The honor of being best man is often bestowed upon the celebrity shoulders of famous stars from the world’s of music and film, today we look at 4 of those famous best men. You would imagine that nerves would not be a problem for them as they are so used to speaking in front of large audiences but you’d never know as best man speeches can test the most professional of speakers.

Michael Jackson

Though now divorced Liza Minnelli and David Gest’s best man on their wedding day was none other than Michael Jackson. His best man speech might have been a “thriller” but then again it could have been “bad” either way it would have been fascinating to hear.

Adam Clayton

In 1982 when Bono was a little-known singer in a new Irish rock group U2, he married his childhood sweetheart Ali in a ceremony in Dublin. When choosing a best man, Bono found what he was looking for in the shape of U2 bass player Adam Clayton. U2 became one of the world’s most successful rock groups while Bono and Ali remain one of music’s most endearing couples.

Stephen Fry

The English comedian and actor Stephen Fry deserves special mention as he was best man at the weddings of two famous celebrities Hugh Laurie in 1989 and Rowan Atkinson in 1990. I’m sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the “house” at Hugh Laurie’s wedding and doubt that there were any “beans” on the menu at Rowan Atkinson’s wedding.

Robert De Niro

When his son chose to get married he kept it a family affair by asking his father, the legend of the silver screen, Robert De Niro, to be his best man. I bet there was nobody brave enough to heckle him during his best man speech, however if anyone did the response may well have been “you talkin’ to me?”

Whether you are famous or not, it doesn’t really matter as long as you prepare your speech in advance, ensure that your best man jokes, and your opening lines are researched, enabling you to give the speech that a famous actor or pop star would be proud of.

If you are a best man and you also happen to be the brother of the groom then you have an opportunity for extra lines that you could insert into your speech. However on the flip side it is vital not to offend so you may perhaps want to revisit an earlier post 5 topics to avoid in a best man speech

When providing a best man speech to your brother you can still use the same best man jokes and one-liners as in any best man speech but you also have the chance to say things like the 4 examples I have provided you with below:

• John has been a great friend through good times and bad, in fact, he’s been like a brother to me.
• John and I have always been the closest of brothers, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for him and likewise there is nothing he wouldn’t do for me, in fact that’s how we spent most of our youth, doing nothing for each other.
• Growing up John was a very considerate brother, whenever he was getting blamed for something he would immediately point the finger at me saying that I did it.
• As John’s brother I am here to praise him not ridicule him, though I must say the vote was a close one.

Providing a best man speech for your brother is not only an honor but also an honor to be enjoyed, so spend time preparing your best man speech then you will find that you will be the one who ends up enjoying it most.

Having a back-up plan for your best man speech is essential particularly if you are not comfortable speaking in front of a large group of people. In fact even if you are an experienced speaker, it is always beneficial to have a contingency plan available when giving your speech. We are not talking about anything drastic, but just a few suggestions to bear in mind for the big day.

Here are examples on how to deal with possible hiccups during your speech;

Problem; one of your jokes goes down like the proverbial lead balloon.

Solution; remain composed, turn to face the groomsmen, smile and say “next time guys leave the jokes to me.”

If you are looking for best man speech jokes then this previous post is for you, Top 20 best man jokes

Problem; you suddenly forget someone’s name when talking about them.

Solution; instead of pausing and making it obvious that you have forgotten their name divert to charming descriptive titles like “beautiful bride”, “proud parents”, “lovely lady”, “loyal friend” etc.

Problem; during your speech you suddenly forget your lines.

Solution; say to the guests “at this stage I would like to ask the groomsmen to read out the faxes and emails”, as they read them out, sit down and have a quick scan through your speech to collect your thoughts so you can start again with your mind refreshed. If you haven’t already done so I strongly recommend reading this post;

Telegrams, faxes and emails, secret weapons in giving a great best man speech

Problem; a heckler interrupts your speech.

Solution; smile, look in his/her direction and unleash one of our 5 great responses to hecklers who interrupt your best man speech.

Successful best man speeches are determined by two things, the way you deliver the speech on the the day and how you prepare for it in advance. Spend time preparing and you can look forward to your speech with confidence and you enjoy delivering a speech that would make a professional proud.