Funny jokes and hilarious stories may make your speech memorable but if you truly want your speech to be unforgettable then include a few lines of poetry in your Best Man speech.

We are not talking about poems that would make Shakespeare proud instead, 4 or 5 simple lines, will suffice. If these rhyming lines are delivered with confidence and poise then you can rightly expect a standing ovation.

There are three windows of opportunity to insert some lines of poetry into your Best Man speech:

1) When complimenting the Bride
2) When poking fun at the Groom’s expense
3) For the Wedding Toast

Here is an example to use for each of those sections of your speech (using John and Sarah as our Bride and Groom).

Few can bring a ray of sunshine the way that Sarah can
John is indeed a very lucky man
Sarah is beauty and elegance personified
Please join me in a round of applause for our stunning Bride.

John can make the finest clothes look tatty no matter what he wears
He gets upset if the team beaten happens to be his beloved Chicago Bears
He is very loyal, well he’s had the same hairstyle since 1981
He has however persuaded the lovely Sarah to marry him and for that I say well done.

We’ve had a wonderful day from the church to the food and the band
Now for the final toast will you all please stand
May John and Sarah share love and laughter
In a fairytale marriage of happily ever after.

Short poems leave a smile on everyone’s face, and if delivered correctly during your Best Man speech, the widest smile of all should be on your face.

Someone once said “If you don’t have a sense of humor then you have no sense at all” and as Best Man perhaps the main expectancy of your speech is to have guests broadly smiling from ear to ear. Over the next four Friday’s we will be counting down the Top 20 Best Man Wedding Jokes, beginning today with number 20 to number 16.

The most important rule of thumb for anyone giving great Best Man speeches is not to make a joke at the Bride’s expense. With that in mind let us begin our journey through the Top 20 Best Man Wedding Jokes (using “Sarah” and “John” as our Bride & Groom) .

Top 20 Best Man Jokes

20.
I can honestly say in all our years of friendship, I have never heard anyone question John’s intelligence, to be perfectly honest I never heard anyone even mention any intelligence on John’s part.

19.
John it’s alright muttering a few words in the church and finding yourself married, but if you mutter a few words in your sleep you might find yourself divorced.

18.
Ladies and Gentlemen, if there is anybody here who is feeling, worried, nervous or apprehensive it is probably because you just married John.

17.
I’ve know John a long time and am considered a bit of a father figure to him. I have watched him crawl around on his knees, drink from a bottle and I’ve cleaned up after him but enough about the Bachelor Party.

16.
A lady once said to her friend, “It is I who made my husband a millionaire”, the friend was impressed and asked what he was before he married her, to which she replied, “a multi-millionaire”.

You will note that these Best Man jokes are short one-liners which are a far safer option to use in your Best Man speech as long meandering jokes are generally not as well-received. Let us not forget the most morale-boosting tonic to anyone giving a Best Man speech is the sound of laughter and joy from the Wedding Guests. 

With these 200 Best Man Jokes you will gain a new-found confidence and give a great  Best Man speech that will live long in the memory.

Next Friday will see us count-down from Number 15 to 10 whilst on Monday we will discuss The Power of Poetry in your Best Man Speech.

1. Delivering your Best Man speech too quickly

With the rush of adrenalin and nerves, once it is your turn to step into the spotlight, your speech is delivered with all the speed of a verbal express train. Now while you may want it delivered rapidly so you can enjoy the rest of the day, you will have alienated the majority of the guests. The trick to delivering a great Best Man speech is not purely about the content, it is about your ability to deliver the speech with poise and swagger.

How to avoid? Practice, practice, practice, in front of the mirror, having a shower, or to a loyal family member of friend. In the case of Best Man speeches practice will most certainly make perfect.

2. Using vulgarity

Nothing my friends will distance you greater from the guests than using vulgarity in your speech. It may be funny with your mates down the pub but the vast majority of both the Wedding Party and guests will be squirming in their chairs if you use offending language. Trust me guys, you do not want to ruin the day for anyone, particularly the irate parents of the Bride and Groom.

How to avoid? Simply ensure at no stage of your speech-building process is vulgarity used. You want a PG rating speech from draft-stage to completed speech.

3. Trying to be the complete comic

We’ve all been guests at weddings where the Best Man tries to be the funny guy from the moment he picks up the microphone until the end of the night. He will certainly have funny moments but they are not what’s remembered, it’s the times his jokes go down like lead balloons that are remembered. There is more to a Best Man speech than cracking joke after joke, heed those words or the joke might be on you.

How to avoid? Make sure your speech is balanced between sincerity, humor and genuine affection for the Bride and Groom.

4. Poor grammar

Right guys I know your old English professor will not be at the wedding but do ensure that your speech is grammatically correct before delivering it. A slip-up here or there may entice hecklers to interrupt your speech. Now even though I have provided you with 5 great responses to hecklers  you want nobody interrupting the rhythm of your Best Man speech.

How to avoid? Show your speech to a family member or friend and ask them to proofread it for you.

5. Discussing ex-girlfriends

It may have been hilarious on the Bachelor Party, but trust me guys if you ruin the Bride and Grooms wedding by discussing his former conquests then the only person squirming with embarrassment will be you.

How to avoid? Never ever even contemplate putting into your written speech which is what you will memorising to deliver your final speech.

Being the Best Man is a fun, enjoyable, wonderful occasion, make sure you keep it that way by avoiding the pitfalls outlined above.