by Dave on December 4, 2008
It seems that 90% of best men want their speech to be remembered most as a funny best man speech. You don’t have as many people saying they want their speech to be remembered as a sentimental one, and fewer still want theirs to be remembered as a serious one. However, strange as it may seem, the key to having a memorable funny speech means you need to have some sentimental, and even some serious lines in it.
If you are reading that opening paragraph with a quizzical expression, I will explain the logic behind it. If a best man intends giving a 5 minute funny best man speech, unless he is a professional performer, chances are that in his 5 minutes of best man jokes and one-liners he will have a few jokes fall flat on their face, and that my friends is how his speech will be remembered. He could give funny speech of four and a half minutes, but it is the 30 seconds of failure that will linger long in the memory.
Even if a best man had 5 minutes of funny best man jokes and awesome one-liners, he would need to bear in mind that the wedding is made up of more than just his friends. Family members don’t really want to hear joke after joke, they want to hear the bride and groom being praised. The bride and groom don’t want to be embarrassed on their big day with a best man forcing joke after joke.
So how can we write a funny best man speech? You need to blend the right amount of sincerity and humor into it.
The sincere lines would typically involve:
Praising the bride and groom.
Mentioning how honored you are to be best man.
Complimenting the bridesmaids and parents of the bride and groom.
The funny sections could include:
Providing advice to the groom.
A short funny story from his youth.
How you felt when you heard he was getting married
You could also read out a couple of funny faxes or emails that you wrote yourself along with the genuine ones that need to be read out. Your speech needs to end with an inspirational wedding toast as they alone can incur a standing ovation and allow your speech to end on a high.
by Dave on November 17, 2008
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.
by Dave on November 10, 2008
In preparation for your Best Man speech you have probably been researching your Best Man jokes but perhaps not as proactive on another popular option to include in your speech; love quotes and sayings. In a previous post we provided you with The Top 10 Quotes about Marriage and the feedback was very positive so here are 5 more Quotations about Marriage, sure to bring smiles to your speech.
“Happy marriages begin when we marry the one we love, and they blossom when we love the one we married” Tom Mullen.
“To keep your marriage brimming with love in the wedding cup, whenever you’re wrong, admit it; whenever you’re right, shut up” Ogden Nash.
“I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury” Groucho Marx.
“You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to” Henry Youngman.
“Some people are so determined to find blissful happiness that they overlook a lifetime of contentment” Unknown.
Quotations allow you the luxury of using someone else’s words in your speech. Marriage quotes are versatile and can be used at any stage in your speech so be sure to include one or two in your Best Man speech, and watch as the wedding guests smile with approval and applaud with appreciation.
by Dave on November 5, 2008
If you want a certain method of keeping your audience hooked during your Best Man speech then provide the unexpected. No matter how good the rest of your speech it is the unexpected that will make your speech so memorable and enjoyable for all. Think about it, if you go to say a U2 concert and Bruce Springsteen comes out for a surprise duet with Bono, it is more than likely that that is what you will be talking about afterwards rather than the rest of the show. Now while both The Boss and Bono are probably beyond the wedding budget, let us look at 3 other ways of providing the unexpected.
- Have a song interrupt your speech - arrange with either the DJ or the venue to play a certain song out loud for a few seconds at a section of your speech. If for example, you are poking fun at the Groom because he can be a bit “careful” with his money, arrange for a few seconds of the song “Money’s Too Tight Too Mention” to be played.
- Use props- props can bring your speech to life and invigorate the audience. If you haven’t already done so read this post about the magic of props.
- Write a short poem- whilst poems are not totally unexpected at weddings they rarely come from the Best Man. It doesn’t have to be long 6 to 8 short lines in limerick-style will suffice, definitely worth the effort as they are always a big hit with guests. This post will help you; How To Write A Poem For A Best Man Speech.
Best Man jokes are vital to all Best Man speeches but the ability to provide the unexpected can ensure that your speech is an unforgettable one. The wedding guests will be sure to enjoy the speech, and you will too, which means a win/win situation for everyone.
by Dave on October 31, 2008
Humor, as we know, is the trademark of a successful Best Man speech, you have hopefully,by now, read my previous post on The Top 20 Best Man Jokes, so humor will not be a difficulty for you, however another lighthearted method of providing laughter in your Best Man speech is to include a short section ” I Knew The Groom was in Love When..” then include some of the lines below;
..when he bought his own cologne instead of borrowing mine all the time.
..when he went on a diet and actually kept to it this time around.
..when he asked me if I knew where the finest jewelry store was.
..when he evolved into a smiling, happy, carefree person, rather than the grumpy guy I knew so well.
..when he traded nights out in the pub for romantic candlelit dinners.
You could finish this portion of your speech with a nice compliment about the Bride like “it is easy to see why John fell in love with Sarah, as she is a gorgeous person not too mention being a stunning beautiful lady.”
As ever it is vital not to offend so keep your comments good-natured and include a compliment to the Bride, you can then relax, secure in the knowledge that your Best Man speech will live long in the memory.
