The success of your Best Man jokes and Best Man one-liners will determine the success of your Best Man speech in many peoples view, so today we focus on more wedding humor, this time however using the Groomsmen as your stooges. Involving the Groomsmen is always a nice touch because otherwise their roles can be a bit mundane as they watch the Groom and his Best Man run the show.

A fun way to include the Groomsmen is to say something like “I asked the Groomsmen, in advance, if they had any advice or tips for John on the biggest day of his life.”

Now for showmanship shuffle around your pockets, then take out 4 cue-cards and read directly from them, flinging each one up in the air after you read it. Then announce the ”words of wisdom” from the Groomsmen:

I have never forgotten the day I got married, no matter how often I try.

It’s not true that married men live longer than single men, it just seems longer.

When it comes to jobs around the house never put off until tomorrow what you can escape from forever

Marriages are very happy, it is the living together afterwards that causes problems.

Bear in mind that it is you, who will be choosing and writing each one-liner, you will just be using the Groomsmen ploy as an excuse to add variety to your speech. The right mix of laughter and sincere sentiments of friendship and good wishes will ensure that your Best Man speech will live long in the memory.

Best Man speeches are intended to build up to the one final compliment of the speech, the Best Man toast. The importance of a good Best Man toast cannot be stressed enough. You do not want to finish a great Best Man speech full of Best Man jokes and originality with a damp squib of “Here’s to the Bride & Groom”.

In a previous post we have already provided 20 Classic Best Man Toasts and understanding the importance that the Wedding Toast plays in the Best Man speech, not to mention my generosity, here are 3 More Classic Best Man Toasts;

Love is a friendship set to music, may their music never stop playing.

May their children have loving, healthy, wealthy parents.

Here’s to a Groom so fine and a Bride so fair may love and laughter surround all that they share.

Each toast is unique in format. Your Best Man toast should fit the style and content of your speech, we have now provided 23 Best Man Toasts  so you have a wealth to choose from. Get your Best Man toast right and the wedding couple will not be the only ones celebrating on the wedding night.

A factor that weighs heavily in the Best Man’s favor when giving a Best Man speech is that the Groom’s speech takes place before the Best Man’s speech. The running order of wedding speeches allows the Best Man to counter the funny comments or jokes made by the Groom at the Best Man’s expense.

You, of course, will not have access to the Groom’s speech so will not be aware of what he will say.The best way to prepare for this is to think of any regular jokes or comments that Groom consistently makes about you. Does he regularly make jokes about your weight, your lack of sporting prowess, your poor fashion taste? If any of these sound familiar then be prepared that he may make reference to them in his speech.

Similarly is there a story from your past that the Groom recounts on a regular basis? If so there is a high possibility he will insert it into his speech. You cannot, and should not, attempt to find out what is in the Groom’s speech beforehand, just smile broadly and laugh heartily along with everyone else, then reap revenge when it is time for you to deliver your Best Man speech.

Before you begin your Best Man speech you can counter by saying something lighthearted like:

 ”Thank you very much John, the hours we spent together working on your speech paid-off handsomely“

or

 ”Thank you for that speech, John, working pieces of fiction into your speech served you well.”

The friendly, fun interaction between the Groom and Best Man is an integral part of the wedding speech format, so laugh a lot and enjoy the day.