best man speech first lines

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30 Brilliant Opening Lines for Your Best Mans Speech

Author: Hollie Bond

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Looking for the perfect best man speech opening lines to delight wedding guests? We’ve rounded up 30 of the funniest opening lines for every style of best man speech here.

Staring at a blank piece of paper with no idea of how to start your best man speech ? It’s a situation that pretty much every best man before you has been in before, so you’re certainly not alone. The beginning of a speech is always the hardest bit to get right, but once you’ve nailed that first sentence and won over the wedding guests it’s all plain sailing from there.

It’s important to spend some time and effort thinking about your audience, the happy couple, and the sort of icebreaker that will work best for them and you. Remember to play to your strengths. If you’re not a natural comedian then steer clear of too many best man speech jokes and opt for something charming, self-deprecating, or heartfelt instead.

Whatever type of best man wedding speech you’re hoping to deliver for your best friend, there’s an icebreaker to suit. We’ve compiled 30 of our favorites below that work at all types of weddings. Choose one of these best man speech openers to get your speech started in style and then read our ultimate guide to writing a best man speech to ensure the rest of your speech is as brilliant as that opening sentence.

Best Man Speech Openers

1. Ladies and gentlemen, before I start just some quick housekeeping. Firstly, if you’ve got your mobile phone on you please make sure to keep it switched ON during the speech, for your own entertainment. Secondly, if you see any good jokes in your scrolling, be sure to forward them on to me.

2. I’d like to offer a toast to the bride and groom [*Pull a piece of toast out your pocket and give it to them*]

3. Hi everyone, I’m (your name). I’m here to tell you about (groom’s name) and how truly special, talented, good looking and… sorry mate, I’m struggling to read your handwriting here.

4. I’d like to start by congratulating the groom on his excellent taste in best men. He’s really outdone himself this time.

5. The bride and groom have asked that I don’t share any embarrassing stories, stag do pranks or crude jokes in my best man’s speech… so that’s it from me! Thanks for listening.

6. A wedding is such an emotional day for everyone. Even the cake is in tiers.

7. For those of you who can’t hear me at the back, you should be reassured by the complete silence in the front row here that you’re really not missing much.

8. To start this speech, I searched online for ‘the perfect best man speech’, but you had to pay to read the examples and I didn’t think it was worth it, so I’m just going to wing it.

9. If there’s anyone here this afternoon who’s feeling nervous and queasy at the thought of what lies ahead, it’s probably because you’ve just married (groom’s name).

10. All those among you who really know the bride will know that she is a wonderful person who deserves a good husband. Thank god (groom’s name) married her before she found one.

11. Loyal, caring, sincere, honest, good looking, and a great man. But enough about me…!

12. Those of you that know me, know that I’m not big on making speeches [*sit down*]

13. My only wish for the bride and groom is that each day of their marriage is better than the previous so that they can look back on today, their wedding day, and say that it was the worst day of their lives.

14. (Groom’s name) knows his wife so well. When I asked him what her favourite flower was, he replied “self-raising”.

15. Good evening. I’m so happy to preside over the only five minutes that the bride didn’t plan. Of course, I’m only joking. She went over the speech with me half an hour ago in the bar.

16. I just heard there was a competitive sweepstake on how long the best man speech should last. I put my money on 45 minutes, so make yourselves comfortable…

17. I’ve been told I can’t get away with a few thank yous and a quick toast in this best man speech. Apparently, I’m supposed to sing the groom’s praises and talk about all his good qualities. Unfortunately, I can’t sing and I don’t like lying.

18. You’ve got no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to today. After all the years I’ve been friends with the groom, he has finally admitted that I am in fact the best man.

19. I don’t believe in roasting the groom on his wedding day. Therefore this speech won’t contain anything embarrassing about (groom’s name). Instead I’ll refer only to the kind and funny side of his character. Thank you and goodnight.

20. A best man is similar to a dead body at a funeral. You’re expected to be there, but if you say too much, people start freaking out.

21. A wise man once told me that a best man speech is like a miniskirt. It should be short enough to be interesting, but long enough to cover the goods.

22. Ladies and gentlemen before I start the venue owner has asked me to request that, for reasons of health and safety, none of you get up on top of the chairs and tables during my standing ovation.

23. I’ll try to keep my speech short, because every minute I speak is an extra minute’s delay in witnessing how the groom’s dance lessons worked out.

24. (Groom’s name) had the honour of being my best man. He spent months writing a perfect, tender and charming speech. Everyone agreed it was funny and beautiful. Unfortunately I’m a married man, so I haven’t had the time to do all that.

25. I would like to start by saying what a pleasure it is to be best man at (bride and grooms’ names) wedding. (Groom’s name) made me compete for this honour today, but I was able to beat the barman over there in rock-paper-scissors, so here I am!

26. I’ve been worried about giving this speech for a while now. Fortunately last night I slept like a baby. Waking up every two hours and bawling my eyes out.

27. I didn’t really want to do this speech, but I thought it might be the only chance I’ll get to have a meal and some drinks paid for by (groom’s name).

28. I always knew the groom’s speech would be hard to follow. In fact, I couldn’t understand a word of it.

29. Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve now reached the point in the proceedings when we all get to see the groom shift uncomfortably in his seat and grip the tablecloth in nervous anticipation. That’s right, I’ve been asked to give him the drinks bill.

30. I read somewhere that the perfect best man speech should last as long as it takes for the groom to make love. So please could everyone raise a glass to the happy couple!

Now you’ve chosen your opening line you’ll want to include some other best man speech jokes throughout your speech to keep your guests entertained. Read our guide to hilarious best man speech jokes here .

Hollie Bond

Hollie is a lifestyle journalist with over ten years’ experience working in the wedding industry as Lifestyle Editor for You & Your Wedding magazine Also a Regional Editor for Muddy Stilettos, Hollie has written for Square Meal magazine, Family History Monthly, BBC History magazine and Homes & Antiques. In her spare time you can find Hollie in a dance studio practising ballet…

Learn more about Hollie Bond

30 Great Ways to Start Your Best Man's Speech

Know all the killer content you want inside, but not sure how to get started? These best man speech openers are bound to help!

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Jordanna Marston

If you want to nail your five minutes of fame at your best mate's wedding, brilliant best man speech opening lines are the way to do it. The first few lines of your best man speech set the tone for the rest of it, so getting your best man opening lines right is vital.

The traditional order of wedding speeches sees the best man speech opening line follow on from the groom and father of the bride, so you're likely to have pretty big shoes to fill, and there's no better way to get the crowd on your side than a killer opening. 

Great opening lines for a best man speech very in theme and tone - so we've made sure this guide has something for everyone!

30 Brilliant Best Man Speech Opening Lines

Whether you're after a formal best man speech introduction, some funny lines to warm up the room or a few best man speech openers to preface some sentimental stories, we've got something to suit you.

Choose between sweet, sentimental, sarcastic, sassy and more! 

1. Last Minute Best Man Opener

Are you known for always being forgetful and a bit slap-dash? If so, why not use your best man speech introduction to poke fun at yourself about it. 

“Hi, I’m [x] and it’s time for me to do this speech I scribbled down about an hour before the ceremony started.”

2. Wedding Jokes

This light-hearted wedding joke is a great way to get some giggles at the start of your speech without saying anything about anyone in particular. 

“I must admit, I’m not accustomed to public speaking. Up until I was asked to give this speech, I thought a toastmaster was a kind of kitchen appliance!”

3. Cramping Your Style

Is the groom a bit of a buffoon? And are you a single pringle? If so, this best man speech opening line is perfect. 

“Hi, I’m [x] and in the run up to the wedding many people have asked me how I’ll cope now my best friend is married and will spend all his time at home loved up with his partner. And the truth is, I’m thrilled. I’m finally able to talk to women without him cramping my style!”

4. Unexpected Announcement

This quick-witted joke is the house rules announcement no one saw coming. 

“Right, I’d just like to start by laying down a couple of rules. Firstly, if you do have a mobile phone…please, leave it switched on; keep yourselves entertained. And secondly, if anyone texts you any good jokes, could you please forward them to me?”

5. Not a Pleasure

This stereotypical 'act like you don't want to be doing a speech' vibe works for so many best men. 

“My name is [x] and it’s an honour to stand here as [x]’s best man. I’d like to say it’s a pleasure too, but that won’t be the case until I’ve finished this speech…”

6. The Internet Intro

Give the impression you've printed this speech off the internet to warm the crowd up. 

"It's a pleasure to stand here as the best man to 'insert name here'. Oh wait, I was supposed to edit that bit out before I printed it off..."

7. I'm the Best

Rub it in to the rest of the group that you're  officially the groom's favourite.

“My name is [x] and I’m officially the best man. It might have taken [x] amount of years, but [x] has finally admitted I’m the best.”

8. Your Writing

This one's a classic, and you can tailor the adjectives to ensure it's the kind of thing your friend  would actually write for you. 

“Hello, I’m [x] and I’m here to tell you all about [x] and how wonderful, handsome and…sorry, mate, I can’t read your writing.”

9. My Only Chance

Is it a running joke that the groom never picks up the bill? If so, you could poke a bit of fun at it in your best man opener lines. 

"Thank you for having me as your best man [x], I didn’t really want to do it, but I thought it might be the only chance I’ll get to have a meal and some drinks paid for by you, so I didn’t risk turning it down.”

10. To the Groom

Think your friend has excellent taste in friends? Start off by telling everyone that, then. 

"Hello everyone, I’d like to start this speech off by congratulating the groom on his excellent taste in best men. He’s really outdone himself."

11. That's Me Done

This is a brilliantly funny best man speech introduction, and also acts as a great way to skim over stereotypical topics and get into some more personal anecdotes. 

"The happy couple have asked that I don’t share any embarrassing stories, stag do pranks or crude jokes in my best man’s speech… so that’s it from me! Thanks for listening."

12. My Word Means Nothing

If you are going to go down the route of telling some funny stag do stories, this is a hilarious way to introduce them. 

"[x] asked me not to mention any of the scandals from the stag do, and I said I wouldn't. But as you all know, I'm a compulsive liar and my word means nothing, so here goes nothing..."

13. Enough About Me

There's nothing wrong with using your best man opening lines to compliment yourself, right?

"Gorgeous, loyal, charming, handsome...but today isn't about me. Now, let's talk about [x]."

14. Worst Day of Their Lives

We love this best man opener line, it's a funny way of saying you wish the couple all the happiness in the world. 

"My only wish for the happy couple is that each day of their marriage is better than the previous so that they can look back on today, their wedding day, and say that it was the worst day of their lives."

15. Only Joking

Is your best friend's partner a stickler for plans and precision? If so, this is a fun way to address that. 

"Good evening. I’m pleased to be delivering the only five minutes that the [x] didn’t meticulously plan. Of course, I’m only joking. She went over the speech with me half an hour ago in the bar."

16. Sweepstake

Wedding speeches going on for too long is a stereotype that's fun to lean into, and starting off your best man's speech with this line will have everyone laughing, and also leave them feeling relieved that you're aware 45 minutes is too long, and will hopefully be finished soon!

"I just heard about the sweepstake people have on how long the best man speech should last. I put my money on 45 minutes, so make yourselves comfortable everyone…"

17. Dead Body At a Funeral

Have you and all the guests got a dry sense of humour? 

"A best man is just like a dead body at a funeral. You’re expected to be there, but if you start talking, everyone starts freaking out."

18. Standing Ovation

Looking for confident great opening lines for a best man speech? 

"Now before I get started, I have a quick health and safety notice. The venue team have kindly asked that during your standing ovation, you do not stand on the tables or chairs. I know it'll be difficult to celebrate calmly, but please, safety first!"

19. Dancing Lesson

This light-hearted joke will get everyone excited for the first dance. 

"Good evening everyone, my name is [x] and I'm the best man. I’ll try to keep my speech short, because every minute I speak is an extra minute’s delay in witnessing how the [x]'s dance lessons worked out."

20. I'm the Best Man

We love this opening line, it's fun and a great way to start your best man speech. 

"You’ve got no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to today. After all the years I’ve been friends with the groom, he has finally admitted that I am in fact the best man."

21. Unfortunately, I'm Married

This best man speech opening is a great way to compliment your friend and get some laughs at the same time.

"[x] had the honour of being my best man. He spent months writing a perfect, tender and charming speech. Everyone agreed it was funny and beautiful. Unfortunately I’m married, so I haven’t had the time to do all that."

22. Slept Like a Baby

Guests love it when you poke fun at yourself, so use your best man speech opening to self-deprecate. 

"I’ve been worried about giving this speech for a while now. Fortunately last night I slept like a baby, AKA waking up every two hours and bawling my eyes out."

23. Hard to Follow

If the person before you can take a poking, this is a funny speech introduction for the best man. 

"I always knew the groom’s speech would be hard to follow. In fact, I couldn’t understand a word of it." 

24. The Drinks Bill

Is it even a best man speech introduction if you don't reference the cost of the wedding?

"Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve now reached the point in the proceedings when we all get to see the groom squirm uncomfortably in his seat and grip the table in nervous anticipation. That’s right, I’ve been asked to give him the drinks bill." 

25. Making Love

This is a cheeky one, but not half as bad as some of the best man speech opening lines we've heard before! 

"I read somewhere that the perfect best man speech should last as long as it takes for the groom to make love. So please could everyone raise a glass to the happy couple!" 

26. Don't Get What You Want

Way to compliment your friend's partner and get a little dig in about them all at the same time. 

“We all know [x] is a wonderful woman and deserves the perfect man. Unfortunately, you don’t always get what you deserve.”

27. Cost of a Stamp

This fun best man speech introduction won't get you into any real trouble, but will ensure you get off to a good start.

“My name is [x] and [x] asked me to be his best man a year ago – although I never actually received a formal invitation to the wedding. Let’s hope I haven’t eaten someone else’s meal by mistake – but more likely, it was [x] saving himself the cost of a stamp.”

28. Terrible Hangover

If you're likely to have a sore head on the day of the wedding, you might as well get it all out in the open at the beginning of the speech. 

“If you could keep the clapping and cheering to a minimum today - I’ve got a pretty bad hangover. I know you shouldn’t drink heavily before a big event but I couldn’t let [x] drink alone, could I?"

29. Emotional Day

This one is as cheesy as it is classic, but it's a crowd-pleaser if we've ever heard one. 

“Hi, I’m the best man and can I start by saying what an emotional day it’s been today? Even the cake is in tiers.”

30. Still Had Hair

If your pal can take a little joke about their appearance, why not eh?!

“My name is [x] and I’ve known [x] since we were at school – yes, I knew him when he still had hair!”

If you want to make your best man’s speech even better, we’ve got a bunch of hilarious tried and tested best man jokes that will have everyone laughing!

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best man speech first lines

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Best Man Speech Opening Lines: Tips and Examples for a Memorable Start

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The first sentence of a best man speech is really important. It establishes the tone for the speech’s remainder and has the power to capture or lose the audience’s interest.

Best man speech

A strong first sentence can captivate the audience, make them laugh, and keep them interested throughout the speech .

When it comes to choosing the greatest man speech beginning lines, there are many various strategies to employ.

Others choose to take a more sincere approach, while some people like to start with a joke or a humorous incident.

Whatever your preference, it’s critical to pick an opening sentence that captures both your personality and the speaker’s tone.

One common strategy is to open with a joke or a lighthearted statement. This can assist in breaking the ice and winning over the audience.

To avoid offending someone, it’s crucial to make sure the joke is acceptable for the situation.

Another strategy is to begin in a more solemn manner, maybe by expressing gratitude to the bride and groom or recognizing the significance of the event.

This can assist in establishing a polite and sincere tone for the remainder of the speech.

Best Man Speech Opening Lines

When it comes to delivering a perfect best man speech, the opening lines can set the tone for the entire speech.

It’s important to start strong and grab the attention of the audience right away. In this section, we will discuss some of the best opening lines for a best man speech .

Funny Opening Lines

Humor is a great way to break the ice and lighten the mood. Here are some funny opening lines that can help you get started:

  • “Good evening everyone. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the best man . For those of you who do know me, I apologize.”
  • “I was told to keep this speech short, so I’ve prepared a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation.”
  • I’ve been given the honor of being the best man , which is a bit like being the captain of the Titanic. I hope this speech doesn’t sink like that ship did.”

Quotes and Toasts

Using a quote or a toast is a great way to add some sincerity and emotion to your speech. Here are some examples:

  • “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” – Mignon McLaughlin
  • “May your love be modern enough to survive the times, but old-fashioned enough to last forever.” – Unknown
  • “Here’s to the groom, a man who keeps his head though he loses his heart.” – Robert Frost

Personal Stories

Sharing a personal story about the groom is a great way to show your audience what kind of person he is.

Best man speech

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

  • Keep it brief and to the point.
  • Avoid embarrassing stories that might make the groom uncomfortable.
  • Focus on the groom’s best qualities and what makes him a great husband.

For example, you could share a story about how the groom always puts others first or how he went out of his way to help a friend in need.

The opening lines of a best man speech are crucial to its success. Whether you choose to use humor, quotes, or personal stories, make sure to keep it sincere, interesting, and appropriate for the occasion.

With some practice and a bit of charisma, you can deliver an excellent best man speech that will leave the newlyweds and guests entertained and touched.

When it comes to delivering a best man speech, the opening line is crucial. It sets the tone for the rest of the speech and can help to ease any nerves you may have.

Here are a few funny opening lines that are sure to get a laugh from the crowd.

  • “Good evening, everyone. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the best man . And for those of you who do know me, I’m sorry.”
  • “I have to say, I’m a little nervous standing up here. It’s not every day you get to speak publicly about your best friend’s embarrassing stories.”
  • “I was told that a best man speech should be like a mini-skirt: short enough to be interesting, but long enough to cover the important bits. So here goes nothing.”
  • “I have to admit, I was a little nervous when I was asked to be the best man. I mean, who wants the responsibility of making sure the groom doesn’t get cold feet? But then I realized, it’s not my job to keep him warm, it’s my job to roast him.”
  • “I have a confession to make. I’m not actually the best man. I’m just a random guy who wandered in off the street. But hey, I heard there was free food and drinks, so here I am.”

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to start your best man speech with some humor.

Just remember to keep it appropriate and avoid any jokes that might offend the bride or groom. And if you’re feeling the pressure, just remember that everyone is there to celebrate the happy couple, so relax and have fun with it.

When it comes to giving the perfect best man speech, choosing the right opening line is crucial.

It sets the tone for the rest of your speech and can instantly capture the attention of the audience. Here are a few quotes and toasts that we recommend for your opening line:

  • Toast to the Couple: Start by congratulating the happy couple on their special day. You could say something like, “We are gathered here today to celebrate the love and commitment between [bride] and [groom]. Congratulations to the newlyweds!”
  • Quote about Love:  Use a meaningful quote about love to set the tone for your speech. For example, “Love is not just looking at each other, it’s looking in the same direction.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This quote is a great way to emphasize the importance of shared values and goals in a relationship.
  • Relationship with the Groom:  Share a personal story about your relationship with the groom. For example, “I’ve known [groom] since we were in grade school, and I can honestly say that he’s one of the most genuine and caring people I’ve ever met.”
  • Congratulations to the Groom:  Take a moment to congratulate the groom on finding his soulmate. You could say something like, “I’ve never seen [groom] as happy as he is now that he’s found [bride]. Congratulations, my friend.”
  • Perfect Best Man Speech:  Acknowledge the pressure of giving a best man speech and use it as a way to connect with the audience. For example, “When [groom] asked me to be his best man, I was honored and a little nervous. But I’m here today to give my best shot at the perfect best man speech.”

The opening line of your best man speech is a great opportunity to capture the attention of the audience and set the tone for the rest of your speech.

Choose a toast, quote, or personal story that is relevant to the occasion and shows your support for the happy couple.

When it comes to best man speeches, personal stories are often the most memorable and impactful.

Best man speech

We all have unique experiences and memories with the groom, and sharing them in a heartfelt way can make for a truly special moment.

One technique we’ve found to be effective is to start with a personal story that highlights the groom’s positive qualities.

For example, we might tell a story about how the groom always went out of his way to help us, or how he’s always been a great listener and supportive friend.

Another approach is to share a story that shows the groom’s emotional side. Weddings can be an emotional day, and it’s important to acknowledge that.

We might tell a story about a time when the groom was particularly vulnerable or open with us, and how much we appreciated that.

Of course, personal stories don’t always have to be serious or emotional. Funny opening lines can be a great way to break the ice and get the audience laughing.

We might tell a story about a funny or embarrassing moment we shared with the groom, or make a lighthearted joke about being the “single guy” in the wedding party.

Whatever approach we take, it’s important to remember that the best man toast is not just about the groom – it’s also an opportunity to compliment the bride and the bridesmaids, as well as to thank the guests and the families of the bride and groom.

We might also acknowledge the father of the bride, the mother of the bride, and the toastmaster for their contributions to the wedding.

We want to make this the best day possible for the bride and groom, even if it means poking a little fun at ourselves along the way.

After all, as we often say, this might be the worst day of their lives – but it’s also the best day of ours.

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Rock Your Best Man Speech Using Our Expert-Approved Advice

Best man smiling and holding microphone.

  • Chapelle writes articles for The Knot Worldwide. She covers all things wedding-related and has a personal interest in covering celebrity engagements and fashion.
  • Before joining The Knot Worldwide, Chapelle was an editorial intern for Subvrt Magazine.
  • Chapelle has a degree in English writing from Loyola University New Orleans.

Pat yourself on the back—you're the best man. It's a good feeling when one of your loved ones asks you to be their right hand for the wedding. Beyond the fun best man duties , like planning an epic bach party , you'll have to give a rousing best man speech. We believe it's arguably the most meaningful duty, but don't let that get you nervous. Whether you're a public speaking pro or have only delivered speeches while on the eighth-grade debate team, boost your chances of making your best man speech a hit by using our helpful tips, ideas and examples for inspiration.

In this article:

Printable Template | How to Write | Examples | Tips | FAQs

Printable Best Man Speech Template

Delivering a best man wedding speech doesn't have to feel like a chore. Use the template below as a checklist while you're writing your best man speech.

free printable best man speech template

How to Write a Best Man Speech Outline

We're guessing the thought of crafting a flawless best man speech from scratch feels pretty overwhelming right about now. Start by drafting a bare-bones outline (trust us, drawing up a rough outline is way more palatable than writing a fully fleshed-out speech). You don't need to include every element in your wedding speech . Instead, customize it to fit the couple, the event and your relationship with the groom.

1. Have a killer opening line.

Successful best man speeches always start with a good opener. Introduce yourself and explain your connection to the happy couple. Have fun with this part by sharing a quick joke or quoting a poem so your speech doesn't start off stale. For example, "Hello everyone! For those of you who don't know me, thank you so much for coming to my wedding. [pause for laughter] Sorry about that...I'm a little nervous."

2. Thank the other speakers.

Once you address the audience, give props to the previous speaker to help lead into your speech. If you know your speech has a sillier sentiment, now's your chance to warn your audience in the change of direction. Here's an example: "Let's give it up to the amazing speech given by the wonderful maid of honor . If you enjoyed how thoughtful and sweet her speech was, you better get the tissues ready for this one!"

Next, express your gratitude to the couple's parents. Thank the couples' parents for not only raising incredible adults and, if they helped pay for the wedding, for hosting such a great party. Here's an example: "I'd like to begin by expressing my deepest gratitude to the couples' parents for raising such amazing people, who I'm fortunate to call my best friends. I would also like to thank their parents for hosting such an awesome celebration for all of us to enjoy this evening."

3. Say a few words about your friend's new spouse.

Another writing a best man speech tip is always to give a special shoutout to the new spouse so they feel welcomed and included. Yes, we know you most likely have a closer relationship with the groom, but don't let that stop you from showering them with kind words––it's their big day too. Talk about the qualities you like about them and why you love them in the groom's life. Try this, "I'm so happy [Spouse's Name] fell in love with [Groom's Name]. Firsthand I've seen the grace, intelligence and confidence [Spouse's Name] has, which explains why [Groom's Name] knew he wanted to marry [Spouse's Name] after their first date."

4. Share personal stories.

What's going to make your best man speech stand out are personal stories. We suggest adding one or two anecdotes, like your favorite memories with the groom (and their partner, if you want). Avoid choosing a story that rambles on and has no sentimental or funny ending—keep it lighthearted and short. Here's a silly example, "I remember when we first met in first grade. [Groom's Name] had just glued his hand to his face but still used his free one to shake my hand and ask if I wanted to be his friend."

5. Talk about the couple's relationship.

This is the time to speak about why the groom and their new spouse are a great couple. Share how they first met and how their relationship has grown so other guests can get a better insight into the newlyweds. If you helped the love birds meet, say something like this in your best man speech: "I know I said earlier I'm the best man, but I lied. I'm actually Cupid because I'm the one who introduced these two eight years ago."

6. Propose a toast.

Finally, close out your best man speech with a heartfelt toast. Ask everyone to raise a glass and provide well wishes to the newly married couple. Steal this wedding toast : "Everyone, please join me in raising a glass to such a wonderful couple. I wish you a lifetime of peace, love and happiness. Love you guys!"

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Best man speech examples.

Now that you know how to write the outline, let us provide you with some inspiration. Here are four best man speech ideas for every type of delivery.

Short Best Man Speech Example

Short best man speeches can make the grade just as much as long ones. Try this short but sweet example.

As the poet, Dante once said, 'A great flame follows a little spark.' When [Groom's Name] met [Spouse's Name], there was a little spark. I know because I talked to him the next day.

From the way he talked about [Spouse's Name], this stranger he chatted up at a Halloween party, I could tell this spark was something special.

You two are fantastic together. May the flame burn long, and may sparks continue to fly. Cheers to the newlyweds!

Funny Best Man Speech Example

Funny best man speeches are our favorite. You get to show off your comedic skills while giving loving well-wishes to the happy couple.

Hello! For those who don't know me, I'm [Your Name], the best man. I've known [Groom's Name] since middle school, which means that it was before we learned mullets weren't a good look for either of us.

[Groom's Name] and [Spouse's Name] told me there are some topics I should avoid in this speech so…[Look through cue cards, then shake head and dramatically drop them all to the floor but one.]

[Reading from the remaining cue card] [Groom's Name] is really the best friend I've ever had. He's done so many wonderful things it would be difficult to name them all. Hey, [a Groomsman's Name], I can't read your handwriting here!

But seriously, it's all true. This guy is a great friend, the best I've got, and I'm very proud to stand by his side today.

[Spouse's Name], I was hoping to be the best-looking person in the room today but obviously, I failed miserably. You look beautiful and radiant. I'm beyond happy for the two of you.

May you always find joy in the little things, like your Xbox and 'Star Wars.' Oh wait, that's my personal goal. You should actually find joy in each other, and do everything you can to have a lifetime of happiness together. Let's toast the newlyweds!

Best Man Speech for Brother Example

Need best man speech examples for your brother? Use our speech below as a guide to delivering a sweet message to your older or younger brother.

On my fourth birthday, my parents got me a brother…I wanted a puppy.

But seriously, as a kid [Groom's Name] wanted to do everything I did. He used to follow me around. He used to sneak into my room and play with my Matchbox cars. Our parents could get him to eat his broccoli by making me eat my broccoli.

It wasn't until after I went to college that he started going down his own path. He started doing volunteer work. He found a job he loves, a pretty killer apartment and, of course, he found [Spouse's Name].

[Spouse's Name], you're the nicest person I've ever met, and my brother is so blessed to have someone like you in his life. Thank you for being there for him.

I'm so happy you two found each other especially because I'm gaining a sister today. Oh, and I want to set the record straight. I'm glad I didn't get a puppy that day. I love you, little bro.

Congratulations to both of you. I wish you lots of laughter, love and joy as a married couple. Cheers to the newlyweds!

Best Man Speech for Best Friend Example

For those who need a best man speech sample for their best friend, we got you covered. Here's how to tell your BFF you're happy for them on their special day.

Bride giving speech during wedding reception.

Good evening, everyone! I'm [Your Name], and I'm extremely honored to call myself [Groom's Name]'s best man. Also, please excuse the puffiness under my eyes, I've been happy crying since before the ceremony.

I first met [Groom's Name] while working at a pizza joint called Domenica's while in college. I hated being a server with all my heart, but whenever [Groom's Name] and I were scheduled together, it made it so much more bearable.

We laughed until we cried, ate hundreds of garlic knots and I can't tell you the amount of times we accidentally got pizza dough stuck to the ceiling during our pizza toss competitions. But even after we both quit and moved on to bigger and better things, we still kept in touch and I'm eternally grateful.

One of those bigger and better things was [Spouse's Name]. [Groom's Name] really discovered the perfect piece to his puzzle. [Spouse's Name] laughs at his bad jokes, listens to his long monologues about Batman vs. Superman and most importantly, loves him no matter what. [Spouse's Name] is a phenomenal and caring person who deserves the world, and I know [Groom's Name] will do everything he can to give it to them.

Thank you both for allowing me to be a part of your beautiful wedding, and I can't wait to see what else is in store for you in the future. Love you guys, and cheers to the handsome couple!

Best Man Speech Tips

Good news! We got how to give a best man speech tips from Dominic Bliss, wedding writer and author of Being the Best Man for Dummies. Study up on these helpful pointers below to minimize pre-speech jitters and ensure a smooth delivery.

Plan ahead.

The first tip in our guide on how to write a best man speech is to get started in advance. (As in, do not procrastinate.) "Start writing a best man speech at least two months before the wedding," Bliss says. "As the wedding nears, there are lots of events—suit fittings and a coed shower, perhaps—that could distract you from getting your writing done." Brainstorm and write down any stories, jokes or best man speech quotes you want to include. The more time you have to prepare your best man speech, the better. This way, you'll be able to be fully present at upcoming wedding festivities.

Be genuine.

Whether the wedding guests are strangers or family, it can feel nerve-racking to deliver your best man speech with all eyes on you. To ease the awkwardness, provide anecdotes and stories about your relationship with the couple. Everyone loves a bit of nostalgia, and the guests get to know you better.

With that said, stay true to how you normally act while making your speech. There's no need for you to change who you are for some made-up public speaking persona. If you feel more comfortable cracking jokes throughout your speech, do it. If you are better at being sentimental and don't mind leaving everyone misty-eyed, take that approach. Remember, the couple chose you to speak at their wedding because they felt you could add something special to their big day. As long as you deliver a heartfelt speech, the newlyweds and guests will love it.

Know what topics to avoid.

There are a few topics to omit from the best man speech. No matter how funny you (and even the groom) might think they are, someone is bound to be offended or put off if you mention:

  • Negativity about marriage in general.
  • Past relationships.
  • Previous marriages/divorces.
  • Drinking, drugs, gambling.
  • "Adult" humor or any other mention of sex.

After all, your best man speech should celebrate the newlywed couple and their love rather than causing future friction. Keep it PG.

Consider adding jokes.

If you want to deliver a funny best man speech, consider poking some fun at the groom. "Every groom will have some funny characteristic or quirk you can ridicule," Bliss notes. "As long as it's something everyone can appreciate, it's sure to get a laugh. Avoid obscure references or inside jokes. You want older guests and those who don't know him well to see the funny side too." Be strategic about your jokes too. You can make jokes about the groom but leave their new spouse alone.

Write it down.

Even those with a great memory will feel more confident with a written speech or at least a few bullet points to keep them on track. Nerves can mess with your memory, so don't think you're a failure if you have to bring notes with you. (Even CEOs do this at corporate events.) Bliss suggests using small note cards instead of a sheet of paper since they "won't flap around."

And yes we know many groomsmen will want to read off their cell phones out of convenience, but wedding planners recommend against it. The lighting from your phone screen can ruin the wedding photographer's photos and can be distracting to guests. Practice writing down your speech instead—it's quite soothing.

Practice with an audience.

This tip is a must when it comes to writing a best man speech. Even if you think you have this whole thing in the bag, practice delivering your wedding speech aloud at least three times. When you're by yourself, take a video and watch the playback to get a feel for how your speech is going. (Do you say "um" between every sentence? Are your gestures a little robotic?) If your friends can't offer critiques in person, "send [the video] to a close friend who won't be going to the wedding and who can give you honest feedback," Bliss recommends.

Finally: don't mumble. A great best man speech becomes boring if it's monotonous or guests are straining to hear you. Speak confidently and slowly.

Best Man Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time giving a best man speech, you might have a lot of questions. Here are answers to the top wedding speech inquiries.

How Long Should a Best Man Speech Be?

In general, the best man speech length should be at least three minutes, but no more than five minutes. This is enough time to say something meaningful before guests get too antsy. Of course, you should adjust your speech length to the event. If you're speaking at a last-minute wedding, it might require a brief speech, while a formal affair could call for a longer toast. But you might also be wondering, "how many words should a best man speech be?" We suggest between 700 to 1000 words.

How to Start a Best Man Speech

Begin your speech by addressing the audience and thanking them for attending the wedding. Here's an example, "Hello, everyone. On behalf of the newlyweds, I want to thank everyone for attending this amazing celebration." You can even butter up the crowd by saying how lovely everyone looks this evening. Then, introduce yourself and how you know the groom or couple. This is a great opportunity to add a funny story or memory you have with them that can lead you into the rest of your speech.

How to End a Best Man Speech

Raise your glass and offer a toast wishing the couple a lifetime of happiness, excellent health and success. Your toast can include one final joke or be a marriage quote from your and the groom's favorite movie. Either way, take this chance to sincerely express the newlyweds well. Remember, concluding the speech is the easiest part.

Does the Best Man Have to Give a Speech?

It's not required, but it's expected that the best man gives a speech—especially if the other honor attendants are giving one. If speaking in public makes your stomach turn, consider showing your appreciation for the couple in a different way. We've seen best men do upbeat choreography, sing the couple's favorite song or even present a wedding video they made.

When Does the Best Man Give His Speech?

Following the traditional wedding speech order , the best man speaks after the maid of honor and is the last speech during the reception. There's no need to use this itinerary since the speech order depends on your reception timeline and wedding party size. The to-be-weds might even ask you to deliver your speech during the rehearsal dinner, which most likely will be in front of a smaller audience (score!). Before the wedding and during, double-check with the couple to ensure you know when to give your best man speech so no one has to hunt you down when it's your turn.

bride in wedding dress smiles with mother of the bride wearing a korean hanbok

Magical Day Weddings

Amazing Tips & Themes For Your Magical Wedding

Best Man Speech: The Ultimate Guide (5 Examples & FAQs)

  • Magical Words

The Ultimate Best Man Speech Guide (Examples And Templates Included)

  • Posted by by Lisa Plaitt

Being picked to be the best man is such a great honor. You will feel blessed that the groom has thought of you, and considers you the best man and friend for the job.

But, as the wedding draws nearer, there’s one thing on your mind. No, it’s not the bachelor party… It’s the best man’s speech(see also: Best Ways to End Your Best Man’s Speech ). 

As the best man, you will likely have many responsibilities in the run up towards the wedding. You’ll have to try on suits, organize the bachelor party, but the best man speech is the thing that most look forward to, or dread!

Standing up in front of many guests, some of which you may not have met before can be nerve wracking to say the least. It’s such an important task, and a part of the wedding that many guests look forward to. 

A best man speech needs to hook the audience in, reveal some funny stories about the groom, and even the bride, but also wish the couple well, and spread some laughter amongst the audience.

But, you have to do all of this in one single speech that can’t be too long, and can’t be too short! 

So, how can you nail the best man speech? Well, that’s where we come in handy. We can offer you this ultimate guide to creating a best man speech, including tips, structure and examples you can take inspiration from. 

How To Structure A Best Man Speech

Not everyone is gifted with the ability to speak clearly and confidently to a crowd. It can be very nerve racking, and make you anxious to say the least.

If you’re unsure of how to go about planning your best man speech, then we can help you out with this simple structure to follow and keep yourself on track. 

This structure is a sort of guide, you don’t have to use it, but it’s a good idea to follow the structure so you cover all bases when doing the speech.

It can also help you when actually performing the speech, as you’ll know what needs to come next and in which order to go over your stories and anecdotes.

A good best man speech begins with:

  • An Introduction

Use the introduction to introduce yourself to the crowd. Not everyone will know who you are in the wedding, so it’s a nice way to break the ice and get rid of any awkwardness.

Try introducing yourself with a funny one liner about who you are and how you know the happy couple.

  • Talk About How You Met/Know The Groom

Next, it’s a good idea to briefly cover how you met the groom, or how long you’ve known each other. You can give a little history of how far back you go, and mention how honored you are to be the best man. 

  • Anecdotes About The Groom

Here comes the fun part! Now is the time to start telling a funny story about the groom. The emphasis here is on funny and not too embarrassing or gross. Choose two or three short anecdotes or stories, but don’t overdo it. 

  • Balance Poking Fun With Sincerity

After you’ve had your fun, balance this out by saying something meaningful and sincere about the groom, his qualities or your friendship. 

  • Briefly Talk About How You Know The Bride

In this section, you can talk about your first meeting with the bride, how she came into the groom’s life, and how great of a match you believe them to be. 

  • Wish Them All The Best

Finally, wish the couple all the best for their future together with a sincere, caring comment. Then, toast to the happy couple! 

Best Man Speech Do’s And Don’ts

Best Man Speech Do’s And Don’ts

There are definitely a few do’s and don’ts when it comes to speaking at someone’s wedding. You’ll want to keep it concise, funny, but not too over the top jokey. Here’s our recommendations of what to do, and what not to do. 

First things first, you’ll want to plan ahead, and write a few stories and anecdotes down that you can remember. Do this for a few weeks before the wedding, so it gives you time to come up with the right memories to share. 

Try brainstorming ideas with other members of the family or bridal party to come up with the best things to share about the groom and his bride. Then, you can narrow down the list and find the most impactful or most important things to talk about.

You should also consider who this speech is going to be said around.

If the groom’s very traditional great aunt or grandma is there, it could be a good idea to avoid any crass, rude stories that could make family members uncomfortable. Save those lines for the bachelor party! 

Do pause for reactions. You don’t want to talk too fast or fly through the speech as those who have laughed at the last line may miss the next one. Always leave small gaps or pauses for reactions, applause or responses. 

Finally, make sure you focus on the couple, not just the groom.

This day is about the two of them. While you are doing a speech because you are the best man to the groom, it is important that you bring in the bride/partner in your speech so that overall you are wishing both of them well on their new adventure. 

What Not To Do

Don’t wing it! You may have some liquid courage on the night, but you need this speech to be a crowd pleaser, so be sure to take your notes and go over the speech in your head just before you have to do it. 

Don’t use foul language, or inflammatory language. You don’t want to cause a dark cloud over the event by offending anyone or causing a scene.

The same goes for mentioning exes (who could well be at the wedding) or bringing up sore subjects during the speech. Keep it fun, lighthearted, and hilarious. 

Don’t use cliches like The groom is like a brother to me. Instead, demonstrate your close bond by telling a story or giving an example of when he treated you like family, and made you feel welcome.

This is far more impactful and will really get the audience involved in your speech. 

Finally, and this is an important one- don’t make it about you. This is not your shining moment, your time will come.

Ensure you’re not talking about yourself too much, and always bringing it back to the bride and groom, because that’s what the audience really wants to hear about.

It’s a chance for them to see the couple in a different light, from your perspective, not learn everything about you. 

Tips For Writing A Best Man Speech

Example Of Best Man Speeches

We’ve also got some brief tips for writing and performing your best man speech!

  • Practice before the actual speech
  • Don’t include inside jokes- they will fall on deaf ears
  • Keep it short and sweet – don’t go over the top with long stories/memories
  • Don’t use cringey cliches
  • Don’t mention exes- even as a joke
  • Use clean language
  • Don’t say anything political/inflammatory
  • Tell a story about the groom and the couple as a pair
  • Don’t just focus on the groom
  • Always end on a high – make a nice toast and comment about the couple

Qualities To Talk About In The Best Man Speech

Qualities To Talk About In The Best Man Speech

Throughout your speech, it is important to keep a running theme. If the joke you are telling is unrelated, it won’t have as much drive and impact.

For instance, if you’re talking about the groom’s thoughtfulness, use funny anecdotes that relate to this, and bring it back to that whenever possible.

Here are some other qualities that are worth mentioning:

  • Sense of humor: If the groom is known for his quick wit and humor, be sure to incorporate this into your speech. Share a funny story or two that showcases his sense of humor and make the guests laugh.
  • Generosity: If the groom is known for his kindness and generosity, talk about a specific instance where he went out of his way to help someone in need. This will show the guests the type of person he truly is.
  • Loyalty: Mention the groom’s unwavering loyalty to his friends and family. Talk about how he has been there for you and others in the past and how this trait is so important in a relationship.
  • Intelligence: If the groom is intelligent and knowledgeable, highlight this in your speech. Talk about his impressive achievements or interests that show his intelligence and passion.
  • Adventure: If the groom is someone who is always up for a new adventure, talk about his love for travel or exploring new things. This will show the guests his spontaneous and adventurous side.

For example, you could say:

Where do I begin with the groom’s sharp sense of humor? He’s a true master of wit, who can leave even the most experienced comedian in awe. A particularly memorable instance was when him and his bride went on a picnic; after he inadvertently dropped their sandwiches into a nearby pond, he remarked ‘Well, it looks like we’re having fish sandwiches today!’. The bride couldn’t help but laugh out loud at how quickly he turned an unfortunate situation into something humorous – that is simply the type of person this groom is. 

Groom has always had a very caring, loving nature. He would do anything for anyone. Except that one time I asked him to water my plants while I was on vacation. He brought all of the guys over to ‘water my plants’! Thanks for that, Groom. Just kidding, Groom is incredibly thoughtful and compassionate towards all who meet him, which is a quality I believe brought him closer to Bride. 

You want to talk about his great qualities, poke a little fun, or share a funny story, but then talk about how these qualities have translated into his relationship with his partner, or how they have brought them closer together. 

Best Man Speech Examples

Good evening everyone. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Tom, younger brother and best man of the groom. For those of you that do know me…heeeeeeey! 

I have known Jack for…X years now (your age) and have always looked up to him. He had it all, the career, the intelligence, the sense of humor, and now the girl. Then again, I got the good looks. 

In all seriousness, I have always looked up to my big brother. He’s always had a flair for sports, and genuinely has a heart of gold.

Being the youngest of the two of us, Jack has made me a better man, mainly because of the character building he put me through as a child. Jack would love taunting me by stealing my favorite stuffed animals. 

I cherished my favorite, Mr. Snuggles, until one day Jack told me to come downstairs and see the new toy that our Rottweiler had been given.

I was so excited to see our little furry boy happy and playing with his toy until I realized that Jack had offered up Mr. Snuggles in sacrifice with a huge grin on his face. It was a day I won’t forget. 

Despite the taunting and the terrorizing, Jack has been the man that I’ve always aspired to be. In all of the years I’ve been around Jack, he’s always been tenacious and worked hard for what he wants. And he’s always gotten it.

After asking Jenny out the first time, and she said no , he didn’t give up. He knew she was the one for him! It’s a good thing he has the patience of a saint, as it took another 3 attempts to get the first date! 

With Jack being the older, but not often the wiser brother, he managed to get himself into some mishaps in the past.

When he did finally get a chance to take Jenny out on a date, he turned up at the wrong house, and managed to slip and break his shoulder all in one fantastic, first meeting with the parents.

Smoooth, brother. At least he made it an unforgettable start to their journey together. 

With Jenny at his side, Jack’s clumsy mishaps are less and less. You truly bring out the best in him, Jen. I would say welcome to the family, but you’ve been a part of our lives for some time already, and I am truly blessed to be able to call you my new sister. 

From day one, you’ve fit right in, as you too have taken on the role of teasing Jack just as I wanted. Let me tell you guys, there have been many pranks that Jenny and I have pulled off on Jack.

One time, we hid all of his left shoes, until the confusion nearly drove him to madness…and he had to deliver his board meeting like some kind of two right footed lunatic. 

Other times, we’ve hidden around the house just when Jack is coming home from a long day at the office, to ambush him with Nerf guns until he pleads for mercy! Let’s just say justice has been served for Mr. Snuggles. 

I quickly realized that Jenny and Jack were cut from the same mold. You two are a real example of what it means to marry your best friend, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the two of you.

So everyone, if you could raise your glass…and toast- to the bride and groom! 

Show Emotion

Hi everyone! For those of you who don’t know me already, I am Zach, the best man of James! When James asked me to be the best man I felt like it was such an honor.

Then he reminded me that it’s not just about organizing the bachelor party and I have to actually come to the wedding so…here I am. 

I’ve known James for so many years now, having met him at high school. In those years, it’s become clear what a fantastic friend he is. He’s handsome, kind, brilliant, funny…and sorry (looks at Groom) mate I can’t read your handwriting here. I’ll just wing it. 

Just kidding. Me and James have been through thick and thin. I’ve watched him go from a weedy, awkward teenager to a less weedy, awkward adult!

Britney would probably argue with me over the adult part! James has always had that boyish sense of humor that’s often gotten us into trouble over the years. 

I remember James would always be the class clown in high school. But for some reason, it was always me getting in trouble. One day, I glanced over in class to see James scribbling away on his desk.

He’s probably carving out some obscenity in the wood I thought.

This is why it came as such a shock when later that day it was I who was called into the principal’s office, and as I walked with my head hung in shame to my fate, James smiled wide and proudly.

Little did I know it was my name he had carved into the wood, so I could sit in detention after class!   

Ever since that day, James and I have been at war with one another to get the other one back! But deep down, I know that James would do anything for me. If I needed someone at 4am, James is that friend.

Despite our differences, I know he’s as good as family to me, and all of the Henderson’s have welcomed me into their home on many occasions, and now Britney gets to have that same privilege. 

Britney brings out the absolute best in James, and has given us an incredible gift in bringing two wonderful boys into our lives. With Britney, James gets someone who is beautiful, smart, caring, and Britney…well, you get James. 

In all seriousness, if Britney gets half as much joy in being married to James, that I have had in being his friend over the years, then she will be incredibly lucky indeed. 

On behalf of all the groomsmen, bridesmaids and myself, I would like to thank James and Britney for having us be a part of their special day. I know how hard you’ve worked to make this a day to remember, and you’ve definitely succeeded. 

I wish you both all of the happiness, joy and good luck in the world, as you take these steps towards your future together. To the bride and groom, everyone! (Cheers). 

Hello everyone. My name is Joe and I’d just like to thank John for finally confirming that I am in fact – the best man, after 20 years of friendship. 20 years is a long time.

Just think, back then…Low rise jeans were in fashion, Spiderman was the favorite superhero, and Ben Affleck and J-Lo were together. So really, nothing has changed in 20 years, and the same goes for our friendship. 

If I ever needed building up, or bringing back down to earth, John was the man to do it. He’s always been there for me, through thick and thin. And let’s face it…during the college years, we were more thick than thin!

But, we had each other’s backs no matter what.

I remember one time in college, we decided that reading books and writing our own essays just wasn’t for us anymore. We decided to pay someone to write us an essay, and we would switch it up to pass the class.

From that day on a keen businessman was born- be careful everyone- you’ll probably get a bill for your food! 

It all would have gone swimmingly if John hadn’t forgotten to change the name on the essay, but he never took me down with him!

Since then, I’ve realized what a tenacious person, good friend and loyal individual John was, and it’s an absolute blessing to be up here with you tonight as your best man. 

There is one very important person who is not sitting on this top table with us today, and that is John’s mother, Cathy, who sadly passed away just last year.

I’ve joked a lot about John tonight, but I know that Cathy would be incredibly proud to see the man that you have become, and over the moon of how happy you are today with Mia.

So, if you wouldn’t mind joining me in raising a glass to John’s mom, who can’t be with us today, but is with us in spirit. Cheers. 

On behalf of the wedding party, I would just like to say a huge thank you to John and Mia, for including us in their special day.

It’s been a wonderful day so far, and all Mia’s hard work planning and prepping has truly paid off. John, you just sit there and look pretty. 

In addition, I’d like to thank both Mia’s parents, and John’s dad who have helped make this day extra special for the happy couple, which I’m sure they are eternally grateful for. 

I’d also like to say that the bridesmaids have done an incredible job helping Mia plan the perfect wedding, and for making sure that Mia looks every bit as beautiful as she does today.

They also had the difficult task of getting Mia to the church on time, which if you know Mia is a very big achievement, indeed. 

Finally, I’d like to thank the groomsmen for organizing and completing the best bachelor party Miami has ever seen. I only hope it was the send off John was hoping for before he begins the next stage of his life with Mia. (But I highly doubt it) 

John, I’ve loved being your best friend, and I thank you for bringing Mia into our lives. She’s a beautiful person, intelligent, and brings out the best in everyone she meets. Her only downfall is her taste in men! Just kidding. 

Seriously, I think everyone will join me in saying that we wish you only the best for your future together, and that we all can share one day in a love like yours. Cheers to the bride and groom! 

Ladies and Gentleman, I have an announcement to make. If there is anyone here tonight that is feeling nervous, apprehensive, or maybe even a little nauseous at what lies ahead…then it’s probably because you’ve just married Adam. 

For those of you who don’t know who I am, I am the best man, James. There are few words to describe Adam. Handsome, funny, but smart isn’t one of them. You see, Adam was my best man, at my wedding, and boy he did not hold back!

So, as we stand here today, know that my time has come for me to get you back!

Before I start the character assassination that is my best man’s speech, let me just thank Adam and Olivia for having us be a part of this very special day.

I know how much work has gone into making today as great as it has been, so thank you both for pulling it off! To be honest, I never thought Adam would find someone to marry, let alone someone as beautiful and amazing as Olivia!

I’ve known Adam for a very long time, all the way back to when he still had hair! We first met during our studies at X University. At first I thought we had nothing in common, but I quickly found out that we did. We would both likely fail our first year!

Our time at University was one of the best in my life, and I’ve far too many stories to tell you about our lovely Adam here. 

But, as the BEST man, I won’t do to him what he did to me. Instead, I’ll talk about his lovely qualities over the years. First up, is his beautiful singing voice. I can’t tell you how many times I heard the works of Marvin Gaye after he met Olivia.

We quickly banned singing in the shower at our dorm because of all the love songs he would belt out after going on a date with Olivia. To say he was smitten from the start is an understatement. 

And why wouldn’t he be? All those who know Olivia know what a lovely, and caring person she is. She deserves a good husband. Thank god Adam got there first before she could find one! 

Another defining quality that drew Olivia to Adam is his caring nature. We’re incredibly proud of Adam for working as an EMT and helping people every day.

I’ll never forget the time a few years back during a friendly soccer game where I slipped and fell over on my side, snapping and breaking my ankle.

Adam was at my side within SECONDS…to let me know he caught my fall on video. Emergency Medical Services *Scoff*. Only when he saw the angle of my ankle did his medical training kick in.

All jokes aside, Adam and Olivia have always been there for me, and I them. I’d like to think of them as family rather than friends, and can only hope that continues going forward.

Adam and Olivia…I’ve never met two people more perfect for one another. You are both kind, old souls, and you make each other incredibly happy. So, if you all could raise your glasses with me, and toast to this amazing couple…to the bride and groom!  

Example 5

Hello everyone. My name is Kane, and I am the best man, and longtime friend of Rob. I was, however, somewhat surprised to be asked to be the best man, as Rob has never been able to admit this over the years.

At first, I thought this was great. I get to plan a bachelor party for Rob, but then he reminds me I have to write a killer speech that would likely make everyone laugh. 

I had no idea where to start, so I decided to trawl the internet for inspiration. After a few hours, I found some really….really…great stuff. But then I remembered I needed to write a speech, so I got off YouTube. 

I asked friends and family for advice, and according to tradition, I am supposed to sing Rob’s praises and tell you all about his fantastic qualities. Well, sorry to tell you, but I can’t sing and I don’t lie. So that’s out of the window. 

But, Sophia told me I can’t say anything too rude or controversial about Rob. Instead, I can only say nice funny things, so with that in mind, thank you and goodnight all. 

Just kidding. Seriously, Rob is one of the most kind, funny, caring and compassionate people I have ever met. This is a quality that I think brought Sophia closer to him.

His willingness to do anything for anyone, without accepting anything in return is what makes Rob extra special, and a joy to be around. 

In turn, Sophia is one of the sweetest, and funnest ladies I have ever met! We’ve shared many great memories together, with my partner included, as Sophia and Rob are actually our children’s godparents. 

I’ve known Rob for years. We grew up only a few doors apart on our street. I thought there was no kid cooler than Rob. He had all of the best hot wheels, Pokemon cards, and I had a huge crush on his big sister, Natalie *winks at groom’s sister*.

Looking back, I was probably a big nuisance always wanting to go play over his house, but I had some of the best time of my life growing up with Rob by my side. We’ve been there for every big moment of each other’s lives.

Graduation, getting our first jobs, our first cars, and now I get to be here for the biggest day of his life, where he gets to marry the beautiful Sophia. 

Sophia and Rob, your love for each other shines through you. Sophia, I’m happy to step down as I can see that you two are truly best friends, and meant to be.

I can’t think of anyone better to look after my Rob here, and I know he will do everything he can to look after you for the rest of his days. 

Thank you both so much for a fantastic day. If the rest of your lives is half as good as today has been, then you are in for a joyful marriage indeed. Please join me everyone in raising a glass to the newly weds, Rob and Sophia. Cheers! 

Best Man Speech Frequentl Asked Questions

Does the best man have to do a speech.

The best man does not have to give a speech if he really does not want to, or if there isn’t enough time because there are other people doing speeches, but it is tradition and expected of the best man to do a speech. 

When Does The Best Man’S Speech Happen?

The best man speech will typically happen after the groom has said a few words. However, every wedding is different, and the bride and groom may organize the day differently depending on how they think the speeches should flow. 

How Long Should A Best Man Speech Be?

A best man speech should be short and sweet, but not too short, and not too long. A happy medium is about 5-6 minutes in length. You don’t want it to be shorter than 3 minutes as it may seem too brief.

The point is to keep the audience engaged, and deliver a few anecdotes, thank the bride and groom, and raise a toast. 

What Should You Include In A Best Man Speech?

There are a few things that you should include in the best man speech. This is who you are, and how you know the bride and groom.

In addition, you need a fun story about the groom and you, and why you think the bride and groom are an excellent match, followed by your best wishes for the couple and a toast to their future together. 

Who Should You Thank In A Best Man Speech?

In the best man speech, you should thank the bride and groom of course, but you can also thank the bridesmaids or groomsmen for their efforts, or say thank you to the parents of the bride and groom, especially if they have contributed a lot to the wedding.

To summarize, writing a best man speech is not all as bad as it seems.

With this ultimate guide, you’ve got all of the tools you need to succeed, and successfully deliver a hilarious, fun, lighthearted speech that is sure to wish the couple all of the best for the future.

Whether you are looking for examples, tips, what to do, or what not to do, we’ve covered it all in this handy guide.

Now, instead of stressing out about what you are going to say, how you are going to say it, you can look forward to the wedding planning process in the run up to the big day, and most importantly…the bachelor party!

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Hello, I’m Lisa Plaitt and I have been married to my wonderful husband for almost five years. We met almost a decade ago now and I love him more everyday. But on my wedding day - the day that was supposed to be about celebrating us - I was far too stressed to enjoy it. My husband proposed to me in spring and it was a very lowkey setting, in our backyard without anyone else around to see it. It was a perfect proposal. But then everything got real, and I was suddenly thrust into planning mode.

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In This Article

  • Top Speech Examples
  • How To Write The Perfect Speech
  • Speech Template

Best Man Speech Ideas

  • Opening Lines
  • Toasts Examples
  • Speech Jokes
  • Speech Delivery Tips

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Wedding Party & Reception

Best Man Speech Magic: Crafting Words that Resonate and Inspire

Natalia Bayeva

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Hey there! Your friend’s wedding is just around the corner, and he’s chosen you to be the best man? Crafting the perfect best man speech might seem daunting, but trust us, it’s simpler than you imagine.

Below, you’ll find a wealth of tips and examples from Wedding Forward team to guide you through crafting a best man speech that will leave a lasting impression. Moreover, our editorial team interviewed two distinguished experts in the field: Mindy Weiss, the founder of Mindy Weiss Party Consultants and a best-selling author, and Steven Greitzer, a wedding tech entrepreneur and officiant, serving as CEO of Provenance . Their invaluable tips and advice also have been integrated into this article.

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Top Best Man Speech Examples

It is much easier to write a best man speech when you have some examples to draw upon for inspiration. That’s why Wedding Forward team have prepared variety collection of inspired best man speech to help you craft your own!

Best Man Speech For Friend

Best Man Speech for Brother

“Good evening, hope everyone is having a good time tonight. I feel very privileged and honored to be standing here tonight celebrating this lovely union. Two years ago, Matt gave the best man speech at my wedding and made a lot of awkward jokes. So needless to say, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a really long time! For those who don’t know, I am Matt’s brother, Mike. I first met Matt when I was two years old at our parent’s house in Boston. To be quite honest, I wasn’t thrilled because I really wanted a sister. And I think he knew because Matt would do ridiculous things like throw my toothbrush in the toilet, pour water at me when I was asleep and run across the room naked when I had any friends over. This made me less popular than I already was. Matt always excelled in school, was captain of the debate team (apologies to Cara, but he can argue his way out of anything!) and can make a mean steak. The truth is, despite him being an annoying brother at the time, I came out winning in the end. Because of him and this beautiful night, I am getting the sister I always wanted. Cara, you’re beautiful and our family loves you so much. Thank you for making my brother so happy. Let’s celebrate this amazing union and raise a glass to the newlyweds ! On behalf of the groomsmen and bridesmaids, we’d like to wish you a life full of love, happiness, and joy. To everyone who made tonight happen, thank you. You’ve made this night very special.” Source

Short Best Man Speech

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please? As the best man, I stand here today to say a few words about the remarkable love story between my incredible friend, [groom’s name], and his beautiful bride, [bride’s name]. [Groom’s name] and I have been through thick and thin together, and I’ve had the privilege of witnessing his growth as a person. But it wasn’t until [bride’s name] came into his life that I saw a change I can only describe as transformative. Their love is like a beacon, guiding them through life’s ups and downs. So here’s to the newlyweds—a couple who have found not just love, but true companionship. May your journey be filled with happiness, passion, and an everlasting bond.”

Funny Best Man Speech Examples

Best man talk for adam and kate.

“Adam and Kate – What a great day to get married! Marriage carries new responsibilities. Kate – from now on, you should never argue or disagree with Adam, because he is now the head of the family and the king of his castle. You will be expected to keep your hair and make-up perfect at all times – to dress in a way that pleases Adam. You should cook his favorite meals every night and encourage him to go out with his friends on a regular basis. Do these simple things and your marriage will be blessed with many years of happiness. Kate – I know that Adam loves you very much… because he spent a long time writing this speech for me. Congratulations to the both of you!” Source

Best Man Presentation for Sarah & Simon

“Sarah & Simon – every great relationship starts with rings. In the beginning, the phone would ring and just the thought of speaking to one another was exciting. Your love grew and so did your commitment to each other. The engagement ring soon came after. There were no doubts… your love was true. The engagement ring has now turned into a wedding ring and we are all here today to celebrate your marriage. Now of course… the suffer-ring begins. (smile and raise your glass) Peace and happiness to the new bride and groom!” Source

Speech for Neil and Claire

“Hi my name is Paul and Neil has asked me to be his best man for this wonderful occasion. I would like to say it is a very special honor but with it, comes the responsibility of giving the bloody speech. I would not say it is very comfortable to wear a tuxedo in a 30-degree church, which is not air-conditioned. The church ceremony I’m sure you’ll all agree was a wonderful, wonderful occasion. Maybe a little hot, but I’m glad to see so many of you have replaced your electrolytes with fuel of the alcoholic kind since the reception began. I have known Neil and Claire for_________ [how many years] years. You might say Neil and I met by accident, but it is no accident that Neil met Claire. If you know Neil you know he is an excellent athlete, in fact I noticed his Athletes foot right away. This was a man who had his knees and ankles shaved, for easy taping. I knew this was a hard-core sports fanatic. We both share a tremendous love of football and basketball. For many years, we have had a running bet during the season as to who will score more goals or more runs which of course, I always won. Neil is a ______________ [Groom’s Occupation] in Truro, and I thought__________________________________[Funny or quirky aspect about grooms occupation] Neil is a man who has dedicated his life to __________________[Grooms occupation] And now I’m sure will use his experience with ___________________________[what the Groom does in his occupation] in his marriage with Claire. It is great that Neil found Claire. He has always been looking for someone young, dynamic, intelligent, attractive, and with good health insurance. Neil and Claire met_________________________ [where they meet], But I have it on good authority that Neil started looking for a wife on the internet. And with a multitude of resources at his fingertips, he found some really great stuff, but sadly was unable to find himself a suitable partner. That is, until I mentioned to him that the correct category to be looking should be Woman Seeking Man. I explained the way it works, send an old picture when you still had lots of hair, lie about your height and weight, and at all other times be sincere and honest. I imagine that when Neil and Claire met and introduced each other he said I’m Neil and she said, “I need a Diamond.” So, Neil said, sure let’s pick one out. Claire is a Diamond. Neil is a gem; I think together they make beautiful jewellery. No Marriage would be complete without some brotherly advice to help set you on your way… So I canvassed the room and got some really good stuff for you! Love, honor and cherish each other, and don’t forget to take out the garbage. Your wife is always right. Just in case she is not right, refer back to #2. Always, yes always, notice every new hairstyle or dress. Do something nice for each other every single day. If she asks if something makes her look fat the answer is categorically, NO. Flowers are always a good Idea, even if you are not in trouble. There is really nothing better than a good foot rub or massage. Your wife is more important than sports. I guess. Even the cup final. It is a great joy for me to see Neil and Claire so happy. You learn things when you get older. Hmmm, I mean more mature. You make better decisions, isn’t it great that two people would entwine and commit to each other for life. Love, isn’t that what it is all about? We are here to celebrate that glorious event and this ceremony is all about letting the world know how much Neil and Claire’s love for each other is a reflection of one’s own soul in another’s. Anyway, it is time to celebrate the joyous and unbridled love that these two spectacular people will share the rest of their lives. Would you please stand now and join me in a toast. To love and laughter and happily ever after.” Source

What are the key elements that should be included in a memorable and heartfelt best man’s speech?

That is what Steven Greitzer, wedding tech entrepreneur and officiant, CEO of Provenance, said:

“There are many key elements to take into account when pulling together a great toast:

  • Include 2-3 stories in your speech that capture the essence of the groom and your friendship.
  • Make sure your speech is appropriate by discussing “no-go’s” with the couple beforehand.
  • Acknowledge the groom’s partner in your speech and speak about how the relationship has helped the groom grow (more on that below).
  • Offer a thematic takeaway, such as the importance of friendship or the strength of the couple’s love.
  • Be sure to practice

The Provenance Toast Builder is the best and easiest way to make sure your wedding toast captures what you’re trying to say.”

Try the Toast Builder

How to Write a Best Man Speech

For a great wedding speech, there are some simple rules you have to follow. Here you will find examples of best man speeches Dos and Don’ts from our editors.

  • Plan your speech ahead (think about your best man speech structure, choose formal or funny style) and practice.
  • Tell a short story ( keep the speech to about 5 minutes or less ) with jokes (2 or 3 will be enough).
  • Get sentimental at some point, make compliments to the bride.
  • Finish on an optimistic note (end your speech with love quotes or wishes for the happy couple).
  • Be thankful (express gratitude towards the couple, their family, and anyone who helped make the wedding happen).

Don’ts

  • Do not cross the 2-5 mins time limit.
  • Do not make it about you.
  • Avoid dirty jokes.
  • Do not ignore the bride. Let her know how happy you are, that she is ending up with your friend.
  • Avoid rude remarks. Keep your manners in check, even if it’s for a day.

Infographic

best man speech first lines

Best Man Speech Templates

Click here to download free printable templates of best man speech!

When creating the Best Man speech outline for your talk, include the following elements to involve everyone, making one and all feel that they are important participants in the merrymaking for the newlywed couple:

Use a Magnetic Opening Line

The opening words of your Best Man presentation should grab everyone’s attention. If you favor a romantic approach to start off a speech, you can start with a statement like, “True love wins all,” and then list the various ways the Groom, through his true love for his Bride, has won all her attention and affections.

  • If some of the Groom’s favorite hip singer-songwriters date back to the 1960s and ’70s, you can quote from Bob Dylan: “ Love is just a four-letter word ,” going on to mention the many words of just four letters that relate to feelings of true love like “ kiss, hold, keep and ever. ” Be intent and clever with the use of language, and you will achieve better engagement with your audience.
  • If your tastes (or the tastes of the newlyweds) are somewhat more classical, you can start by quoting the familiar line from Elizabeth Barrett Browning: “ How do I love thee, Let me count the ways. ” This popular line has been repeated in many variations by countless poets and songwriters ever since, so have no fear of labeling yourself as an egghead when quoting it. This opening line will also give you a chance to mention the main virtues and attributes of the Bride.

Thank the Other Speakers

It is always appropriate and appreciated if you thank the other speakers for the occasion. These speakers usually include the Maid of Honor and the Bride’s Father as well as any other members of the wedding party that the Bride and Groom ask to speak.

It is always good form to express your gratitude for their contributions to this special moment and event. Never criticize or make jokes about what they say or how they say it. Just thank them politely and continue with your own remarks since you know very well how to write a best-man speech.

Congratulate the Newlyweds

Congratulate the wedding couple on this exciting first chapter in their lives together. This is the ideal time to tell the guests how you met your great friend, the Groom. If you happen to be the Groom’s brother or cousin, you can recreate moments of hilarity from your younger years together or shared experiences of suspense or intrigue.

Recalling funny incidents or telling best man speech jokes involving the Groom is totally acceptable, so long as you keep the format and content clean and respectable.

Expert tip from Steven Greitzer:

“A great best man speech strikes the perfect balance of humor and sincerity. You want it to be memorable, but for the right reasons. Check with the couple to see if there are any topics you need to avoid or any topics that might be of particular concern to anyone in the audience. In the Provenance Toast Builder , the couple has the option to call out any topic they do, or don’t, want you to include. If you have any jokes in your speech you are unsure about, run them by someone who is close to the couple who you trust. And if you have a feeling that a joke might upset them or not land well with the audience – err on the side of caution. It’s their big day, not yours! There’s a way to have a funny best man speech that doesn’t upset grandma. Find the balance.”

Compliment the Bride

Now it is time to pull out the stops and give high praise to the Bride using your knowledge of how to write a best man talk. Highlight and emphasize her finest qualities, talents, and accomplishments.

Let them know just how overjoyed you are to celebrate the marriage of these two special people of whom you think so highly. Then give the Bride another charming compliment using top-quality speech writing tips.

Read Messages from Absent Guests

Take time to read some messages from invited guests who could not attend the wedding. This gesture is always appreciated by the absent guests and the Bride and Groom, alike. It also includes their congratulatory thoughts and best wishes for the newlyweds in the day’s special events.

Include a Famous Quote or Poem

Enchant your attentive audience of wedding guests further by reciting a well-known quote or poem that suits the occasion. This adds a creative literary element to the post-wedding celebration for the honored couple. You may want to consult other templates, including a listing of groomsman speech examples.

Best Man Speech Quotes

Choose Best Man speech quotes that reflect the couple’s personality, add humor, and keep them relevant.

Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop. H. L. Mencken
Marriage is a workshop where husband works and wife shops.
A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. Mignon McLaughlin

Propose a Toast to the Wedding Couple

Raise your glass of champagne so the guests can eagerly follow your example as you deliver a heartfelt toast of optimistic good wishes for the excellent health, increasing wealth, and everlasting happiness of the newlyweds.

The toast should be given with gusto and true sincerity and may include mild best-man speech jokes. Remember that you speak for all the well-wishers in the room who want all the best for this newly married Bride and Groom, so put your best energy, spirit, and talents for convincing elocution into this featured Grand Finale.

The “Thankful” Speech

“Hello everyone, it’s such a pleasure to be here tonight as [Groom’s] best man. And I want to begin with saying what an honor it is that I was chosen to stand by your side today. You’ve always been someone that I looked up to and I am just beyond grateful that I get to share in this moment with you and [Bride]. [Groom] is someone that I’ve come to care for greatly over the years and I am so happy that he’s found someone to share his life with and start a family with. [Groom] has always been my right hand throughout the biggest moments of my life and I can’t wait to be able to watch everything beautiful unfold for the two of you. Cheers to a lifetime of happiness!”

The “Smart Move” Speech

“There’s an old saying about friendship that reads, “It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them,” and goodness that couldn’t be more true for me and my boy, [Groom]. I could go into all the funny stories that include some of that stupidity but instead I’d rather focus on all the smart moves he’s made. His friendships, the relationship he has with his family, his career, it’s all a reflection of the incredible man he’s become. But really, the smartest move he’s made is marrying you, [Bride]. Let’s toast to the best decision [Groom’s] ever made. I wish you a lifetime of love, happiness and success.”

The “She Was the One” Speech

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming out tonight to celebrate the wedding of two people we all love, [Bride] & [Groom]! When I first met [Bride], I knew that she was the woman [Groom] would end up marrying. Even if it hadn’t dawned on him quite yet, it was obvious to everyone around just how smitten he was with her. They talk about a bride’s glow, but this man was shining since the moment he met [Bride]. He changed for the better without realizing it. And we all could see it. He couldn’t stop talking about her. We’d go out with the boys and [Bride’s] name would be brought up every two minutes. So, when he came to me to tell me that he would be proposing my only response was, ‘Well, it’s about time!’ There’s something special about these two. They go together without forcing it. They love each other without fighting it. And they care about each other without thinking about it. She was the one from the very beginning [Groom], and we’re all so happy to be able to take part in your big day. Cheers!”

Best Man Speech Opening Lines

Your opening lines are your best-man speech icebreakers, so it’s important that they are good. Grab the attention of your guests with witty best man speech openers such as these.

  • “I would like to begin by congratulating the groom on his excellent taste in best men. He has really outdone himself this time, and I’m pleased.”
  • “I have been asked by the bride and groom not to share any embarrassing stories, crude jokes, or pranks during my best man’s speech… so I guess that’ll be it from me! Thank you all for listening.”
  • “If you cannot hear me at the back, nothing to worry about. By the complete silence in the front row here, you can rest assured that you’re really not missing much.”
  • “Is anyone here this afternoon feeling nervous and queasy at the thought of what lies ahead? If you are, it’s probably because you’ve just married (groom’s name).”
  • “All of you here who really know the bride must know that she is a wonderful person who deserves a good husband. Thank goodness (groom’s name) married her before she found one.”

Best Man Speech One-Liners

I am about to make the groom cry. I just received the food bill.
He is smart, tall, kind, generous….. Who am I actually talking about?
Hi, the groom is a great friend. Our friendship is 2hours old. I was hired as he’s got no friends.
His colleagues describe him as a first-class banker – I may have misheard them.
I heard some time that marriage is a 50/50 affair. Believe that at your own peril. We have factors called women and improper fractions.

One-liners are sharp jokes delivered in one sentence. A good one-liner is concise and meaningful. It is instant but loaded with humor that can keep the guests laughing for a while. It is important that the best man speech jokes contain one-liners.

Best Man Toasts Examples

“It’s been an emotional day, even the cake is in tiers.”
“Folks, I have been told I am not allowed to have a drink until AFTER my speech. If I seem like I’m in a hurry to finish, it’s because I am.”
“I hope the two of you have the two essential things it takes to have a successful marriage 1) a sense of humor 2) selective hearing.”
“Psychiatrists say that girls tend to marry men like their fathers. That must be why mothers cry at weddings.”
“Love is not about how often you say I love you, but how often you show that it’s true.”

Best Man Speech Jokes

“They say marriage is a journey, and tonight we celebrate the beginning of an epic road trip for the bride and groom. Just remember, guys, never forget to ask for directions!”
“They say the key to a successful marriage is patience, understanding, and a remote control with fresh batteries. Groom, make sure you always keep that remote handy!”
“Let’s raise our glasses to the newlyweds: may their love be like Wi-Fi, strong and never disconnecting, even in the midst of Netflix binges!”
“As the best man, it’s my duty to share a piece of advice with the groom: in marriage, always remember that a happy wife means a happy life… and also remember to nod and agree, even when she’s wrong!”
“Marriage is a lifelong commitment, just like the gym membership the groom signed up for and rarely uses. But this time, there are no cancellation fees!”

Best Man Speech Delivery and Presentation Tips

best man speech attire groom olly allars

When delivering your best man speech, it’s essential to captivate the audience with your words and presence. Here are some tips to ensure a memorable and engaging delivery:

  • Maintain good eye contact with the audience: Look directly at the guests while speaking. Eye contact helps establish a connection and shows that you are genuinely engaged with them.
  • Speak clearly and at a moderate pace: Enunciate your words clearly and avoid rushing through your speech. Speaking at a moderate pace allows the audience to understand and absorb your message effectively.
  • Use appropriate gestures and body language to enhance your delivery: Use hand gestures and body movements to emphasize key points and add energy to your speech. However, be mindful of not going overboard and distracting from your message.
  • Incorporate pauses for comedic timing and to allow the audience to react: Timing is crucial, especially when delivering humorous anecdotes or punchlines. Pause before and after delivering a joke to build anticipation and give the audience time to laugh and react.

By implementing these delivery and presentation tips, you’ll engage the audience, leave a lasting impression, and make your best man speech a memorable highlight of the wedding celebration.

Are there any common mistakes to avoid, and how to overcome nervousness or stage fright?

According to wedding planner Mindy Weiss, “speeches can help make or break a wedding” . And we agree with this opinion. Speeches have the power to elevate the celebration, bringing tears of joy and laughter to guests, while also creating cherished memories that last a lifetime. However, poorly delivered speeches can disrupt the flow and energy of the event, leaving guests feeling disconnected and the couple disappointed.

Steven Greitzer convinced that one of the biggest mistakes is when the person giving the wedding speech only talks about the partner they’re closest with, unintentionally making the other partner feel left out and unimportant: “To help remedy this, the Provenance Toast Builder gives you the option to either talk about each partner 50/50, or to talk 70% about your person and 30% about their partner (which is a good rule of thumb). The Toast Builder also has thoughtful prompts to encourage you to share why they’re both 1) good people and 2) a great match for each other.

What is the best man supposed to say in his speech?

The best man should share anecdotes about the groom, praise the couple, thank everyone, and propose a toast. Keep it lighthearted and sincere.

What do you say in a short speech for Bestman?

In a short best man speech, express gratitude, share a memorable moment about the groom, and toast to the couple’s happiness. Keep it concise and impactful.

How do I write a good man speech?

Write a good best man speech by including humor, expressing genuine sentiments, avoiding inappropriate content, and keeping it focused on the couple. Practice for smooth delivery and timing.

There is truly something for everyone today to create the perfect Best Man Speech for that very special couple and their after-wedding reception, dinner, and celebration. Fond remembrances, amusing stories and anecdotes, humorous quotes, and emotional phrases end with the joyful ring of a clever, yet heartfelt Best Man Toast to the Bride and Groom. The contemporary wedding is truly a work of love and art with all the trimmings and enticing treats for one and all to treasure and enjoy.

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  • Who Gives a Speech at a Wedding Reception? How to Write a Wedding Toast Tips for the Father of the Bride Speech How to Write a Best Man Toast Advice for the Maid of Honor Speech What to Know About a Newlywed Toast Public Speaking Experts' Wedding Speech Tips 60 Quotes to Use for Your Wedding Toast

How to Write the Perfect Best Man Speech

Two experts share the best tips for writing a winning toast.

best man speech first lines

Photo by Sydney Noelle Photography

In This Article

First of all, congratulations on being asked to be the best man. You, of course, have many important responsibilities —like groomsmen shepherding and bachelor party planning , among others—but there's only one task that will secure your proud ascension into the ranks of becoming the MVP: Giving a killer toast.

The best man's speech traditionally follows the groom's speech and is a chance for you to say some sweet words about your relationship with the couple and your best friend. But, if the thought of public speaking has your kneecaps sweating, we found you two coaches with years of experience to help ease your nerves.

Ahead, with the help of President Barack Obama's former speechwriter David Litt, and Pete Honsberger, author of Wedding Toasts 101: The Guide to the Perfect Wedding Speech , here are the best tips for writing a perfect man speech, in order to pull off the most amazing toast ever.

The Best (and Worst) Best Man Speech Ever

Meet the Expert

  • David Litt was the speechwriter for President Barack Obama from 2011 to 2016 and is the author of the New York Times best-selling book Thanks, Obama.
  • Pete Honsberger has been a serial groomsman, speaker, and wedding toast advisor for most of his adult life. When it comes to wedding toasts, he's seen just about everything—you can read about it in his book, Wedding Toasts 101: The Guide to the Perfect Wedding Speech .

Best Man Speech Template 

Getting all your thoughts and feelings down on paper can be overwhelming, especially if you're not used to sharing those sentiments with the guys. And for those who are unsure of what to write for the big day, here is a guideline to help you find your flow.

Find a Theme

A theme is a unifying idea that ties the whole speech together. Think of it as the takeaway of your speech, or the one thing you want guests to remember. The best way to identify your theme is by making a list of your favorite stories. "You’re not going to just write a speech from scratch. Start by brainstorming stories. Most importantly, what you’re looking for is the theme that comes out of those anecdotes," says Litt.

Build a Framework

The best way to organize your thoughts is to create a blueprint of the key points you want to hit first, sort of like a toast skeleton. After you've established the roadmap, fill it in with pertinent details and memories while still ensuring you're staying on point. "Think about it in terms of ideas," says Litt. "You can get in one or two short anecdotes, maybe three, and one big idea. If those are good, you don’t need more."

Instead of thinking of yourself as the speaker, imagine that you're actually standing in the audience. Think about what the audience would like to hear, rather than what you want to do.

Focus on the Newlyweds

Most best men will include a story or two about their friendship with the groom, but don't center the whole speech on it. "Remember the relationship that you’re celebrating is the one between the two people getting married. You’re giving the speech because you can shine some unique light on that relationship," says Litt. "If the relationship that you’re really giving the speech about is the one between you and the groom, things [will get] awkward."

Share Your Feelings

Deliver something more meaningful than one joke after another. "Generally speaking, men think of the best man speech as a funny speech to give because we’re very uncomfortable sharing how we actually feel. But, what makes a good best man speech is the part where somebody shares how they feel. Humor is just the icing on the cake," says Litt. The newlyweds chose you to speak because you have something notable to add to their big day. Embrace your personal insight into their bond and don't try to dilute it by just being funny.

Best Man Speech Tips

Ahead, find our best tips for making sure your speech is as polished as possible.

Consider Your Audience

You can't nail a speech if you have no idea who to tailor the content to. "Feel free to ask beforehand. When I was writing speeches for the president, we had a point of contact where the speech was happening to say who exactly is in the audience. You can do a smaller-scale version of that. Your point of contact is probably your friend getting married . But, the nice thing about giving the best man speech is that, ideally, it’s both specific to you and universal to the couple," says Litt.

"I would say almost never start with talking about how nervous you are. I’d also say just relax. That’s a hard thing to tell someone to do. But remember, you’re not putting on a show," says Litt. "You're simply talking about your best friend and the love of their life, two people that you've probably spent a lot of time with. In the end, it should just flow and come out easily." Litt also suggests, "imagine you’re just telling a story to a group of friends because, really, you are."

Stay True to Yourself

Stick with who you are and how you would normally act around your friends; you don't need to adopt a character just because you're giving a speech. For example, if you aren't normally the comedian in the group, don't try to tell a bunch of jokes. If you're not usually a super-sentimental person, don't force it. There's nothing wrong with keeping your speech more lighthearted . The couple already knows (and loves) your personality, so the more genuine you are, the better your speech will be received by both the newlyweds and their guests.

Don't Rely Solely On Humor

While a few jokes sprinkled in can be a great tool for loosening up the crowd, don't make these the meat of your toast—especially if comedy doesn't come naturally to you. "Let me put it this way. There’s such a thing as too many bad jokes, and that number is about one. The more you treat it as an open-mic night, the less happy everyone involved is going to be. You don’t need to go in thinking, 'How do I get invited back next week?'" explains Litt.

Keep Things Positive

Even if you think it's well-meaning, don't turn the toast into a roast or make jokes at the couple's expense. "I’ve seen best man speeches where someone thinks, 'Oh, my job is to roast the groom .' Unless the couple specifically told you that’s your job, that’s not your job. The way to think about jokes is that you don’t want people to be laughing at the groom or at the couple. You want people to be laughing because they suddenly know the groom better than they did before." says Litt.

Don't Upstage the Newlyweds

Litt's previous boss (former President Obama) really enjoyed telling other people's stories at speaking engagements, and this ultimately strengthened his messages. "His speeches are not really about him. They’re about other people," says Litt. Channel Obama by keeping your speech focused on the couple. "You’re not performing. You’re there because you know someone and care about them, and you’re sharing that with a bunch of other people. Even a great best man speech is not supposed to steal the show. If somebody says, 'That speech was nice but almost forgettable because we were so focused on the bride and groom,' that’s a win. You don’t need to be the star," advises Litt.

Keep Things Appropriate

"My general rule for wedding speeches is: If you have to ask yourself, 'Is this appropriate?' it’s not. And if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t know, ask a friend. If they give you that slightly horrified look, listen to that look," explains Litt. Keep in mind that your audience will include guests of various generations and cultures, like your friend's grandparents, boss, and colleagues. Refrain from mentioning anything that you wouldn't want your grandma or boss to know.

Get a Second Opinion

Remember, you'll be delivering this toast in front of an audience (as if you could forget, right?). So it doesn't hurt to get some feedback on what you're planning on saying. "If you’re the kind of person who has a track record of going a little too far with your surprises, you should be self-aware enough to run this by a third party—maybe another close friend or a friend of the bride ," says Litt.

The last thing you want to do is stand up and give a speech that you've never said out loud. "The best thing to do is practice with a friend. Anybody giving a big speech rehearses beforehand. If you’ve already gotten good feedback from field-testing your remarks with a smaller group, then you’re going to come out on the wedding day comfortably knowing you have a good speech. It's that uncertainty that can be scary when you’re up there speaking," says Litt.

Keep It Short

Let's be realistic: Super-long wedding toasts annoy guests. "I’ve never been to a wedding where anyone said, 'That was a great wedding, but the best man speech was just too short and that ruined it.' I would say five minutes is the absolute maximum. Three minutes is fine. There’s no question that if you’re reading this, you’ve sat through a speech that was too long. But when you start writing a speech, you almost never think, 'Is this going to be too long?'" explains Litt.

Limit Your Drinks

Don't embarrass yourself by slurring through your toast. "Being one drink in works for some people, but being more than one drink in is never a good idea. At that moment when you’re like, 'You know what I need? Another couple of shots.' That is never what you need," advises Litt.

Best Man Speech Openers

Now that you understand the fundamentals of creating a great toast, your next step is to sit down and start writing. If you need a little help getting your speech going, though, our experts share a few ideas to kick-start the process.

Introduce Yourself With a Twist

Want to tell the crowd exactly why you're the best man? Honsberger says to get straight to the point and tell them how you know the groom . Most importantly, add some flavor to the first few lines. Spice it up a bit, as anyone can do the standard, “For those of you who don’t know me….” Simply put, ask yourself what a twist would look like in your own introduction. 

“Good evening, if you’re in this room and don’t know me by now, then you’re probably at the wrong wedding. I am, of course, [your name], and I’ve been best friends with [groom] for 25 years…”
“Hello and welcome to tonight’s reception. [name of groom], YOU truly are MY biggest fan. Wait, that didn’t come out right…As I was saying…”

Crack a Joke, Even a Corny One

Remember the audience when determining whether your joke should be said, but ultimately, try and see if you can get the crowd to laugh in the first 30 seconds. To achieve this, Honsberger says to simply reach into your own bag of jokes or look one up online. "I’d encourage you to first spend a little time reflecting on your own comedic ability. If you’re coming up empty, then consult outside resources," he notes.

"Hello, I’m the best man [your name]. This entire day has been beautiful so far. In fact, I’m getting emotional. The wedding cake has me in TIERS. (looking at a three-tiered cake).” 
"You’re probably wondering why I asked you all here tonight…well, I can promise it’s not for my 'Magic Mike' performance. You’ll have to stick around to the last song for that."

Be Hilarious With a Straight Face

While still technically a joke, this is you working hard to sound serious while saying something absurd. And if you get this right, you’ll hear a little giggle immediately, followed by laughter from the rest of the crowd once they figure out what you said was a joke.

“Good evening, I am [your name], the best man and [relationship to groom] of [name of groom]. Tonight we’re in a room full of great men –doctors, lawyers, military veterans, and successful businesspeople –yet I am the 'best.' His words, not mine.” 
"As Abraham Lincoln once said, [say something outrageous than Lincoln obviously never said—an inspirational quote, movie line, piece of advice, etc.] … and that’s what brings us all together tonight to celebrate [couple's name].”

Introduce a Recurring Theme

Choosing an overall toast theme can help you start strong. If you decide that your relationship with the groom can be summed up by sports, college, vacations, a mutual love of running, or whatever fits you, that can be your theme. And if that’s the case, your opener is simply the first, or the best, story you have related to that specific topic. 

“Hello and welcome, my name’s [your name], and I’m here to talk about my amazing friends Mike and Liz. They are truly a story of opposites attracting. 
For example, Liz’s favorite food is french fries, and Mike is allergic to potatoes. Mike has an obsession with ice cream, and Liz is lactose intolerant (pause for laughter).
Thankfully, things have a way of working out, and we are gathered tonight to celebrate the most important thing they have in common…incredibly good looks. I mean, LOVE.”

Just like that, you’ve captured the audience, let them into the world of the married couple, and got them excited for the rest of your toast. 

Ask a Question to Answer Throughout

If you’re questioning your toast opener, try leaning into that approach. Instead of looking for the answer, embrace the question. Think about what you would want to know about the groom if you were a distant relative or family friend sitting in the audience, says Honsberger. What would be an interesting question to explore about the couple? Use that. 

“Good evening. My name is [your name] and I’ve known [groom] for more than [#] years. As I was preparing this toast, one question consistently rang in my mind: How do I summarize a friendship that has lasted since we [when you met]? Believe it or not, [groom] was [name a quirk or characteristic about him] back then, too.” 
“But really, how can I possibly speak to all of our experiences in just a few minutes without turning it into one big inside joke? Do I talk about …?” 

Then, spend the rest of the speech answering that question, and you’ll never lack information to share. 

Rhyme-Master Flex

Really want to capture the intrigue of everyone in the room? Start rhyming your sentences. Honsberger says he tried this in his first-ever wedding toast, and the result was an audience hanging on every sentence, wondering what the next line would be.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I am Dan's younger brother, Pete. Many of you, I already know. Some, I have yet to meet.
Dan and Kate, thank you so much for this amazing chance, to speak on your special day … by the way, I call first dance. (crowd boos in jest) Sorry, but I called it! 
I’ve looked up to Dan ever since I’ve had sight. He was always bigger than me, and he was always right. 
Being the oldest of four boys couldn’t have been an easy thing. But in a house full of hyenas, Dan was the Lion King."

Read a Definition from the Dictionary

Here’s a chance to leverage one of the most straightforward and honest resources in existence: the dictionary. All you need to do is find one word that defines the couple’s relationship , says Honsberger. This can be serious and sentimental or funny—your choice. Just make sure it's relevant to the couple. 

“Google’s second definition of the word ‘love’ says, ‘A great interest and pleasure in something or someone.’ I think this is beautiful and an understatement when I think of [bride] and [groom]’s marriage. Although I was a little concerned when, under the definition, the word “love” was used in a sentence as ‘His love for football.’ Hmm, strange…”
“Who’s ready to dance tonight? Wikipedia defines the word ‘dance’ as ‘a performing art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement,’ and those words have honestly never come to mind when I think of [groom] dancing. I might be kidding, but there’s only one way to find out!” 

Tell a Story of How You Met

If the groom is a friend, chances are you have a good story of the first time you met or early in your friendship. If it’s your brother or family member, simply use one of your first memories together, whether playing, adventuring, or getting into trouble.

“The year was 1993, the class was kindergarten. I was building a beautiful tower of blocks when out of nowhere, they were knocked to the ground by a classmate without mercy or even an apology. That classmate was Matt, and we’ve been best friends ever since. And Matt, I’m sorry for throwing the blocks at your head after that.” 

Begin With a Quote

Simple and overused? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely. If you want to make the groom smile immediately during your toast, use a quote that you both recognize. If there’s one that his partner appreciates, too, even better. 

The most important reminder when using a quote is to ensure the audience feels like they’re part of it, too. Unless the quote is universally known, briefly mention its origin right after saying it. Let them into the joke and they’ll be with you for the rest of the toast. 

“Good evening everyone, my name is [your name], and I’m the best man tonight. When coach [name] used to tell you to ‘Be an Athlete,’ this is what he meant. When anyone on our team missed a tackle, it was ‘be an athlete,’ when our jerseys weren’t tucked in, same saying. We’ve adopted that as a cure for any issues in life. When [groom] really wanted to introduce himself to [bride], the solution was simple. ‘Be an athlete.’ And he was. So if you see [groom] miss a step on the dance floor later, be sure to remind him to ‘Be an athlete.’"

Read Something in a Different Language

Looking for a way to involve international members of the  family  in your toast? Look no further than practicing a phrase and reciting it in their native language to begin your toast. If that doesn’t apply in your situation, yet you still want to shake things up and be unique, you can translate a wedding-related sentence into another language. It will be intriguing, and you’ll sound smart! 

“Hello and welcome to everyone in both families on such a beautiful day. Me llamo Pedro y necesito que te diviertas porque esta boda es muy cara (wait for laughter from Spanish speakers). If you don’t speak Spanish, I said that I need everyone to have fun because this wedding is really expensive!” 

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, this speech is about the couple getting married, why you love them so much, how happy you are for them, and why you're honored to have this role in the wedding party. Keep things light, positive, and succinct—and also remember that the celebration is all about love, and no one is here to make you feel nervous. Make time to practice the speech, take a few deep breaths before you begin to speak, and focus your attention on the couple. Before you know it, you'll have given a speech for the books!

The best man traditionally speaks at the wedding reception following the maid of honor, though some couples may schedule the speeches during the rehearsal dinner instead.

The best man gives one speech either at the wedding reception or, less commonly, the rehearsal dinner.

The best man's speech serves as a special lens for the audience to better understand the groom, and the newlyweds, through his significant position in their lives. The focus should be to highlight the relationship of the newlyweds rather than the relationship between the best man and groom.

A Guide to Wedding Reception Toasts

Who Gives a Speech at a Wedding Reception?

How to Write a Wedding Toast

Tips for the Father of the Bride Speech

How to Write a Best Man Toast

Advice for the Maid of Honor Speech

What to Know About a Newlywed Toast

Public Speaking Experts' Wedding Speech Tips

60 Quotes to Use for Your Wedding Toast

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The ultimate best man speech guide

10 minutes you’ll remember forever.

The Best Man Speech is one of the highlights of any wedding, but getting it right is essential, because whilst it’s just 10 minutes or so on the day, the memories of this speech will  last a lifetime . Most Best Men are weighed down by the expectation to be funny, and have no idea where to start, what it should really contain, how to end it, or how to talk about the bride and groom in a meaningful and non-clichéd way. This page is the definitive guide on how to write your best man speech, from the structure, to the jokes, how to handle two men, props, format and quotes…it’s here. All you need is some time, a creative burst and the rest will take care of itself.

Quick Links

Opening lines.

  • Being Best Man
  • Relationship to Groom

Triumphs and Disasters

Closing lines.

  • Joint Best Man

Best Man for Brother

  • Girlfriends

How to write a great best man speech

Here is a short video with my thoughts and ideas on writing a great best man speech. I’ve expanded on those ideas below to give as much advice, hints and tips on writing a really great speech. Enjoy!

Many best men race to get that first funny line in there, and usually at the expense of quality. Keep it warm, funny and never edgy.

1. Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, for those who of you I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, my name is Chris and I am officially Paul’s second best man…second best ladies and gentlemen…nobody likes to be second best do they? Well, Paul, looking at his career, he should know better than most…anyway where were we?

2. Good evening ladies and gentlemen before I begin I’d just like to introduce myself: my name is Chris and it is my very great honour and privilege to be the first of Mark’s two Best Man…we had to split it…46 years is quite a long time to cover all in one go! Over the course of the next few minutes I’ll be taking you through Mark’s sporting heroics, dealing with incredible loss and being caned by people dressed as nuns…which in fact had nothing to do with the stag do

3. Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, over the next few minutes we’ll be talking about the man for whom Scottish Independence now means asking his English wife if he can go to the pub at the weekend. I can’t help but thinking that an English woman telling a Scottish man he can’t go to the pub, would be a new low in this country’s rich cultural history.

4. Over the next few minutes I’ll be taking you on the rollercoaster ride that has been Sean’s life to date, and there are some amazing stories; like the time he was playing A ball with David Cameron in Mexico and his dog ate the Prime Minister’s guinea pig and he had to sell my passport to repair his own nose…actually I’ve known Sean 30 years…I might have muddled a few things up there…

AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO DO….

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, before I begin I would just like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those of you I haven’t yet met. My name is Dave, and this Bob, and together it is our very great pleasure and privilege to be Colin’s best men for today’s celebrations.

At this point I thought I would be nervous at doing Leigh’s speech but I am now looking forward to ripping him a new arse hole in front of all his family and friends and better yet he has to sit there quietly.

This is the most puzzling part because unless you’re a seasoned speech writer, why should you have idea about structure? There are a few ways to tackle this, but the best idea is to keep things simple and form a logical progression from one piece to the next, don’t let the timeline jump around, don’t confuse the audience, and don’t cover topics or people multiple times.

Talk about being the best man

Now you’ve got to get from the introduction into the main part of the speech and this is the bridge, and in many ways the trickiest part of the whole speech, particularly if you’re trying to link everything together. Again, simple is good – don’t make the guests think too hard!

1.Over the next few minutes I will be guiding you though what amounts to one great big cry for help: Paul’s life. The inglorious acting career, the ridiculous hair, owning a ridiculous car, the persistent alcoholic over indulgence and drunken profane outbursts – he was quite simply South West London’s answer to David Hasselhof…just not as successful.

Neil is a special friend and special friends deserve one thing: three stag dos. The weekends of Istanbul, London and Leeds will live long in the memory of not just those who went, but also those who read about us in the national papers. The mass chants of ‘feed the snake! Feed the snake!’ and the enduring company of our new best friend Bianca the stripper are, I have to say, completely unrelated. I would also like to say that for the record Brian accepts and welcomes people from every country around the globe. Almost. AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO DO….

Now a wise man once told me the best man speech should last as long as it takes for the groom to make love…So thank you everyone for coming

Firstly, I would just like to say how beautiful the bridesmaids look who have only been out shone by the bride herself, who looks amazing today.

If everyone could be upstanding, and raise a glass, know as some of you may know Kerry wanted to have the wedding a lot earlier than this, so that a certain something could be involved in the wedding, and unfortunately after a long and hard fight that couldn’t happen. I am of course talking about mikes rapidly thinning hairline, you will be sadly missed.

How you know the groom

This comes directly after the bridge and establishes a connection with the audience – they can immediately understand why you’re there, what you mean to the groom and it’s always an opportunity to have some fun with it, especially if you’re a brother!

  • My first mistake was going to stay in the shared house in London where he lived. My second was to comment on the hair. As a glass bowl of pot pourri went sailing past my head and smashed behind me giving off a wonderful burst of sandalwood fragrance, I was given enough time to realize that this was a troubled, sensitive character who didn’t take criticism that well. Perfect friend material.
  • I first properly met Nick way back in 1994 when we started secondary school together. Little did we know it at the time but it was the start of a beautiful relationship, which, for me, EVENTUALLY proved worth pursuing years later when I was able to borrow all his notes and pass my A Levels. Of course, Nick didn’t need them because he might look quite cool now but he was in fact a complete square at school.  The day when he could read without putting his finger on the word and then count without using his hands, were both real breakthrough moments in his life, only to be capped a few weeks later when he passed his driving test.
  • I first met Brent when we attended the University of Texas and pledged a fraternity together. It was here amongst the upside down beer bongs, ritual humiliation and complete lack of sleep that I knew I had met a friend for life. This may sound overly emotional and slightly premature but when you discover your new buddy is packing his dad’s credit card with no limits, who wouldn’t want him as a friend for life? Just for the record Mr. Schakett, I know at times you may have been concerned about the amount of money Brent spent on alcohol and food on that card. You shouldn’t have: the Shot Man Schakett never wasted any of your money on food.

The trick to writing a really entertaining speech is to make the whole thing a story, rather than dragging the audience through endless stories. Recounting anecdotes is really hard to do because they require a lot of detail and all the time you’re getting to the punchline without making them laugh can prove really counterproductive. Of course, this can all pay off if you have a killer punchline, but all too frequently they aren’t that ‘killer’ and require you to have been there.

Instead take out the good bits from the stories and condense them, even embellish slightly into one neat burst of comedy…

1. Now as he embarked on adult life Nick was to learn the hard way just what it is to be a man, and the number one rule is: if you are going to offer to buy the drinks in happy hour, it’s best not to drop the entire lot down yourself as you get back to the table thus meaning you have to go and buy it all again just after happy hour’s finished. Also you should only ever do a runner from a restaurant via the roof if you HAVEN’T actually paid the bill. Leaving Prezzo’s this way one evening after settling up and leaving a good tip, still doesn’t make any sense to anyone.

2. Anyway when Mark wasn’t failing to hit the top spot in the classroom he was also finding it difficult to do that on the sports field as well. However, with a modest talent and even less interest, he did the only sensible thing to do: saved up all his skill and enthusiasm for one split second of genius. Quite how he managed to catch the impossible cricket ball as it left our sports master’s bat, is still completely unknown. But with, uncharacteristic razor sharp reactions and gazelle like agility, he did just that, and won his side the match. Literally seconds after this Mark retired from all forms of competitive sport – at the very top of his game.

3. There weren’t many highlights to being on minimum wage in the frozen section of nobody’s favourite supermarket, in fact if I remember rightly, there was only one. Nick had been asked to use his initiative to dispose of a 2 litre tub of chocolate ice cream – no big deal you might think. Well, Nick decides to take it into the staff toilets and empty it into the loo. Ladies and gentlemen, a big tub of melting chocolate ice cream can make a big impression when poured into a toilet and can only ever give the next person in there the wrong idea. And it did. From then on half the people thought he had dodgy guts the rest thought he ate on the toilet. Both of which, are in fact, true.

These are ripe areas for comedy material, and whilst you can hint at his accomplishments that should really come later in the speech, when it all gets a bit more meaningful. Of course, the disasters aren’t real disasters just areas of his life and social situations he’s got catastrophically wrong…for comedy effect.

It wasn’t all academic and sporting mediocrity though, there have been lots of other things he wasn’t good at too. Forget school discos and trying to speak to girls, Mark had computers eating out of his hand. And it’s easy to see why: with computers you can eventually work out what’s bothering them, they usually only ever break down for legitimate reasons and if you get fed up with them, you can just switch them off. You see, nothing made his heart beat harder or his mind race faster than a computer with a problem. It is a love affair that has endured to this day.

The impact the bride has had on the groom

This should be a fun look at the way the groom as upped his game, changed his wardrobe and started showing an interest in things outside of pubs, football and waking up late.

1. But when he’s not trying to track the dark forces behind his least favourite football club in the world, he also likes to go on holiday. Now going on holiday for Frank is nothing new but the way he goes about it now is very different from the Frank of old. Thanks to his beautiful new wife Emily, Frank now does something called globe trotting which actually involves going to lots of different far flung countries and immersing yourself in their culture, rather than a two hour flight and immersing yourself at the bar.

2. It’s always tricky that first stage of the relationship as you go about discovering whether it’s going to work or not. However, for Sean and Lucinda it was a lot trickier, as soon after he met her and became smitten, he had the romantic task of making her redundant. Sean was taking the old addage “if you love them set them free” to ridiculous conclusions, which resulted in Lucinda losing her job.

3. Cassie, can I just say that you look absolutely beautiful today, I think we can all agree Brent is one lucky guy. I always had a sneaking feeling that Brent was batting way above his average, now I know he is! I have seen over the years just how happy you both are together and I am so thrilled for Brent that he’s met such an amazing woman to share his life with. Also if you could find it in your big, warm heart to allow The Shot Man and that credit card to come out to play, then you would make some grown up, financially independent men, very happy too.

The wedding day really is only about one person, and even though the Best Man Speech should mainly be about the groom, the bride does of course have her part in it as well.

The thing to remember here is, that unless you live in Australia, the best man always goes last, and so the groom will already have extensively talked about how they met. You’re really looking to avoid repetition, so allude generally to how they met, and I’d avoid details…and if they met online and aren’t advertising the fact, then you shouldn’t either.

1. Seriously when Mark met you Emily, everyone could see just how happy that made him. He’s always been a great bloke waiting for the right girl and everyone who knows you both will tell you just what a great couple you are together. Mark I couldn’t be happier for you today, we’ve known each other such a long time and I hope that friendship lasts for many more years to come.

2. Ali, I know you make Neil incredibly happy – you must do, he’s stopped dressing like a middle aged freak. But seriously, you both make a great couple and I know that he’ll already have the next few years planned out on spreadsheets but if you can fit me in I’ll look forward to spending a lot happier times together.

3. The fact that Dave also looked like Kevin Keegan’s love child, also didn’t help his dating days. That was until that fateful night, on the last train from London when he met the lovely Katie and smooth talked her after another mate of ours offered her a complimentary chicken nugget, and the rest is history. In a world, which looks down upon fast food, I think we all need to think again.

4. I can see how incredibly happy you have made my old friend over these last eight years and just how much you have helped to change his life for the better. He’s always been a great guy buy now he has wider horizons and a greater sense of adventure. And I know just how much of a support you’ve been to him through the tough times. I think you are a great couple and I look forward to many more happy times together in the future.

There should really be only one toast in a best man speech and that’s at the very end. Tradition states that best men should reply on behalf of the bridesmaids at the beginning of the speech in response to the bridesmaids toast by the groom – but it’s just confusing and not necessary. A simple but effective toast at the end and you’re done.

All that remains for me is to wish you all a long and happy life together, with all the luck in the world.

Ladies and gentlemen, the bride and groom.

This is where you tie all the strands together, and say what a great friend/brother the groom is, how much he’s been there for you through difficult times, laughed with you through the good times, and always had your back….and if he hasn’t…just lie!

1. John, you have been a good friend to me ever since we first met, and not just in the form of free shots and hosting parties. We’ve had great times going to the games, hanging out and making that journey from college to adult life. I know there will be less time for me in your life as I’ve now been replaced by a small dog called Ben, but you’re catholic, and now you’re married – I can’t see that dog getting a look in for months anyway. However, I will always look forward to the time we spend together especially when for old time’s sake the Shot Man is once again unleashed. Thanks for being trustworthy, loyal and understanding friends and I hope to spend many more times together for many more years to come…maybe also with that doctor wife you promised me Julie.

2. With your laidback, calm and sensitive approach to life Frank, you’re somebody that many people count themselves lucky to have in their lives. Not just because of your willingness and ability to help them out as a friend but because you’re fun and light hearted ways mean you’re always a great guy to be around.

3. I am so happy that you’ve found each other to share your lives with and all that remains for me to say is that I hope you have a great day today and enjoy a long and happy life together.

4. Sam, we’ve known each other for such a long time and been through such a lot together that it’s hard to know where to begin. All I can say is that I couldn’t have wished for a better bloke to share those years with and I hope that there’s going to be plenty more of them to come. Thanks for being a great friend, and thanks for letting me copy your homework.

Other things to consider

From a vast amount of experience you should avoid using props at all costs. It might seem like a great idea to have films, photos, a man in a gimp suit taking the heat off you in a pressurised situation, but it only ever serves to make the day a lot trickier and the speech less effective. As soon as you start holding up pictures or invite people to look at pictures you’ve left on the table they will immediately stop looking at you and start zoning out or talking amongst themselves.

If you give anyone the opportunity to divert their gaze you then have to work really hard to get it back again, and props will only ever make your speech longer and more tedious to endure. They also usually rely heavily on cables, Bluetooth connections, wifi etc etc…or at the very least everyone being able to see what you’re holding up…and they never can. Suddenly you’re getting heckles about not being able to see/hear/understand and it makes the speech the longest 10 minutes of your life.

A great idea if you’ve got funny photographs is to pin them up by the seating plan so that everyone will get to see them and then you can reference those in your speech.

Forget the awful quotes that you normally hear such as ‘it’s not somebody you can live with, it’s somebody you can’t live without, there are some great quotes out there if you look hard enough. Just one for each speech as you don’t want it to become some sort of English Literature GCSE essay.

The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it. - Hubert Humphrey

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. - Thomas Aquinas.

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one. - AA Milne.

Think where man’s glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends. - WB Yeats.

Quotes can be a really powerful way to end a speech, and it’s worth going that extra mile to find something that very few have used before, so check out sites such as BrainyQuote and GoodReads for an endless supply of great quotes.

You are always going to get a heckler or two so it’s worth thinking in advance how to deal with them so they don’t upset your flow, and even better, give you an opportunity to get some extra laughs. The most simple method is just to pause, wait until they’re done and carry on, but if you can get a bit of mileage out of it, so much the better.

A good way of having some fun is simply to ask if they’re looking for assistance in going to the bathroom, this works particularly well if they happen to be on the slightly older side. If it’s a younger person you can assume some vocal surprise that their carers have let them out for the day, or suggest that whatever medication the system has got them on, they need to cut the dose. Anything along this sort of gentle fun vein, always works a treat…as long as they don’t really have a carer and aren’t on medication.

In my experience best man jokes are probably the least effective addition to any best man speech that wants to be classed as superior. By best man jokes, I am alluding to about 100 or so gags that were written over the years specifically to get a laugh from wedding guests. You can do so much better than these, because they’re old, tired an dpeople have heard them all before and the last thing you want to do is land one of these at the start of your speech to a luke warm ripple of polite laughter.

To identify exactly what I’m talking about I’ve listed some of the most prolific offenders.

It’s an emotional wedding, even the cake is in tiers.

It’s not the first time today I’ve got up form a warm seat with a piece of paper in my hand.

If there’s anybody here this afternoon who’s feeling nervous, apprehensive and queasy at the thought of what lies ahead, it’s probably because you have just got married to the groom.

Complete rubbish. You need to work out what it is that’s funny about the groom in an original and engaging way, people will love your creativity and laugh much more!

Burning deep within his sole was a dream, what he wanted more than anything, more than being a cowboy, professional tennis player or A ball star…was to be an office manager in the NHS. What can I say? He’s not dreaming any more ladies and gentlemen.

This is one of the most important factors and it actually depends on quite a few things, so we’ll start off with the very general scenario of 3 speakers at a wedding – Father of the bride, Groom and Best Man. If this is the case and it’s in the UK, then the best man speech should be a stand up to sit down time of no longer than 10 minutes. If this is in America, that will be about 5 minutes maximum. Americans like their speeches shorter and more efficient, and that’s no bad thing.

However, these timings will then change the more speakers that are added to the line up, because what the groom should be doing is making sure the section of speeches doesn’t run into hours of your life you’ll never get back. If there are 4 speakers, aim to be in and out in around 8 minutes, 5 speakers you’re looking at about 6 minutes, and so it goes on.

You have to bear in mind also that as you’ll be the last speaker, apart from Australia where you’re up second, and so the guests are at the limit of their concentration endurance, so if they’ve been sitting through 90 minutes of speeches, and it happens, make it REALLY funny, and REALLY short.

If you are two best men making a joint speech then you should be stood for about 12-13 minutes, and that remains the case the more best men are added to the line up. If you’re a co-best man and you’re making separate speeches, then your speech should be about 7 minutes. The timings in Australia are identical to the UK except that the best man goes after the father of the bride.

Joint best man

Being a joint best man is pretty common these days, and you really need to tackle what you’re going to go about things as early as possible, because trying to coordinate two guys to write and deliver a speech whilst they juggle their own lives can prove next to impossible.

The first thing you have to decide is if you’re going to make a joint speech or separate ones. The best method is to make a joint speech as it means you won’t double up on gags or content, and nobody has that last dreaded speech spot. A great joint best man speech should consist of about 4 chunks of content each and you bounce from one best man to other all the way through the speech.

However, for many reasons making a joint speech might prove impossible. Maybe there’s no time to coordinate it, maybe you don’t like the guy, or maybe there’s a fundamental clash of ideas. In that case make sure your speech is efficient, tight and punchy and comes in at around 7 minutes, and whatever you do, make sure you get on first.

Quite a lot of grooms make their brother the best man, and that does throw up a few problems – the main one being that although you’ve grown up in the same family/house etc. you don’t really know that much about him! When I’m writing speeches, this doesn’t really affect the creative process because I’m looking for a very funny comedic overview of who the groom is, not a granular introspection. If you’re facing this very common problem, then just take everything you know about his character, passion, dislikes, job and even hair colour and get the funnies out of that. It can be done but it really needs thinking about.

Of course, there is some fun to be had with the introduction and you need to allude to that fact how upset you were when your number priority spot was completely usurped by a noisy, ugly ginger baby called Dave. If you’re younger than talk about the time you realised the bigger toddler in the house who kept bashing you over the head every time your mum left the room, was in fact your older brother Steve.

Former Girlfriends

As tempting as it may seem to have a quick chronological run through of the groom’s former loves, this will only ever end in disaster. This comes back to my point that the wedding day is really only about the bride – if you do anything to upset her, then it’s pretty terminal. Mentioning former conquests in any way shape or form is something I completely avoid, you might think it’s all light hearted fun but no bride likes to think of their brand new husband being the love interest of someone else!

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20 Unique Best Man Speech One Liners

  • 20th Nov, 2021

Jump to the good bits

Introduction.

The Best Man is known for a few cheeky one liners. It’s almost tradition. A good Best Man speech one liner or two adds a nice bit of flavour to your speech. I have listed out a few good ones that you can use. Feel free to tweak them to suit you best. 

Unique Best Man speech one liners

  • ‘An unmarried man is incomplete, a married man is… finished. No, that came out wrong.’ 
  • ‘Don’t worry my speech won’t take too long today, because of my throat. Sarah has threatened to cut it if I go on for too long. And Tom has threatened to cut it if I mention anything about the stag weekend in Liverpool.’ 
  • ‘Sarah deserves a wonderful successful loving husband. Thank goodness Tom married her before she found one.’ 
  • ‘The marriage ceremony, asks that couples take each other for better or for worse. Tom, in marrying Sarah you really couldn’t have done any better. Sarah in marrying Tom… it could be worse.’ 
  • ‘When Tom met Sarah it was love at first sight. Pure and Simple. Sarah was pure and Tom was simple.’ 
  • ‘A good wife always forgives her husband when she’s wrong.’ 
  • ‘Marrying Tom is like winning the lottery but never having any money for the rest of your life.’ 
  • ‘Love is blind, only marriage opens your eyes.’ 
  • ‘I love marriage. It’s so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.’ 
  • ‘Marriage after kids is basically a ‘who’s more tired? competition.’ 
  • ‘Marriage is easy. It’s basically just deciding what to watch on Netflix.’ 
  • ‘Marriage is basically peeing with the door open and not caring.’ 
  • ‘Marriage is essentially being able to watch another person eat chicken wings without feeling sick.’ 
  • ‘Marriage is spending the rest of your life trying to get out of debt with someone.’  

Interactive one liners

  • During your speech, ask the Groom to put his hand over the Bride’s; then joke that it’s the last time the Groom will have the ‘upper hand’. 
  • When the guest are applauding as you stand up just gesture for them to quieten down and say, ‘What a reception!’ 
  • Stand up. Remove a peach from your pocket and hold it up for everyone to see. Say ‘I’m sorry, there’s been a misunderstanding on my part. I have nothing else prepared.’ Sit back down.  

Brave one liners 

  • ‘I am actually a little nervous doing this, luckily I already tested it in front of a tough crowd, down the local old-folks home, and I think it went down quite well. They all pissed themselves anyway.’ 
  • ‘Rest assured though, unlike most traditional best man speeches, which are full of sexual innuendo, I’ve promised Tom and Sarah that if there is anything slightly risqué, I’ll whip it out immediately.’ 
  • ‘Tom is a great guy and he will no doubt be a great husband. Any girl is safe with him. He never lets his hands wander, they’re far too busy holding on to his money.’  

We hope you find the perfect fit from this list of Best Man speech one liners. Let us know how it goes and reach out if you have a one liner that you think should be added to the list!

Get the Best Man Speech Guidebook

If you are thinking about your upcoming Best Man duties or need to draft your speech in a hurry you can check out the book the Best Man Speech Guidebook for even more tips and a full list of Best Man speech hacks. It contains the important do’s and don’ts in wedding speech etiquette, some great one-liners, visual gag options, but most importantly a clear speech structure and tried and tested speech templates.

  • The Best Man guide

For more advice and ideas for all of your Best Man duties, check out our Ultimate Best Man Guide page.

More Best Man speech advice

  • 12 Clever Best Man Speech Hacks
  • Best Man Speech: 13 Must Do’s
  • Best Man Speech: 10 Absolute Don’ts
  • 3 Ideas For Best Man Speech Visual Gags
  • How To Write A Best Man Speech: Part 1
  • How To Write A Best Man Speech: Part 2
  • Short Best Man Speech Template
  • Funny Best Man Speech Template

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Best Man Speech: The Definitive Guide to Smashing it

by Catherine D July 12, 2019

Here’s all you need to deliver an incredible and unforgettable best man speech.

Congratulations!

You’ve just been awarded the highest honor a bro can receive.  You’re the best man! And that’s an honor greater than being knighted by the queen. But I’m sure you know what comes with it.

You’ll have to give that best man speech brosef!

Though, you won’t want to give just any speech off the top of your head that nobody is going to give a damn about.

Just remember what Uncle Ben said to Spidey, “With great power comes great responsibility”. It’s that serious, man.

You’ve probably seen best man speeches like this before. The guy stands up, hits the glass and says something, uninspired, about how he’s bros with the groom, congratulates the bride-to-be, and then sits down.

Or maybe you’ve seen another kind of speech, where the best man stands up and talks about nothing for 10+ minutes, putting you to sleep, because who even cares?

During a reception, there are about a million different things going on. People will forget the things that do not grab their attention, especially at a reception.

Everyone there is busy talking, eating, laughing, and will not care or even remember a boring speech in a few days. But not yours, my friend, you’re going to be the star of the day.

In this guide, we give you everything you need to know in sequence - from the writing process, all the way to delivering that wedding toast. Get your notepad ready for some very important tips on giving your wedding toast!

Writing the Best Man Speech

So How Do You Write the Best Man Speech?

The hardest part is always just getting started. Here are some basic tips on how to write a best man speech so that you can be prepared and dominate when the time comes.

Be Prepared and Plan Ahead

Practice makes perfect. Creating a fantastic speech doesn’t happen overnight.

If you’re going to wow the audience, you’ll need to make sure you’ve done everything you possibly can and covered every base - and man, that takes time.

Generally, 2-3 months is the right amount of time to give yourself when writing for a best man speech to account for the overall writing process and potential rewrites.

Considering all of the events that follow, like the bachelor party and the suit fitting, you’ll be too busy in those final moments to prepare a killer best man speech that’s even half decent.

Record Every Thought

You might be on the bus or in your car and think of an incredible quote or one-liner to say in your wedding toast, but our memories are very limited.

It’s difficult to remember what you even had for lunch two days ago, much less something you thought up some random time.

No matter where you are, record your thoughts. You could write in a journal, use your iPhone’s “Voice Memos” app or an app like Evernote . Scratch them onto a napkin, carve them into a stone near you, just get those wedding toast ideas down!

As long as you start capturing your thoughts, you’ll eventually reach a gold mine.

Think of this more as ‘capturing’ than ‘writing’. It’s easier to capture your raw best man speech ideas than banging your head on the wall trying to ‘write’ something from scratch.

How to Write a Best Man Speech Tip

Keep a Positive Tone

When it comes to the best man speech, the main thing to keep in mind is the goal of what you want to accomplish - celebrating the bride and groom. Here are some things to focus on:

  • Your best experiences with the groom.
  • How great a pair the bride and groom are.
  • The best qualities of the groom.
  • Possible first thoughts on the bride when they met (If they were good thoughts!)

Focus on the best of times, and further expand upon those points the best you can and maybe you can use those for a few wedding jokes!

With that in mind, here’s what not to say:

What Not to Talk About in Your Speech

While you may be writing to make your groom laugh, you need to remember your audience is diverse. You have children, elders, and teenagers so you wouldn’t want to write something inappropriate.

Generally, it’s best to avoid things like these:

  • Any previous relationships.
  • Anything about drugs, alcohol, gambling.
  • Perverse topics, or anything of a sexual nature.
  • Harsh negativity.
  • Inside jokes that are too specific.

The idea is to avoid anything raunchy or disheartening during your speech, even if it might be hilarious in your head, you’ll have to avoid it in your best man speech.

Think about how upset Grandma would be if you happened to talk about how her little Jimmy actually hasn’t been saving himself for marriage - what horror!

How Long Should a Best Man Speech Be?

So you have a great speech, and you’ve covered every single talking point that fit. Everyone’s going to love this, right?

Wrong! When writing a best man speech, you’ll want to keep it way, way shorter.

The problem is that what you wrote is almost 30 minutes long! No bueno amigo. Nothing on this Earth could keep people engaged in a wedding toast that long.

You’re not going for a ‘F.D.R. Repairing the American Psyche During The Great Depression’ type of speech. What you want is more like an ‘I Love You, Man’ speech.

It seems like everyone from everywhere throws out an arbitrary number ranging from 1-10 minutes, but really, research shows our attention span is even shorter than a goldfish .

Which means you have 8 seconds to make an impression . Let that sink in.

The best man speech is usually between meals at a reception. That means you have to make your mark - and get in what you have to say in a short time. Meaning that short best man speeches are perfectly fine, you don’t have to overthink it.

It can be 1 minute, it can be 5 minutes.  Keep the audience engaged in your speech and don’t ramble off unnecessarily.

How do you do that? Practice!

It’s All About Practice

You know, it’s okay to feel unsatisfied with what you wrote. After all, you’re not the most accomplished writer in the world. You just want to prepare a great best man speech and get back to Netflix binging.

The writing process can be tough, so here’s an ideal approach that most people use when writing the best material:

  • Write a few pages of content just to get the speech ideas out.
  • Realize that you’ve written a movie's worth of material.
  • Take what you really like.
  • Edit until you stop hating it.

Being intimidated serves no purpose.

Get Interviewed Bruh

If you’re not the best writer (or capturer), the previous steps might seem a little intimidating to you. That’s fine. Not everyone can put pen to paper as well as they’d like, and if that’s you, consider having a friend interview you!

Getting a friend or family member to interview you about your experiences with the groom is a great way of getting wedding speech ideas. Here are a few topics to get interviewed on:

  • Where did you meet?
  • Did you like each other at first?
  • When did you become bros?
  • What kind of crazy experiences did you have together?
  • What kind of bad qualities does he have?
  • What kind of good qualities does he have?

Answering these questions with a recording device can help you when you need to put the best man speech together, and you can recall things you might never have just by writing!

Be (Relatively) Sober

Even if you have a Wade Boggs alcohol tolerance, it’s best to keep the drinks to a minimum.

( The guy drank 64 beers on one cross country flight, what the hell? )

Having one or two drinks is fine if it helps calm the nerves, but any more will mess up any chance of giving a decent best man toast, and you’ll just look silly slurring your words or acting strangely. Remember, all eyes are on you during your best man speech.

Best Man Speech Jokes

Try Some Best Man Speech Jokes or Quotes

So suppose you’ve got your speech together, but you have a placeholder like:

[ Put a joke in here! ] in 3-4 spots, and you really have no idea what to put in there.

We got you covered.

Here are some best man speech opening lines you could work with and personalize for whatever you may need, because the opportunity for wedding jokes is a rare thing! These make great icebreakers to warm your audience up.

“Well, where do I even start? [Groom] is just incredible. He’s brilliant, funny, caring… Anyway, I can’t really read your handwriting [Groom], so just tell me whatever the rest was after.”

“[Bride], you really are an incredible woman. You deserve an absolutely incredible husband, so I’m not going to stop until I figure out what’s wrong here.”

“Thank you everyone for bearing with me, I Googled ‘best man speech jokes’ and every site asked for my credit card before showing me any examples, so here goes nothing.”

Best Man Speech Jokes Tip

“For those of you who know the bride, she’s really a wonderful woman who deserves a wonderful man. So good job, [Groom], for marrying her before she found one.”

“For anyone who finds this speech particularly not funny, I got all of my jokes from [Groom] so please, blame that guy.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I wasn’t given a microphone tonight and I deeply apologize. To anyone in the back, If you hear silence at the front, be sure that you’re not missing anything.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, before I begin this speech I’d just like to say I am absolutely thrilled that I beat the bartender at rock-paper-scissors twenty minutes ago for the honor of best man.”

Best Man Speech Outline

Putting Together a Best Man Speech Outline

Now that you have an idea of how to write a best man speech, it’s just as important to know how to structure it. While there are canned free best man speech templates out there, it's really best to get a bird's eye view on what you want to say and create a structure that works for you personally. Don't just take any random free speech template from online and fire it up. Not every outline or template will work for your needs, so get a good idea of your vision first then begin to structure it.

Flow matters, and it’s the most important thing in putting together great best man speeches. Without good flow, you’ll lose the crowd and people won’t follow what you’re saying.

Best Man Speech Outline Tip

Here are some great ideas to nail the best man speech structure and make your speech shine.

The Introduction

The introduction needs to serve a single purpose: Getting people engaged! This is the key aspect of any best man speech formula.

The One-Liner Approach

An incredible one-liner is a great way of getting started. A good idea for this would be to roast the groom a little bit, he probably wouldn’t mind.

For example, what faults does he have? You can take advantage of that to make slight jabs at him.

Or you can even make fun of yourself in the process, what do you both suck at? Maybe you want to talk about that awkward mullet phase you both had in high school. Live it up!

The Congratulatory Approach

Alternatively, you can open by showing gratitude to:

  • The bride and groom, for bringing everyone together.
  • The guests, for attending this incredible event.
  • The parents of the bride and groom, for bringing them into this world.

This approach is a good option at the beginning. You can use it as a Plan B if you think you can’t gather an appropriate one-liner.

It’s easy to get lost in thought about what to follow up a good opener in a best man speech, but nothing is safer than a good story to engage your audience.

The idea is to create a connection to the groom and then present it to the guests.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  • Where you met the groom.
  • What makes him a great guy.
  • Crazy stories that show who he is.
  • Why he’s an excellent fit for the bride.
  • How he changed for the better after he met the bride.

Really, anything goes, and they’re all sure to keep people interested. Focus on the organic story of your friendship and don’t be robotic.

You’ll want to accomplish this in a way that stays kosher, though, avoiding unsavory details mentioned in our #4 tip.

Congratulate the Bride

So, you don’t have to do this, but we definitely encourage it. The issue is, not everyone really knows the bride. Honestly, maybe you met her a month ago, or a week ago.

Who knows, you could have met her literally just now. When your buddy gets hitched, it’s quite common to not really know the lady herself.

If this is true, you can handle this two ways:

Stick to something like:

“I knew she was a great fit for you the moment I saw you together”.

“She really is the perfect match for you dude.”

Sure the groom will know you barely know her, but whatever, if he really is your bro, he’ll appreciate that you’re saving face like this.

2. Avoid it.

Look, you’re the best man, it means the groom chose you, he knows you. Which means that he’s most likely expecting your best man speech to be about your experiences together, so keep the content focused around your relationship.

This means that it’s okay to avoid any mention of the bride after the first few words when writing a best man speech.

It works in most cases to just congratulate her in the intro, and then continue on with your speech avoiding her entirely.

This might sound a little underhanded, but it works, and most likely, the audience won’t notice.

If you know the bride, then speak about her.

If you’re just as close to the bride as you are to the groom, then you need to take all of the prior steps to make a compelling speech for the bride too, which won’t make the best man toast easy but hey, you don’t want to piss her off.

You could share a story about her too, or you can talk about one where the bride and groom shared with you, which is always a safe bet.

How to End Your Wedding Toast

Here’s where you wrap up your thoughts, and keep this part short, you don’t have to stress it too much.

It’s as easy as saying something like,

“Jack, Jill, to a lifetime of good health, love, and joy!”

There are a thousand different things you can say here, but the main idea is to keep the tone positive, upbeat, congratulate their love and wish the best for them.

NOTE: It is absolutely acceptable to keep a paper copy of your speech on hand because you’re not remembering your speeches like a world leader at the U.N. You’re just a guy who’s happy for his bro.

Best Man Speech Examples

Best Man Speech Examples

Even if you have everything else down, it’s always best to have some speech examples of how to tackle your wedding toast.

People have done it before you, so why go in blind? Here are some different types of best man speeches for unique scenarios you may want to try for your best man toast.

Funny Best Man Speech (Example)

“Hello Everyone, I’m John, I’m the best man, and if you find this speech unfunny, [Groom] and I have the same sense of humor, so please blame him.

I’m just joking, of course, I promised [Groom] I wouldn’t roast him too much today or talk about anything too weird, so I’ll just talk about the good parts of his character...

...Thank you, everyone, have a great evening.

But really, [Groom] and I have been friends since before I knew how even to tie my own shoelaces. He’s a brother to me, even more than my actual brother, sometimes.

Sorry, Alex.”

Best Man Speech Examples Tip

Emotional Best Man Speech (Example)

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’m the best man, Chris. [Groom] and I go way back, all the way from high school. Through the years, he’s grown from a pain in the ass, into a fine man.

[Groom] was always shy when it came to meeting new people, and that’s sorta hard to hear considering how a guy like that could be such a perfect match with [Bride]. But I can’t imagine him without you, because I’ve seen what it looked like.

[Bride], you are both so dear to me, please take care of [Groom], please keep him out of trouble.”

Short Best Man Speech (Example)

“Good evening, everyone, from the moment that [Groom] met [Bride], I knew that this was going to be something special.

The way you two talk to each other, you’re so alike sometimes that honestly, it kind of scares me.

But to quote Mark Twain, ‘To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.’ May your love be timeless.”

Hopefully these wedding toast examples give you ideas on how to model your own best man speech!

How to Give a Best Man Speech

The Presentation - Delivering the Best Man Speech

You have the writing and the flow down. Great! Most of the hard work is all done.

But don’t forget, you’re delivering a best man speech. And grand statements are always accompanied by excellent speech etiquette.

Here are some best man speech tips that’ll help you deliver, so that you don’t look like an uncomfortable 4th grader at a talent show your Mom forced you into.

Practice Your Speech on Camera

You’re noticing a trend, right? Practicing the actual delivery of the best man speech in front of a camera is a great way to see what poor and good habits you have.

And then, you need to keep practicing to eliminate the bad ones. For example, do you notice that you slump too much? Do you happen to mumble? Do you look down a lot?

Take note of all of these when you look at the recording and then try the speech again while mindfully avoiding bad habits and watching out for awkwardly delivered wedding jokes.

Practice in Front of People

Sure, using a camera is an excellent way to correct issues, but there’s nothing better than getting an outsider opinion.

Getting a spectator to sit and watch you deliver your best man toast lets someone tear into your bad habits without any bias. It may be painful, but this is what you want, and a larger group of people is best.

That way, when it’s time to give the best man speech, the concerns an audience member might have are already known to you.

How to Give a Best Man Speech Tip

The Honest Truth Man

Remember that a best man speech is a celebration of the love and joy that the bride and groom share. You don’t have to stress about every minor detail, because the audience isn’t (and they’ll most likely all be drunk anyway).

They’re already lightened up, and in the mood for a good few words, so why spend your time being nervous? It’s not worth it. Enjoy yourself up there and just deliver that crushing best man toast.

After it’s through, you can start drinking again, which is what you’ll probably want to do anyway.

Say what you have to say, and raise a toast to the bride and groom. Use this guide as a helpful resource and come back to it as many times as you need to ensure a totally awesome best man speech.

Best man speech tips

Good luck on your best man speech!

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Wedding invitations, follow this perfect best man speech: tips + examples.

Written by  Shutterfly Community Last Updated: Oct 12, 2018

You’ve been chosen as the best man. Congratulations! It’s a great feeling to know that your friend or relative wants you to take part as his right-hand man in one of the best days of his life.

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One of the most important duties as best man is the best man speech. Traditionally the speech is given during the reception before the guests eat. Whether you are great with public speaking or a little intimidated by standing in front of a large group, we have all the tools you need in order to be best prepared, so don’t sweat it.

best man speech first lines

The Do’s and Don’ts For Preparing Your Best Man Speech

Don’t wing it..

Find a time a couple of months before the wedding to think about the things you want to talk about and write an outline. Most likely you’ll get caught up in best man activities with the groom and it will leave you with less time as the date approaches.

Do write a great intro.

The intro is the most important part of the speech because it grabs the audience’s attention. Try a funny one-liner, a story about you and the groom or even a compliment to his lovely new wife.

Don’t bring up past relationships.

Not only is it disrespectful to his wife but his wife’s family will also be there and will not want to hear about the groom’s litany of ex-girlfriends.

Do have a plan B.

Make sure you have the speech written down or outlined and have some jokes or points to cover if you are facing a tough crowd.

Don’t make negative jokes about marriage.

Even if you and the groom have an inside joke or if you have negative ideas about settling down, the audience doesn’t need to know. Also, don’t use curse words at any point during the speech, as you don’t know who in the audience you might offend.

Do practice.

Practice makes perfect. Going over the speech several times will ensure that you are comfortable with what you are saying and it will sound more natural.  Pro tip: record your speech on your phone’s voice memos and play back.

Don’t talk about the groom in compromising situations.

So you’ve seen the groom embarrass himself but you should keep that to yourself. You don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable or upset his wife.

Do congratulate the couple.

Make a toast, congratulate them and say what your wishes are for them in their new life.

Don’t make it longer than 7 minutes.

Although speeches are a fun part of the reception, making it too long can bore the hungry guests. If it’s a casual reception keep it to about three minutes, for a more formal setting seven minutes is more than enough time.

Do thank the guests.

As the groom’s right-hand man, make sure you thank everyone who attended and even the people working the event. It’s a nice gesture that will be appreciated.

A Simple Best Man Speech Outline

If you want a speech that is short, sweet and simple that is perfectly acceptable as well. This works well for smaller wedding receptions, weddings that will have more than two speakers or those that are a little more private. Following these simple steps will ensure a great and memorable speech:

  • Opening line
  • Introduce yourself
  • Talk about groom/Compliment bride
  • Propose a toast
  • Thank the couple

Short and simple speech

Since I have everyone’s attention I’d love to say a few words to this amazing couple sitting right in front of me. For those who don’t know me, I’m Ed. Mike’s closest friend and sidekick.  We’ve known each other for about 11 years and have been on many adventures together. During that time, I got to know him well and can honestly say, he is the most selfless and stand-up guy I’ve ever met. I am thrilled to be standing here and celebrating him and his beautiful bride, Linda.

I am sure this union between two honest and caring people makes you all smile. Let’s raise a glass for everlasting love! Thanks for making us all part of this beautiful day.

Best Man Speech Template

Typically, a best man speech should last about 4-7 minutes depending on the party. While short and sweet is welcomed, a best man speech can also include more details such as how you know the groom and the bride, funny jokes, heartfelt stories and your well wishes.

Whether you want your speech to make the crowd laugh or shed a little tear, you may be wondering how to get started. We’ve pointed out several tips in our template below. Remember, a speech should always come from the heart.

How to Write the Perfect Best Man Speech

1 Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. It’s lovely to see some familiar faces. On behalf of the gorgeous bridesmaids and not so gorgeous groomsmen, we’d like to thank you all for coming. 2 It’s amazing to see how far people will travel for free cocktails.

3 For those who don’t know me, my name is Adam. I am the best man and Sam’s very best friend. It’s an honor to be here and to be part of such a beautiful event. 4 I met Sam 20 years ago. We grew up together as neighbors in San Diego and attended the same school all throughout college. 5 He was the nice kid on the block who would go home and do his homework while all of us were out doing, well, the things we shouldn’t be doing. Can you believe it took me two months to convince him to toilet paper Mrs. Carter’s house? Mrs. Carter isn’t here, is she?

Luckily, as we grew up, he started making better decisions; one of them being this very special day. He is marrying his best friend 6 and the most beautiful girl he’s ever laid eyes on. Sarah, he said this to me just the other night and I promise no more than three drinks were involved.

7 When Sam introduced us to Sarah , we knew right away she was the one. For starters, she made him get rid of that horrible, beer-stained couch that he had since college. That alone got our stamp of approval. But mostly, we saw how happy she made him and how every time he talked about her, he would have a huge smile. We started seeing a little less of him, but that’s okay because we were getting tired of buying his drinks anyway.

For that reason, and the reason we are all here today, 8 I’d like to raise a glass to Sam and Sarah. May you have the life you always dreamed of, continue to fight over the remote and cherish making beautiful memories together. Find joy in the small things like Portlandia and expensive coffee and may sparks continue to fly forever. 9 Thank you guys for allowing me to be part of this special day and for trusting me not to ruin this beautiful moment (phew!). I’d also love to give a huge thanks to the staff who have helped make this night memorable.

10 Cheers, everyone! Continue to have a great night and come hang out with me on the dance floor.

Always address the audience and welcome them.

A quick opening sentence to welcome guests helps everyone feel at ease.

Throw in a silly joke.

A wedding should be fun and enjoyable. A joke will help to break the ice.

Introduce yourself.

It’s best to not assume that everyone knows who you are. A short and simple introduction will allow everyone to get familiar with the wedding party.

Talk about how you know each other.

Whether you are a relative or friend, talk the audience through how you got to be a special person in the groom’s life.

Talk about groom’s personality.

Use this time to make a joke about the groom or share a sweet sentiment. Mention any sports, skills or funny stories that people will appreciate.

Compliment his bride.

Acknowledging the bride is a must, especially because she makes the groom so happy. A mention of her dress, personality or the first time you met her is ideal.

Talk a bit about them as a couple.

Share things you like about them as a couple. It helps the audience get to know their dynamic a little better and it will make the couple smile as well.

Give a toast.

Raise a glass and cheers to the new couple. Including a bit of tradition makes the speech much more special.

Thank the couple and staff.

Everyone spent a lot of time preparing for the special day. Make sure to thank the couple for allowing you to be part of it and the staff for making it all happen.

This closing allows for any sort of instruction such as dancing, dessert or simply to tell them to enjoy the party.

Best Man Speech for Brother

Good evening, hope everyone is having a good time tonight. I feel very privileged and honored to be standing here tonight celebrating this lovely union. Two years ago, Matt gave the best man speech at my wedding and made a lot of awkward jokes. So needless to say, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a really long time! For those who don’t know, I am Matt’s brother, Mike. I first met Matt when I was two years old at our parent’s house in Boston. To be quite honest, I wasn’t thrilled because I really wanted a sister. And I think he knew because Matt would do ridiculous things like throw my toothbrush in the toilet, pour water at me when I was asleep and run across the room naked when I had any friends over. This made me less popular than I already was.

Matt always excelled in school, was captain of the debate team (apologies to Cara, but he can argue his way out of anything!) and can make a mean steak. The truth is, despite him being an annoying brother at the time, I came out winning in the end. Because of him and this beautiful night, I am getting the sister I always wanted. Cara, you’re beautiful and our family loves you so much. Thank you for making my brother so happy.

Let’s celebrate this amazing union and raise a glass to the newlyweds! On behalf of the groomsmen and bridesmaids, we’d like to wish you a life full of love, happiness, and joy.

To everyone who made tonight happen, thank you. You’ve made this night very special.

Sentimental Best Man Speech

If I can have your attention everybody, I’d like to say a few words. Thank you all for being here to celebrate this lovely couple. Now I would like you all to take out some tissues, because you are going to need them after this. For those of you who have not met me I am Rich, Joe’s best man. Rich and I have known each other for over 30 years, we met when we were both just two years old. We lived on the same street and our mothers were friends so naturally we also became friends.

I am an only child so Joe was like a brother to me. We became inseparable. We played in T-ball together and then graduated on to baseball throughout high school. When we weren’t throwing the ball we were skateboarding, watching movies or challenging each other in video games.

Joe was always hanging out at my house and I grew up thinking he was just part of the family. I remember asking my mom why Joe never goes home and mom would always say “Rich, Joe is the brother you never had, take good care of each other.”

What my mom didn’t tell me at the time was that Joe’s mom was really sick and his dad worked double shifts just to stay afloat with all the medical bills. So, having Joe around was our way of helping out.

Even though we were only in high school, Joe made it very clear that he wanted to have a wife and family of his own. His mother’s death at such a young age was really challenging and in some ways, he learned to cherish the women he had in his life more.

He knew he wanted a strong, nurturing and kind woman to be his wife. When Joe met Sarah he almost broke it off with her because he was afraid of losing her. I remember Joe coming to me and saying, “I’m in trouble, I’ve met the one but don’t know what to do.” “Scared is good”, I said, “It means you won’t mess this up”.

Sarah’s greatest strength comes from losing her father to cancer at a young age. When Joe and Sarah met, their commonalities bonded them immediately. Both missing the connection with their parents and understanding each other’s experiences brought them very close. I’ve never seen two people more meant for each other. From the moment they met in college, there has been an incredible and magical bond.

When I look at both of you I can see how your experiences have led you to one another. It’s as if your parents were orchestrating this all along. Even though your parents are not here with us tonight, they are in spirit and will continue to guide you in the right direction and are so very proud of you.

As we all gather here to enjoy this dinner tonight, I’d like to make a toast to Joe and Sarah. Two souls meant to meet and fall in love. I want you to know that mom misses you hanging out at the house and she told me to tell you that you are always welcome in her home.

Joe, thank you for being my friend and brother all these years. You are the very best friend a guy could ever have and I love you so much.

Sarah, Thank you for loving this great man and for taking Joe to be your husband. I know you both will take care of each other and keep the memories of your parents alive together.

Now that our napkins need replacing, I’d like to thank all the staff and event coordinators for taking care of this beautiful event.

Cheers to everyone, enjoy your night and if you have a chance, come find me and say hi.

Funny Best Man Speech

Ladies and gentlemen if I can have your attention for a few moments, I would like to give a toast to Mark and Melissa. I was a little surprised that Mark asked me to be his best man, after all, he knows how much I love to embarrass him. I’m thinking, “what a great time to leave a lasting impression of who Mark really is” in front of all his closest friends and family. If for some reason you did not know, Mark was chosen as the class clown in high school. He even got his picture immortalized in our class yearbook for this very title. Let me tell you, having Mark as a best friend was very entertaining!

He was always laughing, pulling pranks, and sometimes getting us in trouble (I certainly won’t tell them how we barely made it out of jail because you thought streaking through the grocery store parking lot was a good dare). We all had a bit of clowning around within us, but the one thing Mark always had over any of us was his way of making girls laugh. And I mean really laugh, not just a quick chuckle but downright laugh out loud, spit-up-your-drink kind of laugh. While we were all worried about how we looked to girls, Mark’s concern was always how to make them crack up. I remember Mark saying “how come you get all the girls and I don’t?” I never had a straight answer for him. Looking back now though, my track record only lasted a few months and for Mark? Well, what he didn’t know was that his “clowning around” was preparing him for the show of his life.

When Mark introduced me to Melissa I knew she was special. I knew this was who Mark was going to marry. She not only has a very infectious laugh, but she gets Mark to laugh just as much.

They say a marriage can’t truly survive without laughter and I don’t believe there will be a shortage of that with these two. Mark, remember when you asked me why you don’t get all the girls? Well, the answer is right there next to you. While you were out figuring out jokes and funny one-liners, Melissa was saving up for the greatest show on earth!

If anyone tells you that you’re a bunch a clowns just smile and say….who’s got the last laugh now? Let’s raise our glass to Mark and Melissa! Here’s to a lifetime of love and laughter! You are both class acts and I am proud to call you my best friends. I love you both very much and thank you for having me here.

To all who were in charge of organizing this awesome night, great job on making this wedding shine. I challenge everyone to a dance-off later tonight.

Hopefully these tips will have you on your way to writing a heartfelt speech. If you still need a little more inspiration, don’t forget to check out our wedding quotes . These are great to incorporate into your speech, write in a card or simply share as advice to the newlyweds.

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Write a Heartwarming Best Man Speech: Tips and Examples!

best man speech first lines

I like building and growing simple yet powerful products for the world and the worldwide web.

Published Date : October 30, 2020

Reading Time :

Another wedding is around the corner; this time, it’s your best friend’s or maybe your relatives’ marriage ceremony. You received the honor of being the best man. It is now time to plan an epic bachelor party and prepare to write a legendary best man speech .

Based on statistics , over 77% of people have public speaking -related anxiety. If you are one of the 77%, I will share helpful tips on writing a best-man speech to help you be less anxious about presenting your toast.

You can watch this video to help overcome your fear of public speaking :

In addition to having a virtual speech coach app, Orai’s specialty is public speaking . We will help you get your best man speech structure and presentation organized.

If you aren’t particularly interested in:

  • Understanding the intricacies of a remarkable best-man speech
  • Getting essential tips for best man speech ideas
  • Creating your best man speech template
  • Best man speech examples, brother

If you are only interested in my final tips and notes, scroll until the last subheading before the conclusion.

Basic Best Man Speech Tips

The honor of being the best man comes with some responsibilities, although not as much as a maid of honor. However, planning a bachelor party seems trivial compared to giving a speech on your best friend’s most memorable day.

So, how do you start and ace your best man’s speech ? You do it like every other speech type, except with some nuances I will discuss next.

Here are some helpful tips to ensure smooth delivery and reduce your chance of getting jittery.

1. Early Preparation is Crucial

You will need to avoid procrastination. Just because the wedding seems far away doesn’t mean you should not start preparing.

It will be best to avoid the “words will flow when I am out there mentality.” Start writing your best man speech two to four months before the wedding if possible. 

This timeframe seems unrealistic, so why? 

As the wedding approaches, more events keep you very busy. One of the worst things to combine at a wedding is a lack of preparation and anxiety.

Some ways to start preparing include:

  • Think of stories that show how a groom is a great person
  • Ask for how they met if you weren’t there.
  • You can also prepare to reminisce on the first time you met the bride before or after they became a couple.
  • Think of jokes and quotes you will share

2. Open With a Cool Line

An excellent way to boost your confidence is to grab your audience’s attention in a friendly and calm manner. The best man’s opening lines set the tone for the speech , so go for an excellent one-liner.

The opening line of your best man speech gives your (most likely tipsy or drunk) audience a reason to listen to you and stay intrigued.

3. Make Best Man Speech Joke with Tact

For the best man speech joke, here are some helpful tactical tips.

  • Avoid teasing the bride, except when you all run in the same circle.
  • Since you are closer to the groom, he can be the center of jokes.
  • Try to avoid inside jokes until you are alone with the groom.
  • Being sensitive while joking helps avoid the air of awkwardness

4. Practice Makes Perfect

Let’s start this section by looking at this video: 

Having a well-written speech is only a minute part of the best man speech delivery is crucial. One best practice for delivery is a rehearsal.

Try to present your speech to an audience that can relate to it, like another groomsman or other wedding guests. It is best to ensure that the person you are practicing in front of can give you honest feedback; otherwise, try the Orai app .

Practice will help you get rid of fillers. You could also get tips to reduce using fillers from this video:

5. Writing is an Excellent Memory Aid

As excellent as your memory is, writing down your speech or the toast highlights always helps. Why?

  • A written speech helps you feel more confident. 
  • You can stay on track when you write down your major points.
  • Being nervous can make you forget a carefully planned speech , so writing it out will help.

You don’t need to write out every last detail of your speech , so a large piece of paper may be unnecessary. You can use a notecard or your mobile phone notes app to write.

6. Be Creative with Variety

One of the ultimate weapons of a remarkable best-man speech is variety. It is quite anticlimactic to have a boring presentation that isn’t:

An excellent best-man speech will let you feel all these emotions and more. Your speeches’ emotional multitone makes the couples’ love story more beautiful and makes your toast heartwarming.

7. Enunciate Your Words Properly for Clarity

You should take charge as a best man when you receive the mic. Avoid mumbling, monotonous tones, being inaudible, and talking too fast or slow. 

Think “Zac Efron” vibes, speech pacing, and confidence when giving your best man speech . A monotonous speech will bore the guests, and if people start straining to hear you clearly, they become uninterested.

Even if you are introverted, you can try being confident and apply these tips in your own way. If you feel like you need a shot for a boost of confidence , have one, but avoid being drunk or intoxicated.

This video may help with pacing:

Best man speech

8. Have a Plan B

There is a high chance that your incredible and well-prepared speech won’t be well-received. Or maybe you made a bad joke that only you find funny. 

A plan-b phrase becomes very helpful at this point. Since the day is about the lovely couple, you can compliment them to get your audience gushing again.

If a joke you made ruined the mood the first time, it’s best to avoid it until you have your audience’s full attention. 

Download Orai Now!

How do you write a best man’s speech?

Whether you have writer’s block or not, the best man’s speech duty has been entrusted to you, so you must deliver. 

The best way to write your speech is to follow the best man speech template discussed in the next subheading as a guide. 

A rule of thumb is to personalize your best man speech template to fit the bride and groom of the day. Without further ado, let’s move on to the outline.

Creating the Best Man Speech Template

Writing anything from scratch without a template or an outline is a leading cause of writer’s block. It is quite overwhelming to start writing a best-man speech . Therefore, we will share the best man speech template or a toast writing design.

An essential idiom to remember as you organize your best man speech template is that “a rough sketch is better than no picture at all.”

Here is an excellent best-man speech template to follow:

  • Make an outstanding one-liner to open with
  • Express gratitude to the couple and the speakers before you
  • Congratulations are in order, so congratulations to the newlyweds.
  • Say something nice about the bride, but avoid flattery.
  • Tease the groom a bit with a tactical joke
  • If it’s part of your duty, read the messages of guests who could not attend the wedding.
  • Finish your speech with a lovely poem, quote a book, or share some famous lines (this could end up being an inside joke on their ten-year vow renewal if everyone isn’t too drunk to remember.)
  • Don’t forget to propose a toast to the newlyweds.

How Long Should a Best Man Speech Be?

Since the best man’s speech is informal, being extremely serious about it is unnecessary. However, that doesn’t mean you should talk the ears off of the wedding guests. 

The length of your speech will depend significantly on the type of wedding event. A long, formal wedding may call for a longer toast than a wedding on a trip to Vegas.

A five-minute speech can convey everything you want to say and still be meaningful and entertaining. If you need more time, try to keep things brief because your guests may not enjoy your sentiment if they aren’t drunk.

Tactical Topics to Avoid

Although the married couple may know everything about each other, and you may know all about the groom, some topics are off-limits.

Even some topics you and the groom find extremely funny may be offensive to someone else. So, here are some topics to avoid.

Best Man Speech Ideas for Your Remarkable Toast

When coming up with the best man speech , brother ideas and all, you will need to consider:

  • The groom’s personality: is he someone who can take or joke, or is he sensitive and serious? 
  • Will their guests enjoy a lighthearted joke?
  • Can you tell a lovely story about him that the guests may not know?
  • A bit of embarrassing the groom is welcome, especially with stories from his youth.
  • If you aren’t a standup comedian, don’t force it. It always ends up being a pitiful sight to watch.

Best man speech

Best Man Speech Opening Lines

The speech intro comes next after the best man’s speech opening lines. The direction you decide to go with your introduction depends entirely on you; hence, I will share my best-man speech template for introductions.

  • Start with an address directed at the audience, thank them for their attendance, and if you feel nice, you can give some compliments.
  • Next, you can thank the couple for the opportunity to give your speech and express gratitude to their parents.
  • Next, introduce yourself and share how you know the groom; this is the perfect place to share a memory or tell a joke if you can (no pressure).
  • You can credit the previous speaker and add open loops to prepare your audience for your speech .

One-liners and Best Man Speech Jokes

If you want yours to be a funny best-man speech , you can start your one-liner with one of the groom’s funny quirks.

The trick here is to ensure the joke is relatable and funny to everyone so they can all appreciate it.

Here are some inspirations

If you thrive on dark humor, I’d advise avoiding making jokes during weddings to keep everyone happy.

Best Man Speech Examples for Brother

There are many examples of the best-man speech , like the one in this video: 

Unlike the best man in the video, you may not be the bride’s brother, so you may not make the bride and groom go through an emotional roller coaster.

However, here are some examples of the best man speech .

Speech for Different Types of Best Men

There are different types of best man speeches and many categories of best men, so your approach may vary.

A helpful tip is to watch wedding movies where the best man wasn’t high or drunk during his speech . It may inspire you on what to add and things to avoid.

Example Best Man Speech for Best Friend

The best man speech for best friend is unique and can take any direction. You can enjoy the effect of an emotional rollercoaster and go for funny, heartfelt, romantic, or a combination.

The Short Speech

With a short speech , you can go with a symbolic theme like a spark, a sign, or any cute thing people say about relationships.

Here, you can give a quote, talk briefly about the couple, and make a toast.

A Heartfelt Speech

With a heartfelt speech , you can make a joke about the effort it took to try writing and a decision to wing it and speak from your heart at the beginning.

Next, you can go for stories about watching them fall in love each day or how they became your family. The main deal is to give your best man speech from your heart.

Funny Best Man Speech Example

Funny best-man speech examples are challenging to represent since the jokes depend on you and your audience. However, you can joke about your relationship with the groom or imply that he wrote your speech .

What is the Best Wedding Speech for the Brother 

Just like the best friend, the best man’s speech brother has a large room of opportunities. You can make jokes or share heartwarming childhood memories with the groom.

Best man speech

You can choose to be sentimental or take a funny path. To end, you can express gratitude for getting a new sister and finish on a light note.

More on the Brother’s Speech

Some helpful best-man speech brother tips are:

  • Since it’s your brother, you can be as personal as you want.
  • Don’t avoid practice because it’s your brother. Take time to practice.
  • Your whole speech doesn’t need to be centered around jabs.
  • Nerves and emotions are typical, so practicing will help you keep them in check.

Final Memorable Best Man Speech Writing Tips and Notes

As promised at the beginning for those that skipped, here are some crucial points to note when writing and presenting your best man speech :

  • Be Prepared
  • Alcohol may help take the edge off, but being drunk or wasted may make you say things you will regret later.
  • Don’t forget to express gratitude
  • Stories are helpful
  • Creating controversy isn’t right, so avoid topics that could cause disputes.
  • Inside jokes are annoying.
  • Be brief. Rambling will get tiring since there are other people to listen to
  • A nice quote is an excellent way to end.
  • Propose a toast with a raised glass
  • Be original, and you can let out a sigh of relief for theatrical effects.

How should I structure my best man speech, from the opening to the conclusion?

Master your best man speech ! Greet & thank everyone, introduce yourself with a funny story, and acknowledge previous speakers. Craft your intro based on the groom’s personality: funny anecdotes, embarrassing youth stories, or heartfelt moments work well. Remember to: prepare, express gratitude, use stories, avoid controversy, be brief, and end strong with a toast or quote. These tips will guide you towards a memorable and well-received speech !

How can I prepare a memorable best man speech for a wedding?

Make your best man speech unforgettable! Highlight the groom’s personality with funny stories, unique anecdotes, and genuine emotions. Start strong with a captivating line and heartfelt gratitude. Practice conquering nerves and prioritizing originality, conciseness , and sincerity. Aim for a speech that reflects the groom, adds a personal touch, and leaves a positive mark on the celebration – that’s the winning formula!

Giving a best man speech may be daunting, but you can ensure that yours is memorable and remarkable. You can study public speaking tips beforehand and check out Orai to practice your speech :

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best man speech first lines

Best Man Speeches – Examples, One-Liners, & Tips

Are you the best man looking to deliver a speech that everyone remembers? We know how important the moment is, and we’re here to help.

We’ve put together some great outlines of how you can build your best man speech. In each of our speech examples, we’ve highlighted a foolproof way to accomplish your desired tone.

Whether you want your best man’s speech to be funny and lighthearted or serious and inspirational, you’ve come to the right place to find ideas that will jumpstart the creative process. We will teach you how to relieve a bit of the pressure with a joke initially, get into some details about how you met the couple and what they mean to you, and then ultimately deliver the final epic toast that gets people on their feet.

We’re excited to share with you all the tips, tricks, and planning tools needed to create an excellent best man speech, including awesome examples to guide you along and inspire you.

Staff filling champagne glasses at wedding

Use Our Quick Nav Guide:

Examples by tone.

  • Funny Best Man Speech Example
  • Heartfelt Best Man Speech Example
  • Upbeat Best Man Speech Example

Examples by Length

  • Short Best Man Speech Example
  • Medium Best Man Speech Example
  • Long Best Man Speech Example

Examples of Speech Components

  • Introductions for Best Man Speech
  • One-liners for Best Man Speech
  • Toasts for Best Man Speech

How to Write Your Best Man Speech

  • Template / Outline
  • What Not To Say
  • Easy Tips To Make Writing Easy

Best Man Speech Structure

  • How To Write A Best Man Speech

Best Man Speech Tips

Best man speech dos & don’ts, best man speech videos.

  • One of the Funniest Best Man Speeches
  • Awesome Non Traditional Best Man Speech
  • Best Man Speech – Get A Standing Ovation

Best Unrehearsed Best Man Speech

  • Best Man Speech – Irish Guy at Italian Wedding

3 Examples of Funny Best Man Speeches

Relieve a bit of the pressure from creating a chuckle-inducing best man speech using these three examples below as inspiration. Whether you focus on the bride a bit or pick out the most embarrassing story of the groom, you know, some solid one-liners scattered throughout your sentiments will get the job done.

The “Shower Her With Compliments” Speech

“Isn’t [Bride] looking absolutely gorgeous tonight? Not only is she beautiful, though, she’s also caring, sweet and she deserves one hell of a husband. Thankfully for [Groom], she agreed to marry him before she found one.

[Groom] gets to leave tonight having gained a wife with all of the qualities one could dream about having in a partner. [Bride] leaves tonight with a bouquet of flowers she can pop in a vase at home and cherish for a few days to come.”

The “We Go Back” Speech

“For those that don’t know me, [Groom] and I go back all the way to middle school. This means we go back to a time when [Groom} looked more like Chunk from The Goonies and less like the suave man sitting before us tricking [Bride] into thinking that watching him do the Truffle Shuffle in the mirror isn’t in her near future.

[Groom] really is the best friend I could have ever asked for. Growing up, we lived across the street from each other, so he was always really more convenient than anything else. The fact that there was an inground pool in his backyard didn’t hurt the relationship either.

But now we sit here [x] years later, [Groom] has grown into a wonderful man, and he’s sure to be a wonderful husband to you [Bride]. As long as you can get past his infatuation with Teletubbies and the fact that he went as Tinky Wink for Halloween in the fourth grade, I think you’ll make it through anything!”

The “Reasons to Marry the Groom”Speech

“Good Evening, everyone! I trust that you’re having a superb night racking up the bar tab. Sorry about that, [Groom].

Ya know, the best man speech is known for throwing out some of the most embarrassing aspects of the groom’s past. Funny stories from middle school or bringing up bad haircuts, but that’s not really my style. Instead, I’d rather make it clear to everyone just why [Bride] has decided to marry [Groom].

There are three rather simple reasons.

Firstly, he’s got really great taste. He did choose me as his best man, after all. He even decided to wear the same outfit as me today.

Secondly, when he loves, he loves hard. There’s nothing this man wouldn’t do for me. In fact, he’s spent 20 years doing nothing for me. See what you have to look forward to [Bride]?

And finally, he’s a handsome fellow. Although standing up here looking at him next to [Bride], you could have done a bit better, hun.”

 Best man pinning Boutonniere on groom before the wedding

3 Examples of Heartfelt Best Man Speeches

If causing a riot of laughs isn’t your style, or you want to instill just how much this day means to you and your family, go with something more serious. Your heartfelt best man speech can make just as big of an impact with a heartfelt sentiment as it can with chuckles from the crowd.

The “Thankful” Speech

“Hello everyone, it’s such a pleasure to be here tonight as [Groom’s] best man. And I want to begin by saying what an honor it is that I was chosen to stand by your side today. You’ve always been someone that I looked up to, and I am just beyond grateful that I get to share in this moment with you and [Bride].

[Groom] is someone that I’ve come to care for greatly over the years, and I am so happy that he’s found someone to share his life with and start a family with. [Groom] has always been my right hand throughout the biggest moments of my life, and I can’t wait to be able to watch everything beautiful unfold for the two of you. Cheers to a lifetime of happiness!”

The “Smart Move” Speech

“There’s an old saying about friendship that reads, “It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them,” and goodness that couldn’t be more true for me and my boy, [Groom].

I could go into all the funny stories that include some of that stupidity, but instead, I’d rather focus on all the smart moves he’s made. His friendships, the relationship he has with his family, his career, it’s all a reflection of the incredible man he’s become. But really, the smartest move he’s made is marrying you, [Bride].

Let’s toast to the best decision [Groom’s] ever made. I wish you a lifetime of love, happiness, and success.”

The “She Was The One” Speech

“Ladies and gentleman, thank you all for coming out tonight to celebrate the wedding of two people we all love, [Bride] & [Groom]!

When I first met [Bride], I knew that she was the woman [Groom] would end up marrying. Even if it hadn’t dawned on him quite yet, it was obvious to everyone around just how smitten he was with her. They talk about a bride’s glow, but this man was shining since the moment he met [Bride]. He changed for the better without realizing it. And we all could see it.

He couldn’t stop talking about her. We’d go out with the boys, and [Bride’s] name would be brought up every two minutes. So when he came to me to tell me that he would be proposing, my only response was, “Well, it’s about time!”

There’s something special about these two. They go together without forcing it. They love each other without fighting it. And they care about each other without thinking about it. She was the one from the very beginning [Groom], and we’re all so happy to be able to take part in your big day. Cheers!”

3 Examples of Upbeat Best Man Speeches

An upbeat best-man speech will keep the celebratory vibe of the evening going without too many tears or glares from Grandma when the jokes go too far south. Check out our easy list of lighthearted cheers that relay your love of the couple and appreciation for your spot as best man.

The “Great Flame” Speech

“I’m so happy to see that everyone is having such a great time tonight! [Bride] & [Groom] really know how to throw a party, don’t they?

They also know how to light a fire. Dante once said, “A great flame follows a little spark,” and we’ve all seen that spark since the very beginning. And tonight, we see the fire.

Cheers to the happy couple, may the flame burn long, and sparks continue to fly!”

The “Brother” Speech

“[Groom] is my brother, so naturally, I have the long list of blackmail quality ammunition to scatter throughout this speech tonight. Don’t get scared, though [Groom], I’ll keep 2005 under wraps and not mention it.

But seriously, when we were younger, we’d do everything together. Attached at the hip, even when we were in a fight, it wasn’t until college that we parted and went down our separate paths. We grew up, started our careers, and he found [Bride]. And I couldn’t be more thankful for you [Bride] and couldn’t be happier for the two of you.

We’re gaining such a beautiful new family member today. You look stunning tonight, sister. Congratulations, I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness. Cheers!”

The “Great Man” Speech”

“What a night it has been! Will everyone please raise their glasses as I toast to [Bride] & [Groom]?

Although my first thought today was, if I’m the best man here, why is [Groom] getting to marry [Bride]?

On a more serious note, [Groom] you’re not only a great man, you really are the best man for [Bride]. And she is the best woman for you. I could sing both your praises all evening, but since I’m a terrible singer, I’ll leave that up to the band and allow everyone to keep their eardrums intact. I’m honored to be by your side today [Groom]; I wish you many years of happiness. Salute!”

Short Best Man Speech Examples

A great best man speech doesn’t have to be long to pack a punch. Add a clever one-liner with a few thoughtful sentiments, and you can get the job done while making it memorable. Here are some incredible examples of short best man speeches .

“Good evening, everyone! Let’s lift our glasses and toast to the newlyweds!

Don’t worry; your arms won’t get tired. My speech is going to be like a mini-skirt: long enough to cover the essentials and short enough to hold your attention.

[Groom], thank you for being such a stable force in my life, a great friend and an even better brother. [Bride], I think we can all agree that you’re stunning this evening and [Groom] won the lottery.

[Bride] & [Groom], tonight we celebrate you. We all wish you a lifetime of happiness, love, health, success, and laughter. May you continue to find humor in the bad and appreciation for the good. May your friendship continue to grow throughout all the years to come. Cheers!”

Medium Best Man Speech Examples

Of course, you can always go the medium-length route. If you’re looking for a best man speech that covers all of the necessary points but gets you out of there before you start to sweat, try out something like this below!

Witty Best Man Speech

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is X, and I was chosen as [Groom’s] best man. Now, the more I think about that title, the more uncomfortable I get. It sort of implies that [Groom] has lots and lots of men, and I’ve been dubbed the favorite of the bunch. If it wasn’t for [Bride], I’d be watching my back later tonight but also a bit flattered, admittedly.

[Groom] and I grew up together. But we weren’t actually friends until we hit high school. And we didn’t become best friends until our 20’s. He needed to grow up a bit before I could take our relationship to the next level.

On a more serious note, this man is one of the highest-quality people I know. You’ve snagged yourself a good one here [Bride]. Hardworking, clever, and he’s a handsome devil too; I have no doubt that he’ll be a great husband and an even better father.

[Bride] balances his awesomeness out quite well. She’s beautiful, obviously. But getting to know her over the years, I’ve found her to be just as hardworking but also an amazing example of what it is to have a kind, giving heart. I watched [Groom] change for the better when they started dating. She softened him. And now look at them; they’re happy, wide-eyed newlyweds that we’re toasting to tonight.

[Groom], I’ll leave you with a little bit of advice that my father gave me the morning of my wedding.

“A real man never stops trying to show a woman how much she means to him, even after he’s got her.” 

I wish you years and years of happiness and love. Never stop going the extra mile for one another. When you feel yourself getting a bit too comfortable and complacent, remember that quote. Spice things up, do small things for one another, and always remind the other of how much you love them.

Cheers to you!”

Long Best Man Speech Examples

Finally, there is the long best man speech. This is a great move for someone extremely close to the groom, or even both the groom and the bride. A brother with lots of stories or a best friend that has seen a lifetime of highs and lows, you can capture it nicely in a lengthy toast to the happy couple.

“If you have no idea who I am yet, I’m [Groom’s] best friend. I’ve been around for a while, about 20 years now. So, naturally, I can tell you a lot about him. He’s handsome, witty, charismatic, intelligent … oh wait … wrong wedding.

There’s a rule, you know, there’s a certain bit of wedding etiquette we guests have to follow. No woman should look better than the bride. And no man should look better than the groom. I’d like to personally thank the ushers for abiding by that rule to the fullest. I’d also like to extend my thanks for showing up sober. You did a great job today, fellas.

Let me go ahead and get some thank you’s out of the way as well. To all of the guests, I want to personally thank you for taking the time to travel here tonight. I know some of you had to take planes or get in the car for several hours to make it and, on behalf of the lovely couple too, we’re so grateful. For everyone who helped to get this party going tonight, from the catering staff to the wedding planners, your professionalism has been superb; thank you. To all of the bridesmaids and the rest of the groomsmen, thanks for helping make everything go off without a hitch today. We nailed it. To the bride and groom’s parents, thank you for raising these two amazing people we’re all here to celebrate tonight. None of our lives would be the same without them, and that’s all thanks to you. And lastly, [Groom] wanted me to thank [Bride] for showing up today. It means more than you know.

[Groom] and I truly do go way back. We go back all the way to middle school. Sitting in homeroom, we watched as the 7th-grade wish list was being passed around the classroom. The problem with this scenario was that we were both in 8th grade, and somehow both ended up sitting in the wrong class with no one that looked familiar for nearly an entire period. We were soulmates.

And for the past two decades, he’s been by my side for every wrong move, every high, every low, and all the biggest moments. I’m so grateful that I was able to be here tonight to celebrate alongside not only [Groom] but [Bride] too.

Their relationship is something to admire. It’s always been easy with the two of them. And I believe that when something is meant to be, there doesn’t need to be a fight. You can see how easy it is for them to love one another, and it’s something that we should all strive for one day, to find a person that is so easy to love you do it without even being conscious of it. [Groom] wakes up in the morning with his heart beating, his lungs breathing, and his entire body-loving [Bride]. It just is. And that’s a beautiful thing.

The night [Groom] came home after his first date with [Bride], he wouldn’t shut up. I was studying for midterms, and he came in with the goofiest, biggest grin on his face. Actually, he almost looked guilty of something. I asked him, “What did you do?”

You want to know what his response was [Bride]?

He said, “I just fell in love.”

And the rest is history. I’ve been saving that tidbit of knowledge for years now. I didn’t want my man to lose any of his street cred, but the jig is up friend, you’re a huge romantic, sap, and we all love you for it.

Now it’s time to raise our glasses and toast to the future of this newly-married couple. May your lives be filled with adventure, overwhelming amounts of movie dates and Friday night pizza, children playing in the backyard, beach vacations, love, laughter, and a blissful marriage through and through. Cheers!”

10 Introductions for your Best Man Speech

Get your speech started eloquently with one of these introductions. Use some of these ideas to jumpstart your writing process and personalize it to your liking. Welcome the guests in style and calm your nerves right from the start.

  • “First, allow me to introduce myself. I’m [Best Man], and it’s both an honor and a pleasure to be standing beside [Groom] today as his best man this evening.”
  • “Ladies and gentleman, I’d like to formally welcome you to the wedding of [Bride] and [Groom]. Thank you so much for coming out and celebrating with us tonight.”
  • “Good evening, everyone! It’s now the point in the evening where some of us have to get up out of our seats and make fools of ourselves. Looks like I’m up first.”
  • “Firstly, I’d like to personally thank you all for coming and celebrating such a special occasion with us.”
  • “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen; I want to thank you all for coming such a long way to celebrate with us. For those that don’t know me, I’m [Best Man] [Groom’s] brother/best friend/etc.”
  • “Hello everyone! For those that haven’t bought me a drink yet tonight, my name is [Best Man], and I’m a fan of Jack and Coke.”
  • “Hello ladies and gentlemen, I’m [Best Man], and I was chosen to be [Groom’s] best man tonight. Or I was the best he could do. Or I was just the only one that would agree to do it.”
  • “For those that don’t know me, allow me to introduce myself. I’m [Best Man]. And for those that do know me, I apologize.”
  • “I’ve got to say it, ladies and gentleman. Does [Bride] not look absolutely stunning tonight? [Groom] you look alright.”
  • “Good evening, everyone! Before I begin my duty to give [Groom] an uncomfortable, embarrassing few minutes, I want to take the time to say thank you for coming out and celebrating tonight.”

10 One-Liners for Your Best Man Speech

Add a joke or two into the mix of your best man speech and get everyone relaxed and chuckling. This part of the evening is all about light-hearted laughs, and the best man is the go-to choice for getting the party started. Here are 10 one-liners and jokes you can scatter throughout your best man toast.

  • “I heard there was a bet going around about how long the best man speech was going to be. I went in with a 20 on 45 minutes, so get comfortable, everyone.”
  • “The time has come for the groom to get quite uncomfortable in his seat and maybe even shed a tear or two. That’s right; I’m about to hand him the drinks bill.”
  • “[Groom] is the kind of guy you don’t have to worry introducing the parents too. That’s why [Bride] didn’t worry about doing it until today.”
  • “As best man, it is my duty to start telling you all about all of the embarrassing things that have happened to [Groom] in all [x] years of his life up until the happiest day of his life until I started this speech.”
  • “[Bride], you are a wonderful woman who deserves a wonderful husband. And I won’t stop until I get to the bottom of what’s happened here.”
  • “[Groom] has so many wonderful attributes. He’s charming, handsome, witty …. Ummm … I’m sorry [Groom] I’m having trouble reading your handwriting.”
  • “I’m quite nervous. Just ask the people sitting at my table. It truly is possible to smell fear, isn’t it, folks?”
  • “I’m sure you all can agree that it’s been an emotional day. Even the cake is in tiers!”
  • “I was told that the best man speech needed to last for as long as the groom takes to make love. Raise your glasses, everyone!”
  • “Everyone, let me just preface this by letting you know how nervous I am. I’m really not used to public speaking, and when I get nervous, I’ve been known to mispronounce some of my words.”

10 Toasts for Your Best Man Speech

And finally, end your best man toast with an uplifting quote or wish for the happy couple. Toast to the newlyweds and do it in a way that’s both memorable and personal with our help.

  • “Now, please join me in raising your glasses as we toast to the Bride and the Groom. I give your Mr. and Mrs. [x]!”
  • “I would like to wish you a lifetime of health, wealth, happiness, and love. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s toast to the bride and groom.”
  • “What an honor it has been to serve as [Groom’s] best man. And it’s even more of an honor to ask you all to join me in toasting the newlyweds. Cheers!”
  • “Allow me to leave you with this, “there is only one happiness in life, to love and to be loved.” May your happiness last a lifetime. We toast to you.”
  • “Now remember this. There are two things that will make a marriage last: a sense of humor and selective hearing. Cheers!”
  • “Ladies and gentleman, let’s toast to the bride and groom. And leave off with a thought from John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney, “Love is all you need.”
  • “Let us all wish [Bride] and [Groom] years and years of happiness. May you be friends to each other only as lovers can, and may you love each other only as best friends can.”
  • “Congratulations on this big step in your lives. Let’s all raise our glasses and toast to the happy couple. May years of happiness and amazing memories await you!”
  • “For this is [Bride] and [Groom’s] time. And it’s time to raise your glass high in the air. To the bride and groom! We wish you a long and happy marriage.”
  • “To my very best friend and brother, and to his beautiful new wife, we salute you! Now let’s dance, drink and have a slice of cake!”

Easy Best Man Speech Template to Follow

If you’re starting from scratch, use this fool-proof, easy best man speech template. Follow along as you fill in your own quips and memories throughout your speech. We’ve already inspired you with different examples and even some one-liners to fit inside; now it’s time to start writing!

  • Welcome the guests
  • Talk about you and the groom’s history / Introduce yourself
  • Add in a bit about the groom’s personality, character, and accomplishments
  • Speak about the bride and them as a couple
  • Toast to a happy marriage

10 Things Not To Say In Your Best Man Speech

It’s common knowledge, and expected, for the best man to give the groom a bit of a hard time. Teasing and sharing embarrassing stories are all a part of the fun. But, some things should be avoided completely. When writing out your best man speech, these are 10 things to not ever say or include in the spiel.

  • Leave out the ex-girlfriends – or ex-wives. If there’s an ex at all, don’t mention it.
  • Nix the curse words. Phrases involving any of those four-letter creations should be left out.
  • Never, under any circumstances, embarrass the bride. She should never be a part of the punchline.
  • Don’t mention anything about the bachelor party, especially if it could get him in trouble. Leave it in the past.
  • Dig on the groom a bit but don’t dig on marriage. Your jokes shouldn’t downplay what a big, GREAT step this is for them.
  • Don’t dig on the in-laws either – on either side. Besides, they’re most likely footing the bill for the entire event.
  • “Drunken night” shenanigans can be left out of your walk down memory lane as well.
  • A long list of “umms” or “likes” shouldn’t take center stage.
  • Compliment the bride but don’t be creepy or cross the line.
  • Juvenile jokes like, “We all thought he was gay for so long!” should be left back in middle school.

7 Tips for Writing Your Speech

When it comes time to sit down and write out your speech, take a big, deep breath, you want to sprinkle in some creativity, originality, and some hard work too. It’s okay if you don’t finish it in your first sitting. Allow yourself to become inspired, follow these 10 tips for making writing your best man easy, and you’ll have it ready in no time!

  • Give yourself time. Don’t wait until the night before. You’ll allow your nerves to take over and may get writer’s block if you start writing the last minute. Choose a night when you’re relaxed and let your creativity flow. Try writing out a rough draft a few months before the wedding before you get caught up in all the pre-event activities.
  • Pay attention to your intro. If you start out strong, whether with a great story or a funny one-liner, you’ll have everyone’s attention throughout the entire speech.
  • Write it down. Write it down. Write it down. Yes, this is about writing your speech, but we also want you to make sure you practice it and have it on paper the day of, just in case.
  • Don’t forget a joke . Even if you want to go with a speech that’s a bit more serious and heartfelt, add a few quips or jokes about the groom in there. It helps break up the emotion and provides comic relief.
  • Have a Plan B up your sleeve. Whether it’s a joke or turning to the bride and shining a light on how stunning she looks, plan for a misplaced speech or a case of stage fright.
  • Take a walk down memory lane . Extended family and friends may not know who you are. Let them know and let them in on why you were chosen as the best man.
  • Thank everyone. Finally, you must extend a grateful hand. It’s a nice gesture from the bar staff to the bridesmaids, and it will plump up your speech.

The best man speech format is pretty straightforward. The first part of the speech is geared towards getting guest attention. Ideally, the best man should have a great one-liner to open up the best man speech. See our best man one-liner examples for some inspiration. The next step is to introduce yourself personally and explain who you are to those who don’t know you. Make light of the occasion, maybe talk about the location, the idea of marriage, or something regarding the ceremony. These are all excellent opportunities for amusing asides.

The next part of the best man speech structure is focusing on the groom. To be specific, this is the chance to poke some fun at the groom. Talk about your relationship with the groom, offering guests a funny and entertaining version of how you first met, your first impressions, and why you’re still good friends now. Remember, it can’t all be a comedy, you need to something nice about the groom.

Next, it’s time for the bride. Don’t poke fun at her. Talk about how gorgeous she looks, how much you like her as a friend. This is an excellent time in the speech to talk about why the newly married couple will be so great together.

At this stage, you’re coming towards the end of the speech. Get ready for your toast (see example best man toasts ). You might want to give the bride and groom some sage advice, potentially an amusing observation about marriage. Finish up with a light-hearted toast to the bride and groom.

How To Write a Best Man Speech

Start by writing down thoughts freely about the bride and groom and your relationship with them.

  • How do you know them?
  • Why did they choose you as the best man?
  • How would you describe each of them? What are the first five adjectives that come to mind?
  • What was the groom like before he met the bride? How has he changed knowing her?
  • How did they meet? How did the groom tell you about her?
  • You may wish to think about marriage advice you’ve received or have learned if you are married.
  • Are there any particularly amusing anecdotes that illustrate who the bride and/or groom is?
  • Read through this gallery of sample classic wedding toasts and highlight any that seem particularly appropriate to you.

Once you’ve done that, it’s time to craft those ideas into a heartfelt and entertaining toast. You should have a great framework with which to work.

There are some easy-to-follow tips when preparing your best man speech. Follow these for a seamless and great best man speech:

Be Prepared & Invest Time: Plan your speech ahead of time. Write it down, get ideas and start thinking about it early. There is nothing worse than a best man who walks into the wedding thinking he is going to speak off the cuff. It is evident when you do that, and it usually sucks, so don’t.

It Is About Your Friend & His Wife: It is so easy to come up with jokes and poke fun at your close buddy for 10 minutes. That’s no fun for the rest of the guests, and while you’ll enjoy it, it doesn’t focus on what’s important, which is that your buddy just married the woman of his dreams. Think of stories from you and your buddy’s past that show what a great guy he is, and remember that the speech’s goal is to celebrate the couple and make them look good.

Stay Sober(ish) : Liquid courage is great in moderation. Sure, have a few drinks to calm your nerves, but don’t go crazy early and be messy for your best man speech. It is a pretty simple rule, but just make sure you’re not sloppy drunk.

Open Strong: There is no shame in using a one-liner to get things going. It is essential that you have guests excited, and you build the confidence to deliver an excellent best man speech. Once you have your opening line down, immediately thank all the guests who made the day possible. Single out the bride and groom’s parents by name, and offer a toast to them for not only putting on the wedding but for raising two fine people. Start your speech like this, and you’ll be the best man everybody loves.

Be Yourself (Unless You’re an A**hole) : No need to get formal or try to be someone you’re not. And there’s no need to follow these instructions exactly either. Simply use them as a guide and be yourself. Let it flow naturally. Use your natural voice and mannerisms. Make it personal and sincere and say things from the heart, and you should be golden.

Tell A Nice Story & Make A Connection: The ideal way to structure a best man speech is to find a connection between a story about your friend and your support for the couple. Share a story about how your friend would always lament that he would never find a woman with x,y, and z qualities, but how he finally did in his new bride. Or tell a story about the moment when you were hanging out with the couple, and you realized your friend had found his match. Another good angle is to talk about the way that the bride and groom balance one another.

Don’t Talk About The Groom’s Exes : Keep your speech on topics that aren’t controversial, offensive, or embarrassing. Don’t talk about the groom’s past girlfriends. This is an easy tip to follow; just use some common sense.

No Inside Jokes: This is a crucial rule, yet very hard to execute. You and your friend have stories, inside jokes, and things only the two of you (or a select few of your friends) know about. Now isn’t the time to bring that stuff up. Think about the audience and ensure that whatever you talk about is something that most people can relate to.

Short is Sweet: Everybody hates long speeches. There will be many speeches, and the best man speech usually is last, so guests will be eager for you to finish so they can grab another drink or have a dance. Aim for no more than 7 minutes, max.

End With A Toast & Quote : Don’t reinvent the wheel. There are hundreds of wonderful quotes about marriage, love, and weddings, not to count the Irish toasts you can use to end your speech (we’ve assembled some example toast quotes you can use). Find one that wraps the toast up nicely and leaves people feeling the warm and fuzzies.

It is essential to be aware of the things you need to do to deliver an excellent best man speech and things that you need to stay away from at all costs. There aren’t that many, but you better pay attention. You must understand that best man speech is a very popular source of entertainment for weddings today. The more suitable you can make the best man speech for the occasion, the better.

DON’T: Milk it and make it about you. Remember, it is about the bride and groom, not you. A great best man speech should be less than 7 minutes and should focus on the couple.

DO: Limit Anecdotes. If you do decide that an anecdote is worth relating – and some definitely are – make it the centerpiece of your speech, not one of several stories that get lost in the mix. Also, only use stories that are relatable to most people.

DO: Be funny, but not that funny. The best man gets to poke some fun at the groom, but remember, this is his day. Don’t destroy him in front of 200 people. Balance friendly digs with praise and well-wishes. A good best man speech is all about balance.

DON’T: Mention Ex Girlfriends. Yep, the second time we’re mentioning this one on the same page. There’s a reason. Stay away. If you can’t see why talking about your buddy’s exes on his wedding day might upset some people (not least the bride), then you’re an idiot.

DO: Compliment the bride. No making fun of the bride other than to point out her poor choice in companion as a husband. It is REALLY her day, so don’t mess with her. This is how best men go missing and get hurt badly.

DON’T: Swear . The language you and your buddies use when telling stories may be appropriate over beers at a BBQ, but not at a wedding. You’re addressing a lot of guests from a wide range of backgrounds and ages. This isn’t the time to push it when it comes to language.

DON’T: Read from a piece of paper the whole time. Practice your speech, learn it and get comfortable. Learning your speech may not be your idea of fun, but it will make all the difference in how the guests perceive you. Can’t remember the whole speech? Then work on the stuff that really makes a difference, the opening line and the closing toast.

DO: Go out with a bang . It is pretty easy to get the opening line right, but you need to be ready to go out hard as the speech ends. It’s your closing comments that people will remember the clearest. Speak up, stand tall and deliver that final toast with gusto.

DO: Choose a short and sweet story . Don’t tell 5-minute stories. If it can’t be said in less than 30 seconds, toss it out. Stories that require a lot of background (no matter how funny or relevant) just aren’t going to keep people’s attention.

Video Examples of Some Great Best Man Speeches

While researching best man speeches, a friend recommended we check out Youtube. Smart idea! We found loads of great best man speeches that were terrific examples of what to do. Everybody has their delivery and approach so keep that in mind.

One of the Funniest Best Man Wedding Speeches Ever!

We’re still laughing at this best man speech we found online. We are definitely stealing some lines from this one.

Our Favorite Best Man Speech Ever – Not Traditional!

The sheer creativity and uniqueness of this best man speech are worth watching. It is a long video but well worth it. This is how you get over 13 million views on YouTube!

How to Get a Standing Ovation

CJ Abeleda delivers a heart-warming, funny, and emotional best man speech for the groom of his only sister that culminates in tears, laughter, and a standing ovation.

It is rare that somebody unprepared can pull off an epic best man speech like this guy. I know I couldn’t do it if I wasn’t prepared, which is why this is super-impressive.

Hilarious Best Man Speech – Irish Guy at Italian Wedding

Matt Gunn gives a funny Best Man speech at his best friend Paul’s wedding. When I say Irish and Italian, I mean their heritage. Very funny.

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How To Write A Best Man Speech That Everyone Will Remember

How To Write A Best Man Speech That Everyone Will Remember

Brevity is the soul of wit. and keep it classy, too..

On November 19 th 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered an address that would come to be known as one of the finest speeches in history. The Gettysburg Address is a mere 272 words in length and took Lincoln less than three minutes to deliver.

The speech contains powerful, moving language heavy with sorrow and deep with resolve and some of its phrases would likely have achieved renown regardless of its length, but to be clear, one of the reasons the Gettysburg Address was and remains such a powerful piece of oration is its brevity.

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Any best man (or maid of honor, of course) looking to deliver a great wedding speech is well advised to take a note from Lincoln and keep it short. He’s also well advised to make it a bit lighter than the remarks the 16 th President delivered on that early November day.

And remember, being asked to be a best man is a great honor – with luck (and a lot of work and devotion), this man will only get married once in his life, and he is asking you to be the pillar of his wedding party. So you owe him, the new bride, and everyone assembled a good speech. It need not be a perfect best man toast, but it better be good.

How Long Should A Best Man Speech Be?

You may be able to find best man speech examples, but the best ones come straight from you. It may not be a good idea to follow a generic best man speech template, but to start your speech strong, you can go with a tried-and-true opening formula: introduce yourself. Briefly explain who you are in relation to the groom – are you his brother, best friend, cousin – and then quickly move on to talking about the man himself and his new spouse. Quickly because the speech is not about you, and because giving a great best man speech means being short and, for the most part, sweet.

The shorter the better, frankly. Look to Abraham Lincoln for inspiration and try to keep your remarks to under three minutes, which means trying to keep your whole speech to around 300 words or a bit more. 

Even if your best man speech is going to be partly off the cuff, make sure to practice the wedding speech, or a “draft” of it, anyway, a few times beforehand and time yourself. If you tick past the five-minute mark, you are going on for way too long.

Best Man Speech Tips

A truly awesome best man speech will have everyone happy, many people laughing, and have the whole room feeling better about the bride and groom. Note that a best man speech is not about making you look good – a funny best man speech should center on the groom and something amusing he did or said; an inspirational best man’s speech should center on an impressive act by or quality of the new husband.

You are giving a speech, but you are not its subject, so be a great friend and make your friend look and feel great. And the same goes for his new spouse, too: focus on your friend, then focus on the couple, then wrap it up.

RELATED:  How To Write A Killer Maid Of Honor Speech

Your speech should have a theme that you can touch on several times. It may be as simple as love and kindness, but identifying a theme for yourself will help anchor the speech, preventing you from straying off topic and rambling too long.

When making a best man speech outline, remember always to plan a speech you can deliver while being genuine. If you’re not a slapstick humor kind of guy, don’t try for that kind of humor. If you’re a known jokester who always has the room roaring, don’t try to lay on the life advice and words of wisdom too heavily. Your best man’s speech will be at its best when it’s heartfelt.

As for what to talk about, that’s really up to you: you were chosen to be the best man because you know the groom so well, either as best friends or family, presumably, so you know whether a funny story, a touching anecdote, or a bit of both is best called for. Just remember that not everyone in the audience at the wedding reception will know you well – in fact, half of them may not even know the groom well – so don’t get too obscure.

Remember that it’s always a good idea to mention how wonderful the wedding day has been and to acknowledge the ceremony itself and the wedding vows, to thanks all the wedding guests, to note the venue, the food, the music, and even the cake. The people whom planned the wedding reception will appreciate you noting all these details – as will the bride’s father and mother or whoever paid for the wedding. Might want to thank them, too, eh?

And don’t forget to end with a short wedding toast and wishes for a good night and a good life for the couple, and to then turn it over for a maid of honor speech. (And if this has already happened, make sure to acknowledge it.)

Best Man Speech Tips: When In Doubt, Quote Someone Else

There’s a reason so many speeches incorporate quotes from other people: a well-known quote has already been effectively vetted by many audiences, so you can count on it working for yours. A quote can serve as the start of your speech, as the anchor, or a great ending note.

So, what are the best types of quotes to use? Love quotes are always a good choice at a wedding, as are quotes about commitment, about the future, about trust, about kindness, and about friendship. Look for quotes that are either already well-known or are from a well-known source, be it a famous person, a popular song or book, or another source people will recognize.

One of the reasons quotes are powerful is because they are comfortable; they tend to work best when they re-confirm a notion someone already held rather than imparting new information.

Things To Avoid During A Best Man Speech

Alright, so we talked about tips for things you should consider doing; now here are the things to avoid during a best man speech.

First and foremost, be very cautious with the embarrassing stories. The line between a great best man speech and an abominable failure is a fine one indeed if you start in on the embarrassing story approach. If you have even a shred of doubt that an anecdote or joke you’re considering is crossing the line, leave it out. You can always share the more cringe-worthy stories with the gang out on the dance floor or as the cigars come out later, leaving that “he’s a great guy!” reputation intact in front of the larger crowd. 

And do not, repeat, do not drink too much before your best man speech, and don’t have more than one drink while giving your remarks, either. You can hit the bar hard later, but you can’t ever unsay things that slipped out due to a few too many cocktails or glasses of champagne.

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Little Boy With Heart Condition Sworn In As Police Officer

Expecting mothers can't help but have secret expectations for their future little one. It's only human. You have this little soul inside you, kicking and growing until they are ready to come into the world. Pregnancy is filled with emotions! You picture their life. You wonder what they will look like and who they will be.

Then, there's the morning sickness, the soreness, the weight gain and the dreaded pain of birth. But in the end it's all worth it, to meet your tiny person. Finally you meet them, you hold them for the first time, their little body resting on your chest.

Now imagine your newborn being ripped from your arms and rushed into an emergency procedure. Now imagine that exact feeling 58 more times, and you can begin to understand the heartbreaking reality of one mother and her 6-year-old son, Keyjuan Andrew.

This 6-Year-Old Boy Has Spent Half His Life In Hospitals

Since his birth, Keyjuan Andrew, 6, has spent much of his young life within the sterile walls of hospitals. As a baby, his first moments were spent under the glare of operating lights, while his mother, Jessica Krentowski and family waited with bated breath.

Growing up with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome has meant enduring numerous medical procedures — 58 to be exact — and a total of 15 surgeries. It's a journey that most adults would find grueling, but Keyjuan has faced each step with courage and resilience.

Despite these challenges, Keyjuan has miraculously kept his childlike sense of wonder. He has become a familiar face among the doctors and nurses who have cared for him, often bringing smiles with his bright energy. He has made friends with other young patients, sharing his stories and uplifting those around him. Though much of his life has been spent in hospitals, he hasn't let it diminish his joy for life.

On Patrol with Officer Keyjuan For A Day

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" is a question nearly every kid has an answer to. Common responses are firefighter, ballerina, president, and, of course, police officer. For Keyjuan Andrew, becoming a police officer was his ultimate dream, and thanks to the Lynwood Police Department, that dream came true.

In a special ceremony, Keyjuan was officially sworn in as an honorary officer, a moment he had long anticipated. The ceremony was filled with applause and admiration as Keyjuan stood proudly in his new uniform. As part of his day as an honorary officer, he was given the chance to go on patrol with Lynwood Police Chief Gregory Thomas.

With his badge pinned to his chest and a smile on his face, Keyjuan rode along in the police car, his eyes wide with excitement. The officers treated him like one of their own, explaining their work and sharing the values of their profession. It was an unforgettable experience that left Keyjuan beaming and inspired their entire community.

Watch Keyjuan Andrew's Video:

Redefining expectations and embracing hope.

When expecting parents discuss the future, they often say that their hopes for their baby are simple: "Boy, girl, it doesn't matter, as long as the baby is healthy." These words reflect the profound truth that good health is the foundation upon which all other dreams are built. But what happens when those dreams are challenged by a diagnosis that changes everything?

Keyjuan Andrew's story serves as a poignant reminder that the path to parenthood — and to a fulfilling life — isn't always straightforward. Despite facing a condition that brought countless medical procedures and surgeries, Keyjuan and his family have found strength in the moments of joy and courage in the face of uncertainty. They have shown that while health is a crucial part of the journey, it isn't the only source of dreams.

Through the loving support of family and community, Keyjuan has accomplished remarkable things that go far beyond a simple definition of health. His induction as an honorary police officer wasn't just a ceremony — it was a testament to his resilience, a celebration of a young boy's spirit, and a symbol of hope for everyone around him.

Keyjuan's story inspires us to broaden our expectations and embrace the unexpected. He has proven that even in the face of overwhelming medical challenges, life can be filled with purpose, laughter, and hope. His journey reminds us that while we may start with certain expectations, the real magic happens when we find joy in the most unexpected places. The measure of a child's life isn't just their health; it's the courage, love, and hope they bring to the world.

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Ever wondered how power couple, Beyoncé and Jay-Z keep their love alive for 16 years? Hint: luck has nothing to do with it. If you've been blaming your failed relationships on "the wrong person"—think again. It may be time to reconsider who is really at fault.

Just like building a dream career, successful relationships don't happen overnight and they don't happen by chance. It takes hard work, thoughtful strategizing, and it isn't always "sexy." Forget the glitz and glam—these power couples know the real secret lies in setting goals and boundaries. From cozy date nights to self-care, these are a few A-listers who are masters at making love last.

Ready to unlock their secrets?

A Lasting, Passionate Relationship Isn't Just For Starry-Eyed Romantics—It's For Skeptics Too!

According to award-winning psychotherapist and TV host Dr. Jenn Mann, the #1 reason relationships don't make it past the 1-year mark is because as soon as our relationship doesn't go according to plan, tensions can get so high, the whole relationship crumbles.

"It is easy to get along in the honeymoon phase of a relationship. During the early stages, when we are falling in love, all we see is how alike we are and how wonderful our new partner is. We see our commonalities, not our differences. “You like pizza. I like pizza! We are so alike! We are perfect for each other!” We are merged. We feel like one person, a unit, a “we.” The first time we see our differences, it may feel like a huge betrayal (“What do you mean you voted for him?”), because it marks the moment when we are thrown back into the reality of being two separate people with different thoughts and beliefs." So what about all the people who make it past the honeymoon phase? The "1 year mark"? Does that mean they have it all figured out? Jenn Mann , Instyle

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Maybe...but maybe not. Ask yourself are your partner really share a deep and powerful connection, or are you just co-existing...like glorified roommates?

We've all heard the dreaded saying, "I love them but I'm not in love with them"—in fact, we've probably even said it ourselves, but what if we told you that being "in love" isn't the luck of the draw you think it is?

What Are Relationship Goals? Why Are They Important?

best man speech first lines

Relationship goals are more than just whimsical fantasies or Instagram-worthy snapshots; they are the guiding principles that steer a couple toward a fulfilling and harmonious partnership. At their core, relationship goals encompass the shared visions, aspirations, and milestones that both partners aim to achieve together. These goals provide a roadmap for growth, fostering communication, understanding, and mutual respect along the way.

Most importantly, they serve as your relationship-sonar in times of turbulence so you and your co-pilot can navigate the storm together. From building trust and deepening intimacy to navigating challenges as a united front, setting relationship goals cultivates a sense of purpose and commitment that strengthens the bond between partners.

In essence, relationship goals aren't just important—they are the foundation upon which enduring love is built.

How to Get Clear on Your Love Goals

CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 12: Actor George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney attend the "Money Monster" premiere during the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on May 12, 2016 in Cannes, France.

Clemens Bilan/Getty Images

Whether you're in a happily committed relationship, enjoying the thrill of new love, or searching for a partner, setting relationship goals is within everyone's reach. But before we dive into pursuing the love we desire, it's important to have a clear idea of what that love actually looks like.

Some Questions To Ask Yourself

  • What does my ideal, healthy relationships look like?
  • What romantic relationships do I idealize?
  • How would my partner and I stay on the same page or resolve conflict?
  • How do I prefer to receive love from my partner?
  • How would my partner and I best communicate in everyday life?

When it comes to setting relationship goals, it's not one-size-fits-all. Getting a clear picture of what a healthy relationship looks like for you may be vastly different than what it looks like for a friend or a family member.

Don't be afraid to compare notes but try and stay away from comparing goals.

The 8 Most Important Couple Goals To Set And When

​NEW YORK, NY - MAY 05: Actors Blake Lively (L) and Ryan Reynolds attend the "Charles James: Beyond Fashion" Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014 in New York City. 

Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images

First and foremost, relationship goals should be something both you and your partner set together. Setting one-sided couple goals probably isn't the best idea and will likely lead to disappointment. You have to start somewhere—and the best place to start is on the same page.

"When Ryan and I got together, we made a rule not to work at the same time so that we could always prioritize our personal life. That takes working really hard when we're not. Just like financial planning and sustaining that - it takes balance." Blake Lively, Further Ado Podcast

If you're drawing a blank on what an appropriate relationship goal looks like, here are the 8 most important things to know when it comes to making your relationship work.

#1. Understand Each Other's " Love Language "

Counselor, Gary Chapman coined the widely popular theory of the "Five Love Languages". In his work, Chapman found that couples often had difficulty feeling and expressing love (despite their partner's best efforts). So he broke down the themes from these discussions into what's known as the five love languages:

  • Physical touch
  • Quality time
  • Acts of service
  • Words of affirmation.

Chances are, you and your partner don't have the same love language. The chances are even higher that you show your partner love the way you want to receive love. It's a bit of a trap. The problem probably looks a little something like this :

  • After a long work week, you spend hours cooking your partner their all-time favorite meal (acts of service)—the least they could do is wash the dishes (acts of service).
  • Instead, the dishes pile up in the sink while they run over to the TV and put on your favorite movie for a Netflix and cuddle sesh (Quality Time, Physical Touch).
  • Even though their heart's in the right place, you can't enjoy the movie because you're too busy thinking if they really "loved" you...that casserole dish wouldn't be soaking in the sink.

It easy to see why identifying you and your partner's love language is a quick way to get crossed wires, uncrossed. Good news is, "quality time" is one of the most common love languages and it here's a simple hack to get it right.

#2. Commit To A Weekly Date Night — "Don't Stop The Romance"

NEW YORK, NY - CIRCA 1978: Suzanne Somers and husband Alan Hamel at Studio 54 circa 1978 in New York City.

Robin Platzer/IMAGES/Getty Images

If there's one thing Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel knew how to get right—it was romance.

After 55 years together, Somers heartbreakingly passed away in 2023 and fans were overwhelmed by Hamel's masterful letter he wrote to Somers in her final days. He found a way to pack 55 years of love into one last, beautiful, tearjerking punch.

READ MORE: On Her Final Night, Suzanne Somers’ Read Alan Hamel’s Love Letter – A Beautiful Look at Love After 46 Years

But even though the love of his life would leave him too soon—Hamel and Somers lived with no regrets. They made every moment on earth together count. In rain or shine—dressed up or dressed down—the soulmates famously shared the secret to their marriage:

"Listen to one another, give each other a lot of attention, keep it exciting, date. My marriage is very romantic. … We might sit here and have a tequila. … We dance, I cook, we sit out and watch the moonlight on the ocean." Suzanne Somers

They also reportedly had sex twice a day—but who's counting!

#3. Maintain The Physical Connection

TOPSHOT - US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift kisses Kansas City Chiefs' tight end #87 Travis Kelce after the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 11, 2024.

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

While we may not all have the libido of ThighMaster influencer Suzanne Somers we don't have to! When it comes to setting relationship goals around intimacy don't underestimate the significance of physical touch.

Incorporating consistent physical connection into your relationship offers numerous benefits. Simple gestures like hand-holding, hugs, or a reassuring pat on the shoulder can trigger the release of oxytocin, the "feel-good hormone," while also reducing cortisol levels, the body's stress hormone.

While physical intimacy is undeniably important, it's crucial to understand that it's just one facet of intimacy in a relationship. Intellectual, spiritual, and emotional connections are equally vital. Creating a safe and comfortable environment where both partners understand each other's preferences and boundaries enhances the pleasure derived from physical touch.

However, it's essential to approach physical intimacy with sensitivity and awareness. Attempting to force physical closeness or using it as a substitute for deeper emotional connection can backfire. Achieving a healthy balance in physical touch requires open communication, mutual understanding of body language, and respect for each other's boundaries.

Remember, physical connection encompasses more than just sexual intimacy. From a warm hug in the morning to a sweet kiss goodnight, there are countless ways to express affection and strengthen the bond with your partner.

You don't need to be an expert in massage therapy to reap the benefits of physical touch—simple gestures can go a long way in nurturing intimacy and emotional well-being. So, prioritize physical connections and make them an integral part of your relationship journey.

However, try not to get the purpose of the "love languages" confused. Showing your partner "love" is so important but it's not a substitute for the sometimes hard conversations.

#4. Improve Your Communication

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When it comes to love communication really is key—and miscommunications are one of the first things that can tear a couple apart.

As you’re building your list of goals, an important thing to think about is the way you and your partner communicate. It's easy to make the assumption that our partner knows exactly how we feel–—but assumptions can be deadly to a relationship. No matter how long the two of you have been together, your partner can never know what you truly feel unless you tell them. So prioritize communication.

"If I was going to have an equal voice with this very opinionated man, I had to get myself up." - Michelle Obama, "Becoming"

Understanding how your partner feels and why they think this way is critical to a healthy romantic partnership. Different backgrounds, upbringings and experiences can sometimes make it difficult to see things from our partner's perspective. Make it part of your relationship goals to better understand one another.

If communication is a couple goal you both want to prioritize but have trouble with, seeking the help of a licensed therapist to act as an unbiased evaluator can be a great tool to utilize.

Just ask Barack Obama and Michelle Obama! After 30 years together, the former President and First Lady have openly credited therapy as a huge help in making sure they are always on the same page!

#5. Discuss Your Shared Values And Prepare For Values To Change AS You Grow

TOPSHOT - US actor Ben Affleck kisses US actress and singer Jennifer Lopez as they arrive for the screening of the film "The Last Duel" presented out of competition on September 10, 2021 during the 78th Venice Film Festival at Venice Lido.

FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images

One of the biggest miscommunications a couple can have is thinking they have the same values—only to find out, in big relationship-defining moments they couldn't be more wrong. A relationship-defining moment could be when a couple is deciding how they want to raise their children or whether or not they want to get married. This discovery can be devastating. The million-dollar question is, how do you avoid it?

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are great examples of a Hollywood "it" couple who had miscommunications and learned from it. "Bennifer" didn't make it the first time around—and the exes went on to raise their children in very different ways—with Lopez opting for a more lavish Miami lifestyle and Affleck keeping it low-key in LA. So what changed? What made this couple reunite years later?

Did the stars align? Or did they just get clear on their shared values?

Though the two went their separate ways in 2004, 17 years later they resurrected one of Hollywood’s favorite romances. After being spotted on multiple loved-up outings and at red-carpet appearances together, they were finally married in 2023. But before they tied the knot the couple made it a priority to talk about what mattered and how this time was going to be different.

In an exclusive sit down with VOGUE, Lopez shared how the second time around was even better than the first. They had years to mature and become full-formed individuals. When they reunited they were no longer "two halves" struggling to make a whole. They were two whole people coming together who put their shared family values first, instead of their careers.

He’s a wonderful, wonderful father and father figure to them as well, ’cause he has his own three beautiful children and then there’s us. He’s fantastic. He really steps up to the challenge of what [being a stepfather] is and what that means, and they love him." Jennifer Lopez, VOGUE (2023)

Lopez and Affleck's story is a revealing reminder of the significance of aligning with a partner who shares your values, particularly when envisioning a future together. While initial discussions about important topics such as living arrangements, family planning, and career aspirations may lay the foundation for a strong connection, it's crucial to recognize that values can evolve over time.

Continual communication about evolving priorities and aspirations is essential for maintaining harmony and alignment within the relationship. Whether it's a shift in living preferences or a newfound desire to establish roots in a specific location, addressing these changes openly and honestly fosters understanding and prevents potential conflicts down the road.

If identifying your and your partner's values may feel too broad, here are the 7 most important "core values " according to psychotherapist and celebrity relationship guru, Esther Perel.

  • Communication : Keeping open lines of communication with your partner can set you up to have a successful relationship. The busyness of life can make it challenging for couples to keep one another informed. However, maintaining a clear back-and-forth of information is the only way to ensure the relationship will be sustainable.
  • Equality : Seeing each other as equals fosters mutual respect. This can create a deeper emotional connection and create greater intimacy between you and your partner.
  • Honesty : Honesty and trust go hand in hand. Being honest with your loved one allows you to build a healthy relationship. Without honesty, the foundation of the relationship can falter and lead to heartbreak.
  • Intimacy : Take time for physical and emotional intimacy. You should not ignore a healthy sex life, frequent displays of affection, and date nights.
  • Shared beliefs : Religious beliefs can play a significant part in a person’s life. Though religious differences do not always signal a deal-breaker, having shared beliefs can make navigating through life together, especially if parenting, easier.
  • Trust : Every good relationship needs a foundation of trust. Relationship experts claim trust is the most important value of every successful relationship. Without trust, romantic relationships quickly deteriorate.
  • Validation : Emotional validation is the process of making your partner feel understood. Ensure you acknowledge their points of view and emotions. Emotional validation provides mental health benefits and is a healthy way to care for your partner's well-being.

While it's highly unlikely you and your partner will share all values, you and your partner must have at least 3-5 of these values in common.

#6. Support One Another—No Matter What"Always supporting me (literally)"

The #1 most important shared values a couple needs to have, is family values. David Beckham and Victoria Beckham may just be the best example when it comes to demonstrating how powerful supporting your partner can be (literally)! After all, you're not just building a life together...you're building your forever family.

Even though celebs are stars in their own right—over 25 years together have proven the power couple are partners in work and in life. The couple share four children: Brooklyn , 24, Romeo , 21, Cruz , 19, and Harper Seven , 11.

In their widely successful Netflix doc, Beckham , The Beckhams unpack years of their life together. The ups (winning a World Cup), the downs (the cheating scandal that nearly broke them), and everything in between!

The power couple may lead crazy busy lives but it's never stopped them from making sure family comes first.

"Running a business [and] most importantly, being a mum, wouldn't be possible without David. Not only is he the most incredible father, but he's supportive and someone who loves and inspires me every single day." Victoria Beckham, Glamour Women of the Year Award.

The bottom line is—if you're putting them before you and they are putting you before them, you have the best chance for success. But supporting your partner can look different depending on the situation. It's not about blindly agreeing to everything they say. Sometimes it looks like challenging their beliefs to help them grow

#7. Fight Fair—Be A "Master Negotiator"

EAST HAMPTON, NY - JULY 06: Barbra Streisand and James Brolin attend the "And So It Goes" premiere at Guild Hall on July 6, 2014 in East Hampton, New York.

Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images

Disagreements in relationships are inevitable. How delicately a couple navigates conflicts can make or break a relationship. So that's why if you're going to fight, fight fair. Or in other words: compromise!

"I think everybody needs to be a negotiator. Everybody needs to have patience and know when to take a walk." James Brolin, PEOPLE

After 25 years of marriage to the legendary diva Barbra Streisand, it should go without saying that Brolin knows a thing or two about conflict resolution. His advice couldn't be more spot on.

RELATED: Barbra Streisand and James Brolin’s Advice for a Successful Marriage Is Seriously Simple

Research suggests that "happy couples" avoid criticism, steer clear of extreme language, and prevent arguments from escalating through joint problem-solving.

If you know your partner shuts down when things get heated, don't push their boundaries and force them to give you answers. Step back. Give them space to think. Or in James Brolin's words let them "take a walk."

Fighting fair can look like this:

  • Knowing how your partner's conflict resolution style may differ from your own
  • Respecting your partner's boundaries
  • Making your needs known

If this all sounds like a lot—one simple trick to remember when you're in a heated debate with your partner is to avoid starting a sentence with "you always..." or "you never..."!

Do they always leave the toilet seat up? They never take out the garbage?

Probably not. But the truth is, remembering this when we're "seeing red" can feel impossible. In the middle of a fight—the #1 most important thing to remember is this—what outcome do we really want after passions cool and the fight is over?

Do we want to hurt or do we want to heal?

#8. Manage Your Emotions—Don't Forget You Want The Same Outcome!

9th November 1999: Married American actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick smiling while standing in front of a handheld 'Access Hollywood' microphone at the For All Kids Foundation's Second Annual White Rose Awards Gala at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, New York City.

Karl Feile/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

It shouldn't come as a surprise that effective communication is critical for a healthy relationship, but just because this goal is simple—doesn't mean it's easy.

When we have a problem with our partner it can be tempting to "outsource" for advice. We may call our mom or a best friend. We swear we're "just venting," but a lot of the time what we are looking for is advice.

That's not always a bad thing! But it can be a slippery slope (especially when you're not dealing with a licensed professional).

We can be quick to tell everyone what our problem with our partner is...except our partner!

That's why after over 30 years of marriage to Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker's best piece of advice is to "keep things just between the two of you".

RELATED: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s Advice to a Lasting Marriage Is One Very Simple ‘Secret’

Asking outside opinions can distract us from dealing with the real problem. We can't expect someone to change if they don't know what is going on with us, right?

If Your Partner Calls You The More "Emotional" One...

If your partner calls you the more "emotional" one, when problems arise, you're probably pretty reactive. Chances are you read into every little action and behavior—when they seem "distant" you take it personally.

The "emotional one" is the person pacing in the living room, interrogating their partner who sits silently on the couch cross-armed. It's confusing. The more you try to "communicate"—the more they shut down.

But remember facts are not feelings! Sometimes when you think you're communicating—you're not. You may phrase your insecurities like a question—but really you're making a statement.

For Example: In a tense car ride after leaving your mother-in-law's house you may ask your partner, "Why do you never stand up for me?" Even though it's phrased like a question it's not. You're telling them they never stand up for you. It makes sense they may get defensive or shut down completely.

That's not a conversation. That's a confrontation.

If you're a volcanic eruption of emotions all your partner is going to want to do is step on rocks to dodge the hot lava!

Conflict Resolution Tip: For The "Emotional Ones"

Try taking a beat and not being so reactive. Breathe and ask yourself if the big emotions you're experiencing are rooted in reality. Then sit with it for a few days.

If you're still feeling you have something you need to say, then say it!

Your partner may get defensive but trust they will come around—because they want your relationship to work too. Don't jump on every little word they say. Wait it out. Actively listen instead of waiting for what you want to hear.

Don't take their pace personally. Just because you may want to "fix" the problem right away, doesn't mean it's always the right answer.

If Your Partner Calls You The More "Emotionally Unavailable" One...

For the "emotionally unavailable" ones, communicating looks completely different.

Unlike their partners, the "emotionally unavailable" ones tend to suppress and detach from their relationship conflicts. This can lead to big miscommunications that eventually push their partner away in the long run—which isn't what they want!

If the "Emotional" partner seems to care too much— the "emotionally unavailable" partner doesn't seem to care at all. However no matter how convincing their act may be, this isn't the truth.

The emotionally unavailable partner wants to be seen and heard too. They just don't know how to process their feelings at the same rate! The "emotional" partner has a tendency to take over the conversation and leave little room for the "emotionally unavailable" partner to process their feelings and say their piece.

So instead, they shut down. But what these personality types don't understand is their partner wants to hear how they feel. They just have a hard time asking instead of guessing.

RELATED: HOW YOUR ATTACHMENT STYLE AFFECTS YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Once you can identify why this caused you to feel a certain way, try and get into these habits:

  • Talk to loved ones about what they’re feeling
  • Write down what you think and feel
  • Try meditation or therapy
  • Exercise to relieve stress and increase endorphins
  • Practice being aware of their thoughts when they’re emotional
  • Remove themselves from an emotional situation if it is becoming uncontrollable

Don't be afraid to discuss these goals with your partner. It's about progress not perfection. They just want reassurance that you care. Don't be afraid to ask for them to work on their emotional regulation too.

These sorts of goals are often best met when both parties are working together, and often key components of a more lasting love.

If nothing else remember: it's not a confrontation, it's a conversation!

How to set goals: a normal and healthy part of a relationship.

You understand why it's essential to set goals in a healthy and thriving relationship and have a few couple goals in mind that you'd like to discuss with your partner. Now it's time to sit down and have a conversation. Here are a few tips for setting relationship goals with your significant other.

  • Choose a neutral space to discuss relationship goals
  • Determine the length of time for each relationship goal
  • Set check-in dates for each relationship goal
  • Include at least one fun relationship goal
  • Make sure your relationship goals are measurable
  • Evaluate how your love goals make you feel
  • Make sure your couple goals are equally weighted

Don't just set and forget your goals. Consistency is key. Achieving goals requires ongoing work from both you and your partner.

It Works If You Work It—Because You're Worth It!

Setting relationship goals takes time and effort – but the payoff is worth it. Even if you decide to start small, setting couple goals will undoubtedly yield a stronger relationship.

However it's important to remember while there is no shame in working on your relationship don't mistake setting goals with trying to change your partner. Sadly, sometimes when a relationship has soured it's a case of not-meant-to-be that all the self-help books in the world can't fix.

However, if you're merely ironing out the wrinkles with the right person and you both share aligned love goals, you'll have a clear pathway for achieving them and a means of assessing your relationship goals as you move forward. It's important to keep in mind that working towards relationship goals should be a positive endeavor – something that feels rewarding and enjoyable.

"Every woman in her late 20s goes through a period where she just doesn't believe love is out there anymore, but it is. And I think the minute you stop looking for it is when it comes for you." Kristen Bell

With the right tools, effort and mindset, you can use relationship goals to build the future you want with your partner.

Is Envy Harming Your Relationship? It’s Time to Understand the Three Dimensions of Jealousy

Copyright © 2024 Goalcast

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  1. Easy Best Man Speeches

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  1. 30 Brilliant Opening Lines for Your Best Mans Speech

    20. A best man is similar to a dead body at a funeral. You're expected to be there, but if you say too much, people start freaking out. 21. A wise man once told me that a best man speech is like a miniskirt. It should be short enough to be interesting, but long enough to cover the goods. 22.

  2. 30 Brilliant Best Man Speech Opening Lines

    The first few lines of your best man speech set the tone for the rest of it, so getting your best man opening lines right is vital. The traditional order of wedding speeches sees the best man speech opening line follow on from the groom and father of the bride, so you're likely to have pretty big shoes to fill, and there's no better way to get ...

  3. Best Man Speech Opening Lines: 70 Amazing Options

    Opening Lines for a Brother's Best Man Speech. Paying tribute to your brother with a best man speech is a memory you will both have for many years to come, so making it the best speech possible is essential. While brothers can definitely get away with poking fun at their sibling, just make sure your speech isn't just a roast; add a lot of toast-worthy elements too.

  4. How To Write A Killer Best Man Speech (With Templates)

    A best man's speech traditionally takes place at the wedding reception after the maid of honor gives her speech. The best man's speech should be positive, respectful, and congratulatory. It can last 3 to 5 minutes and should focus on a central theme or story about the groom. Remember, a best man speech is not the time to "wing it."

  5. Best Man Speech Opening Lines: Tips and Examples for a Memorable Start

    The first sentence of a best man speech is really important. It establishes the tone for the speech's remainder and has the power to capture or lose the audience's interest. A strong first sentence can captivate the audience, make them laugh, and keep them interested throughout the speech. When it comes to choosing the greatest man speech beginning lines, there are many various strategies to ...

  6. Best Man Speech: How to Write, Free Template, Examples & Tips

    1. Have a killer opening line. Successful best man speeches always start with a good opener. Introduce yourself and explain your connection to the happy couple. Have fun with this part by sharing a quick joke or quoting a poem so your speech doesn't start off stale. For example, "Hello everyone!

  7. The Ultimate Best Man Speech Guide (Examples And Templates Included)

    A best man speech should be short and sweet, but not too short, and not too long. A happy medium is about 5-6 minutes in length. You don't want it to be shorter than 3 minutes as it may seem too brief. The point is to keep the audience engaged, and deliver a few anecdotes, thank the bride and groom, and raise a toast.

  8. Best Man Speech: How-To Guide, Examples, Tips & Jokes

    Choose Best Man speech quotes that reflect the couple's personality, add humor, and keep them relevant. Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop. H. L. Mencken. Marriage is a workshop where husband works and wife shops. A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.

  9. Best Man Speech: The Ultimate Guide (5 Examples & Templates)

    Read More: 70 Best Man Speech Opening Lines. Best Man Speech Jokes. Best man speeches are best known for being the funniest speech of the night — but don't go over board! Remember to balance your jokes with at least a bit of flattery (especially if the joke is at the groom's expense).

  10. How to Write the Perfect Best Man Speech

    To achieve this, Honsberger says to simply reach into your own bag of jokes or look one up online. "I'd encourage you to first spend a little time reflecting on your own comedic ability. If you ...

  11. Best Men

    2. Keep it under 10 minutes. Your speech has more chance of a better reception (no pun intended) if it runs at 10 minutes or less. Assuming an average speaking rate of 130 word per minute, that ...

  12. How To Write a Best Man Speech: Ultimate Guide With Tips

    First, it is important to keep the speech short and sweet. The best man speech should be no more than 3-5 minutes long. Second, focus on telling a few personal stories about the groom that will make the guests laugh. Third, conclude the speech with a sincere toast to the happy couple.

  13. The Ultimate Best Man Speech Guide

    The first thing you have to decide is if you're going to make a joint speech or separate ones. The best method is to make a joint speech as it means you won't double up on gags or content, and nobody has that last dreaded speech spot. A great joint best man speech should consist of about 4 chunks of content each and you bounce from one best ...

  14. Top Best Man Speech Openers For Every Style

    Best Man Speech Openers. Step 1: Inhale helium balloon. Step 2: Give speech. "History really does have a way of repeating itself. X years ago, (bride's name)'s parents were sending her off to bed with a dummy. And today they're doing it all over again.". " (Bride's name), you're a truly special woman and you deserve a wonderful ...

  15. How to Write a Best Man Speech

    A greeting and a hearty congratulations kick things off. Here are a few prompts to start your best man speech. Intro: "It's truly an honor to stand before you as [Partner's Name]'s best man. My name is [Name], and I've had the privilege of being [Name]'s partner in crime since [college, childhood, etc.].".

  16. Top 5 Best Man Speech Opening Lines To Reel Them In

    Top 5 Best Man Speech Opening Lines. Now that you know what to avoid when preparing your speech, let's look at some of the best ways to start your speech. "I didn't prepare anything, so let me speak from the heart." This is a great way to get the crowd on your side, even if you are 100% prepared. It's even funnier if you pull out an ...

  17. 20 Unique Best Man Speech One Liners

    Unique Best Man speech one liners. 'An unmarried man is incomplete, a married man is… finished. No, that came out wrong.'. 'Don't worry my speech won't take too long today, because of my throat. Sarah has threatened to cut it if I go on for too long. And Tom has threatened to cut it if I mention anything about the stag weekend in ...

  18. Best Man Speech: The Definitive Guide to Smashing it

    Let that sink in. The best man speech is usually between meals at a reception. That means you have to make your mark - and get in what you have to say in a short time. Meaning that short best man speeches are perfectly fine, you don't have to overthink it. It can be 1 minute, it can be 5 minutes.

  19. 12 Best Man Speeches to Get Inspired By

    First up, we have an example of a pretty simple, straight-to-the-point best man speech. It's light in tone, offers excellent praise for both the bride and groom, and has a great closing. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! For those of you who don't know me, my name is _____ (your name), and I have the honor of being ____'s (groom ...

  20. Follow This Perfect Best Man Speech: Tips + Examples

    How to Write the Perfect Best Man Speech. 1 Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. It's lovely to see some familiar faces. On behalf of the gorgeous bridesmaids and not so gorgeous groomsmen, we'd like to thank you all for coming. 2 It's amazing to see how far people will travel for free cocktails.

  21. Write a Heartwarming Best Man Speech: Tips and Examples!

    The best man's opening lines set the tone for the speech, so go for an excellent one-liner. The opening line of your best man speech gives your (most likely tipsy or drunk) audience a reason to listen to you and stay intrigued. 3. Make Best Man Speech Joke with Tact. For the best man speech joke, here are some helpful tactical tips.

  22. Best Man Speech Guide w/ Examples

    Add a clever one-liner with a few thoughtful sentiments, and you can get the job done while making it memorable. Here are some incredible examples of short best man speeches. "Good evening, everyone! Let's lift our glasses and toast to the newlyweds! Don't worry; your arms won't get tired.

  23. How to Write a Best Man Speech: Tips and What to Avoid

    The shorter the better, frankly. Look to Abraham Lincoln for inspiration and try to keep your remarks to under three minutes, which means trying to keep your whole speech to around 300 words or a bit more. Even if your best man speech is going to be partly off the cuff, make sure to practice the wedding speech, or a "draft" of it, anyway, a ...

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    Here's your crib sheet: 1. Open by thanking those who made the day possible-end the intro with saying "Thank you to all those who have made it here today.". 2. Transition to your speech: "I am especially glad to be here on this occasion to celebrate this wonderful day with my friend/brother.". 3.