Weddings 2020 | Best Man Speech Tips
Your best mate has picked you to be his best man. Brilliant! You’re over the moon. But what now? Before you start panicking, read our step-by-step guide to writing a best man’s speech in 2020.
Weddings 2020 | Best Man Speech Tips
Your best mate has picked you to be his best man. Brilliant! You’re over the moon. But what now? Before you start panicking, read our step-by-step guide to writing a best man’s speech in 2020.
How To Write A Best Man’s Speech
Does the thought of reading aloud and presenting give you nightmares?
That’s the case for most of us. Not just you.
But try to relax! All you have to do is:
Anything else you do is a bonus. You’re not going to transform into an overnight comedian, so if you’re not comfortable trying to make people laugh just keep it short, heartfelt and sincere.
This guide is mainly intended to help get you started but it’s also worth reading to give you the finishing touches that will make your best man speech great.
Let’s get started.
Start with a template
The blank page is often the hardest part of writing anything and is especially true for your speech. The best tip to beat the blank page is not to begin with one. Use the below template to get started.
1. Opening line
Getting a laugh early on will put you at ease, so open your speech with a light-hearted joke. A quick ‘dad joke’ will work well here.
Something like:
2. Introduce yourself
You won’t know everyone at the wedding, so introduce yourself and tell everyone about how you know the groom.
3. Embarrassing stories
These will make up the main bulk of your speech.
Good starting points might include:
What not to include:
As a general rule, keep the stories tasteful. If you say something particularly bad it’ll be the bride and her family that will be the most embarrassed, not the groom.
So keep that in mind.
4. Compliment the groom
After you’ve made some fun out of the groom, it’s time to get serious and say a few nice things about him. Some useful transition lines would include:
Let the groom know you’re proud to be his best man, tell him what it means to you, and propose a toast to the groom.
5. Compliment the bride and bridesmaids
Talk about when you met his wife. Mention how beautiful she looks and how beautiful the bridesmaids are too.
If you want to add some humour, you could say something like, “I was pretty sure I’d be the most beautiful here today, but you’ve all well and truly shown me up.”
6. Outro
Thank everyone again, and propose a toast to the bride and groom.
Tweak and Refine
Look at that; you’ve got your first draft. Congratulations! That’s the hardest part out of the way.
Now your subconscious mind will kick in, so don’t be surprised if great ideas start coming to you while you’re in the shower, on the toilet, or lying in bed.
When a great idea presents itself, you need to write it down. Don’t think “I’ll definitely remember that,” because you won’t, and you’ll kick yourself when you have forgotten.
Start your best man speech preparation as early as possible so that you’ve got months to add to and edit it. By the time you’re finished, your last draft might not look anything like your first draft and that’s absolutely fine.
The Finishing Touches
Can you think of anything to give your speech that little bit extra? Things that work well include a PowerPoint presentation of images to accompany your speech (you’d have to phone the venue to make sure they have a projector – most will).
Similarly, giant picture cards could work well.
To get a laugh early on, you could make a giant scroll that you unravel after saying you’ve got a “few stories” about the groom that you could share.
Let your imagination run wild. Again, if you have a funny idea, write it down.
A Final Vett
Now you need to make sure your jokes aren’t ‘too far’. Practice your speech with a sensible friend and ask their opinion of it.
Remember, you’re not just trying to make your mates laugh. Check you’ve got jokes everyone will find funny.
You’ve Got This
There’s no right or wrong way to do this.
If you’re happy with it, everyone else will be.
Smile, breathe, and take your time.
Download our Wedding Plan Guide for more information about the big day.