One of the key elements of a successful Best Man speech is to be aware of what should be included in it. Best Man humor will be expected but knowing when and where to use this humor is equally important in order to avoid offending anyone so with that in mind let us look at what goes into a Best Man speech. I have broken this up into 5 sections to help you put it into practice for your speech.

1. The Introduction.

•  welcome the wedding guests.
•  introduce yourself and mention your relationship to the Groom.
•  tell a quick joke about speechmaking.
•  refer to the great day and praise the parents of both the Bride and Groom.

2. The Groom

•  talk about your friendship with the Groom.
•  tell a story that highlights the Groom’s qualities.
•  tell a story that makes fun of the Groom, though be careful not to offend.
•  mention your delight and pride at being his Best Man.

3. The Bride

•  describe how beautiful the Bride looks.
•  praise her Bridesmaids and offer a toast in their honor.
•  tell a story that highlights the Bride qualities.
•  mention why you think she is the perfect Bride for the Groom.

4. Their Relationship.

•  tell a cute story about when the Groom told you that he was in love.
•  offer funny marital advice to the Bride and Groom.
•  share a romantic story about the newlyweds.
•  talk about how the Groom has been since the Bride came into his life.

5. The Toast.

•  invite everyone to be upstanding as you are about to deliver the toast.
•  raise your glass in the air.
•  invite everyone else to do likewise.
•  off the all-important toast in honor of the happy couple.
•  thank everyone for listening.

Keep in mind that any stories you tell during your Best Man speech should be short stories, otherwise there is a danger that the wedding guests may become disinterested. You can include Best Man jokes and wedding one-liners in various sections within your speech just make sure they don’t cause offence.

Short Best Man speeches can provide humor, warmth, love and special memories for all concerned, particularly you as Best Man. Your words will be eagerly anticipated by the wedding guests so it is worth investing both time and effort to ensure your speech is not a let down, the 7 tips outlined below will help you craft a successful Best Man speech.

1. Get the time right.

Your Best Man speech should fall somewhere between the 3 to 5 minute mark so make sure you time yourself when practicing your speech at home.

2. Flatter the Bride.

Most Best Men focus their attention on mocking the Groom, humor is fine but it is just as important to praise the Bride during your Best Man speech. Compliment the way she looks and refer to some of her special attributes. This is important as the wedding guests will appreciate your kind words as will the Bride and her family.

3. Keep jokes and stories short.

If you plan on giving a short Best Man speech you do not want to rely on one story or joke to take up the bulk of your time, instead stick to one-liners and brief stories, that way you can include a couple of each, meaning double the laughs.

4. Include some lines about your friendship with the Groom.

It is the Groom after all who asked you to be his Best Man so return the compliment during your Best Man speech by including some sincere remarks about the friendship you share. These words will stay with the Groom for a long time so be kind when discussing his positive traits.

5. Consider the option of Best Man props.

Whether you are giving short Best Man speeches or otherwise Best Man props can propel your speech to legendary status so consider including one in your speech.

6. Talk about the romance between the Bride and Groom.

A heartwarming story about the romance between the Bride and Groom will go down a treat in your Best Man speech so ensure you include one that reflects the love they share.

7. Close your speech with an uplifting Best Man toast.

Choose your words carefully when you get to the toasting section of your Best Man speech as these are the words that will be remembered most so ensure your toast is a fitting tribute to the Bride and Groom.

The chance to be Best Man may only come once in your life so rather than live in fear of the Big Day, consider buying some short Best Man speeches written by a professional speechwriter and ooze confidence when you are delivering your Best Man speech.

Short Best Man speeches that are funny,witty and certain to entertain the guests and the wedding party is what you, as Best Man, should be striving towards. The feeling of elation following a standing ovation at the end of a wedding speech is a joy that you will forever remember and the combination of a short Best Man speech with a great delivery will help ensure you get to experience that joy.

If you are not used to speaking in public then try to encourage the Groom to allow you to be Master of Ceremonies for the speeches, that way by the time it comes to delivering the Best Man toasts you will already have introduced the father of the Bride, the Groom and possibly the Bride (if she chooses to speak) to the wedding guests, so when your turn comes you will be comfortable using the microphone.

With short Best Man speeches a great introduction is vital so that should be you number 1 priority when practicing your speech, you do not want to mumble your way through your opening lines so practice them at home until you are comfortable expressing them with an effective tone. Grabbing the wedding guest’s attention from the moment you speak is very important so have some great icebreakers for short Best Man speeches prepared.

Welcome everyone in a sincere tone and introduce yourself to the guests before saying a few nice words in a friendly manner about the families of both the Bride and Groom. In the same friendly tone reflect on how lovely the Bridesmaids are and then continue on to mention how beautiful the Bride looks. Engage the audience by asking them if agree with you on the Bride’s beauty then expect loud hearty agreement all-round, then take a second to allow the agreeing voices to quieten down before moving on with your Best Man toast.

Short Best Man speeches may be brief but they should always allow time for good-natured ribbing of the Groom, this can be done through some funny Best Man jokes, or short embarrassing stories that will amuse the guests. When at this section of your speech, you may want to stress certain points so ensure you slightly raise your tone to have greater impact upon those listening.  Following the humor at the Groom’s expense ensure to say a few words praising him and discussing what a great friend/brother he has been to you and tell him what an honor it has been to be his Best Man, you should say this using your regular tone of voice.

When discussing the newlyweds as a loving couple be sure to lift your voice so it comes across in a powerful way to the wedding guests, emphasizing their happiness is an important part of your speech so use your tone effectively when mentioning their love.

For short Best Man speeches it is better to end with an uplifting Best Man toast, by this stage the guests may have had enough humor and want to hear some uplifting words of inspiration as a fitting tribute to the Bride and Groom, so end your speech on a high by looking directly at the guests, use your voice to enthusiastically ask them to stand before delivering your toast with confidence.