1. Delivering your Best Man speech too quickly

With the rush of adrenalin and nerves, once it is your turn to step into the spotlight, your speech is delivered with all the speed of a verbal express train. Now while you may want it delivered rapidly so you can enjoy the rest of the day, you will have alienated the majority of the guests. The trick to delivering a great Best Man speech is not purely about the content, it is about your ability to deliver the speech with poise and swagger.

How to avoid? Practice, practice, practice, in front of the mirror, having a shower, or to a loyal family member of friend. In the case of Best Man speeches practice will most certainly make perfect.

2. Using vulgarity

Nothing my friends will distance you greater from the guests than using vulgarity in your speech. It may be funny with your mates down the pub but the vast majority of both the Wedding Party and guests will be squirming in their chairs if you use offending language. Trust me guys, you do not want to ruin the day for anyone, particularly the irate parents of the Bride and Groom.

How to avoid? Simply ensure at no stage of your speech-building process is vulgarity used. You want a PG rating speech from draft-stage to completed speech.

3. Trying to be the complete comic

We’ve all been guests at weddings where the Best Man tries to be the funny guy from the moment he picks up the microphone until the end of the night. He will certainly have funny moments but they are not what’s remembered, it’s the times his jokes go down like lead balloons that are remembered. There is more to a Best Man speech than cracking joke after joke, heed those words or the joke might be on you.

How to avoid? Make sure your speech is balanced between sincerity, humor and genuine affection for the Bride and Groom.

4. Poor grammar

Right guys I know your old English professor will not be at the wedding but do ensure that your speech is grammatically correct before delivering it. A slip-up here or there may entice hecklers to interrupt your speech. Now even though I have provided you with 5 great responses to hecklers  you want nobody interrupting the rhythm of your Best Man speech.

How to avoid? Show your speech to a family member or friend and ask them to proofread it for you.

5. Discussing ex-girlfriends

It may have been hilarious on the Bachelor Party, but trust me guys if you ruin the Bride and Grooms wedding by discussing his former conquests then the only person squirming with embarrassment will be you.

How to avoid? Never ever even contemplate putting into your written speech which is what you will memorising to deliver your final speech.

Being the Best Man is a fun, enjoyable, wonderful occasion, make sure you keep it that way by avoiding the pitfalls outlined above.

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.

Amongst the many pleasures of giving a winning Best Man speech is the ability to put hecklers firmly in their place, after all it’s you who has the microphone. Unfortunately when alcohol is being drank in large amounts you very often get a guy in the audience who thinks he is the funniest man in the venue and decides to interrupt your speech with his own comments, designed to make you look silly. So, how do we deal with this? Quite simply, have a few responses ready and pounce once the heckler begins.

Five Great Responses To Hecklers

1. That’s okay pal, I remember my first beer too.

2. Your presence here tonight is depriving some village of their local idiot.

3. Congratulations, we have finally found a winner of “The Most Insecure Man In The Audience” award.

4. Aren’t alcoholics meant to be anonymous?

5. I only have 15 minutes to make a fool of myself, you have the rest of your life.

There are few things more satisfying whilst giving your Best Man speech than turning the embarrassment back onto the hecklers, so have these lines at your disposal and the heckler will wish he never opened his mouth.