Best Man speeches are expected to include humor and good-natured Best Man speech jokes and one-liners. Wedding guests are looking forward to your moment to shine, so how can you differ from other Best Men and stand-out as the funniest, most charismatic, Best Man that the wedding guests have seen? You don’t need to go on training courses or see a hypnotist to become that Best Man, you just need to personalize your Best Man speech.

When I say personalize it, I don’t mean for the Bride and Groom as you will be doing that already, I mean by inserting others into your speech, and speaking directly to their table in the room. The best way of achieving this is to ensure you get a copy of the seating arrangements off the Groom well in advance of the wedding day, then you will be able to see who is sitting where, and provides you with all the ammunition you need to tailor your speech accordingly.

Here are three classic examples that emphasize this point:

Example 1 (with table 12, the table where some of your single male pals are seated)

Ladies and gentlemen, we are graced by the presence of many handsome eligible bachelors here today, none of whom are sitting at Table 12, no that table was reserved for the obviously ineligible ones.

Example 2 (with table 14 home to the Groom’s close friends)

Ladies and gentlemen we are delighted that some of John’s closest buddies are here with us today at table 14, and they are Jack Daniels, Vodka Martini and Gin & Tonic.

Example 3 (with table 16 home to some of the Bride’s close friends)

Ladies and gentlemen, I know that Sarah’s friends at Table 16 are longing to get on the dancefloor and I would like to take this moment to apologize in advance for the behavior of my fellow Groomsmen, whose dancing style can best be compared to Bambi on ice.

The unexpected inclusion of others in a Best Man speech is always a welcomed treat for the wedding guests, so ensure your Best Man speech includes them.

An important part of a Best Man speech is building a rapport with your audience. Whilst going around personally introducing yourself to the wedding guests is worthy, it is not practical. However building a relationship and breaking down the barriers between you and your audience is vital. If you are Master of Ceremonies (M.C) at the wedding then as everybody settles down for their meal, and before you hand the microphone over to the first speaker, normally, the father of the Bride, welcome everybody to the event, announce your name and explain that you are Best Man.

Other ways of introducing yourself to the wedding guests can be done via your Best Man speech. The method of introducing yourself will be dependent on your style of Best Man speech.

If you are giving a sincere speech you introduce yourself by saying “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome to todays very special occasion, my name is Mike, and I am very proud to be John’s Best Man but even more proud that I have been able to call him a friend for the last 10 years”.

If you are giving a funny speech then say something along the lines of “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, for those of you who don’t know me, my name is Mike and I am your Best Man today, and for those of you who do know me, you may wish you didn’t by the end of the evening”.

For a lighthearted speech you might say something like “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen my name is Mike and I am delighted to be Best Man today. Should I meet any of you at the bar after the speech then my full name is Mike Wouldulikeadrink. Seriously today is a fantastic day and I am ably assisted by my fellow Groomsmen, Kevin, Jack and Brian”.

It is vital to ensure your introduction complements your style of Best Man speech, and remember to keep it short, then you can focus your attention on complimenting the Bride and your relationship with the Groom.