Help With A Best Man Speech

Knowing what material to put into a Best Man speech and who to mention in a Best Man speech are both vital components to a great toast so getting them right is key. Best Man speeches should be delivered in a confident manner to gain the best impact so preparation is vital in order to achieve this. To begin with, you should break your speech into 3 simple sections beginning, middle and end, before researching material to put into each part and then rehearsing the delivery of the toast section by section. Before long you will find that you are comfortable with delivering each part and just need to join the 3 sections together before you are ready to give a great speech.

Beginning.

At the outset you should begin by introducing yourself, there is no need for a long-winded introduction, just mention your name, relationship to the Groom and perhaps include a quip or funny one-liner before continuing your opening section. At this stage you should thank the families of both the Bride and the Groom and reserve special praise for people who have traveled to be at the wedding. Now move onto the Bride and Groom and praise them with particular attention paid to the Bride, mention some of her qualities and discuss how beautiful she is before praising and thanking the Bridesmaids.

Middle.

The middle section is where your Best Man speech develops a personality of its own as you should recount a funny story about the Groom, a memorable story about your bond as friends and a loving story about the Bride and Groom that not many people may not know. These 3 short stories will form the cornerstone of your Best Man speech so take time choosing the appropriate stories and make sure to keep them short.

End.

As the speech draws towards the end, make reference as to how the Bride and Groom make the perfect couple, discuss how it has been your honor to be Best Man and invite the guests to stand before offering a toast to the happy couple.

Best Man toasts should be humorous, warm and good-natured, get that mix right and you will have nothing to worry about when it is your moment in the spotlight.

Bachelor Parties – 4 Items To Leave At Home.

With your Best Man speeches covered the other main duty to prepare for is the time-honored tradition of the Bachelor Party. Bachelor Parties should be great fun where you and your friends provide a “last hurrah” for the Groom to enjoy before he officially becomes a married man. They are great fun to arrange and usually provide memories that will last a lifetime but just be aware not to party to excess and make sure the Groom is looked after for the night and isn’t caught in any compromising situations (I think you know what I mean guys!).

1. A Camera.

No matter how tempted don’t bring a camera to the Bachelor Party as you inevitably will only end-up taking embarrassing photos that might come back to haunt you. The Best Man typically organizes the Bachelor Party so you will get the lions share of the blame if the Bride gets to see and is offended by the pictures.

2. A Cell Phone.

Aside from the fact that most cell phones have cameras (see No.1 above) there is also the danger of one of the drunken Groomsmen calling someone at home announcing “You’ll never believe what we are up to now…”, before long word will get around of whatever activity you are indeed up to and could make for an uncomfortable ride home.

3. Alcohol.

You won’t need to bring alcohol with you for the journey as there will be plenty of alcohol in whatever casino, club, pub that you are going to, arriving drunk will only ensure a swift exit courtesy of the bouncers.

4. Excess Cash.

How many people do you know who come back from a Bachelor Party with money in their pocket? Exactly none, so don’t be tempted to bring too much money with you as you will more than likely spend every cent.

While Bachelor Parties may not cause the anxiety that Best Man speeches cause they still need to be managed responsibly otherwise you may end up feeling a whole lot more nervous about seeing the Bride and her family on the wedding day and the delivering of the Best Man speech will be the least of your worries.

The Magic Of Using Props In A Best Man Speech.

As regular readers will know I am a great believer in the use of props during Best Man speeches, the right prop combined with a great Best Man speech will have the wedding guests scrambling to their feet in unison celebrating the toast. One of the great advantages of using a prop is that they lighten up speeches and if used correctly can elevate speeches to “legendary” status.

A great way for a Best Man to incorporate a prop into his speech is by announcing that the Groomsmen (mention each of them by name )have bought a gift for the Groom and have asked you to present it, this will not only have the Groom nervously waiting to see what you have in for him it also incorporates the unsuspecting Groomsmen into the joke.

If there are 3 Groomsmen then you need 3 props, one from each of them, it goes without saying that the Groomsmen should be kept in the dark on the prank until it actually takes place. Each prop should be an inexpensive item with a note attached (which you have written of course) and as you announce each gift read out what the note says. You should have a bag hidden under your table or left at reception with these “gifts” in them. For the examples below our Groomsmen are John, Jack and Joe.

Make sure the gifts are unwrapped so they are there for all to see as you unveil them, examples to consider include;

A light bulb.

Present a light bulb on behalf of “John” saying that “John thought you might need this because as you are now a married man the light at the end of the tunnel has been switched off.”

A pillow.

Present a pillow on behalf of “Jack” saying “Jack is a married man himself and speaking out of experience he thinks that the many nights you will spend sleeping on the sofa will be eased with this comfortable pillow.”

A pair of shorts.

Present a pair of shorts on behalf of “Joe” and say “Joe thought this would be an appropriate gift given that you are now officially a husband and no longer get to wear the trousers in the relationship.”

Props can provide welcome comic relief for everyone so be sure to include them in your speech, using the Groomsmen as “stooges” will set the stage for a Best Man speech to remember.