A popular insertion into many Best Man speeches is making jokes about your research into the duties and tasks of being a Best Man. Typically the Best Man will begin with “When undertaking research into my duties as Best Man I…”

Here are 5 examples that should be warmly received by your guests.

When undertaking research into my duties as Best Man I…

1. Understood the importance of the aisle, the alter and the hymns, though I thought I heard the Bride say “I’ll alter him” in the church earlier.

2. Found that it was my duty to get the Groom to the church on time, sober and looking great, well 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.

3. Found that I was to help him dress, no thanks folks, if he doesn’t know how to dress by now that is his own fault.

4. Understood that I was to make jokes at the Groom’s expense, which feels good as it is a rarity if anything is at his expense, as anyone who has gone for a drink with him can confirm.

5. Found that I should sing the Groom’s praises, luckily I can’t sing so I scratched that off my list.

Using a few lines like these or similar will help pad out your Best Man speech whilst keeping the guests smiling. They would be a worthy inclusion for anyone who has the privilege of being Best Man and delivering that telling speech.

As the Best Man is a key figure in planning the event, should anything go awry on the Big Day, all eyes will focus in your direction, let’s be honest here folks, nobody is going to blame the Bride or Groom which means you are next in the firing line.

We discussed the importance of having the rings and your wedding speech safely tucked away in your pocket. Today we are concentrating on the Top 5 items, other than the ring and speech, that anyone given the honor of being Best Man should have with them on the wedding day.

Top 5 Items a Best Man Should Have On The Wedding Day

1. Emergency Numbers

What happens if the band doesn’t show, or if the limo’s are late, or the caterer hasn’t shown? Everyone stares at you for a solution, so you better have those numbers handy.

2. Cash

Why isn’t it number one ? Because you can get by without money my friends but you most certainly cannot get by without the caterer or band.

3. List of Names

It is always appreciated when you approach guests calling them by their first names. Now while remembering everyone’s name is not realistic, do keep in your pocket a list of important family members that you may not know.

4. A Pen

You will be running around doing many tasks, from last-minute adjustments to the speech, to organizing rounds of drink and making notes of special requests for the caterer. Make sure you have a pen at the ready so you do not put too much pressure on yourself trying to remember everything.

5. Mints

As Best Man, you will be getting up close and personal with lots of people, so have a pack of mints in your pocket. You will be silently thanking me for this tip guys, trust me.

Armed with this knowledge along with my regular tips on giving the Best Man speech, you will be pining for the Big Day to come.

Who To Mention During Your Best Man Speech

Firstly, let’s get one thing straight, this list is not a strict absolute list of people to thank, but merely a guide, however you would be expected to include most, if not all, the people listed whilst giving your Best Man speech. Sometimes the most memorable part of a Best Man speech is not about who he mentioned during the course of the speech more so who he omitted to mention.

Trust me guys you do not want to leave somebody out, intentionally or unintentionally, and have them stewing with disdain for the rest of the evening. So with that in mind let’s investigate the candidates to thank;

The Bride- chaps if you somehow omit the Bride from your Best Man speech then you deserve the fury afterwards.

The Groom- no matter what style of speech you decide on, be it funny, sarcastic or lighthearted do make time to thank the Groom for choosing you to be his Best Man.

Parents of the Bride and Groom- guys believe me when I tell you that you do not want to forget about mentioning the parents, make particular reference to the moms.

The Bridesmaids- compliment them on how fantastic they look, and then say something lighthearted like “apologies in advance for the behavior of the Groomsmen on the dance-floor”.

Maid of Honor- make special mention to the Maid of Honor, calling her by her first name.

Fellow Groomsmen-it is always a nice touch to thank your fellow Groomsmen by saying something like “we are all the Best Man today”.

For the tone of your delivery of the speech, leave a pause after each person’s name that you are thanking with the expectation that there will be applause for each, then continue on with your speech basking in the feel-good factor in the room.