you’ll end up with a winning speech.

Finally, you’ve got to think about timing. Even the most perfect best man speeches can be ruined by dragging on for too long. Try to keep your speech around four to five minutes. Remember, this day is about the bride and groom not you. Spend a few minutes sharing your thoughts and then let the spotlight get back on them. If you know you have got a tendency to start rambling when speaking in public, write your speech out and rehearse it beforehand. Sticking to your script will prevent you from trailing into an hour-long speech that leaves your audience running for the bathroom.

Keeping these tips in mind can help your toast go down in history with the greatest best man speeches ever. Be funny, be genuine, keep an eye on the clock, and you’ll really put the best in best man.