So the Big Day looms closer, the thoughts of hundreds of people staring in anticipation at the very words that you deliver, is burdened on your mind and despite the exterior bravado of I can’t wait to deliver my Best Man speech I am going to have them falling off their chairs in laughter and am looking forward to my standing ovation afterwards, deep inside you are nervous, very nervous … I know that, and you know that. Delivering a great Best Man speech is not an easy task, nerves affect the most confident Best Men so it is vital to get a good start with your speech.

By following a previous entry on this site (http://www.bestmanhelp.com/five-great-opening-lines-for-your-best-man-speech) you hopefully by now have a great opening line to get the guests on your side from the start, so where do we go from there you might be wondering? A very popular, and successful Best Man speech tip is to incorporate dates in history to events relevant to your Bride and Groom. The general rule of thumb is to embarrass the Groom and compliment the Bride.

Here are 5 great examples (using “John” and “Sarah” as our Bride and Groom)

John was born in 1980 when the question gripping the nation was Who Shot JR? Today the question on many of our minds is, how has John managed to marry such a gorgeous girl as Sarah? Sarah was born in 1981 a year in which the song Bette Davies Eyes was a hit single, well Bette Davies isn’t here today but if she was, she would be jealous of Sarah’s good looks befitting any Hollywood star.

I first met John in 1984 when I Just Called To Say I Love You was a big hit, now I am not saying John is tight with his money, but had he recorded it, the song would have been titled I Just Called Collect To Say I Love You. That song was recorded for a movie called The Woman In Red but it’s the woman in white today who is the real star and isn’t she beautiful?

It was on this day in 1966 that Star Trek first aired on TV, and now over 40 years later we have yet to establish what planet John is from, as it is certainly not planet earth. Far be it for me to hint that John lacks common sense, but he once told me he couldn’t surf the net as he didn’t know how to swim! Meanwhile on this day in 1990 Pretty Woman topped the box-office but Sarah isn’t just a pretty woman, she is a stunning beautiful woman!

It was on this day in 1978 that the New York Yankees won the World Series, and I speak for all of John’s friends when I say that in Sarah, he has won the World Series, Superbowl, World Cup and lottery rolled into one. Sarah is a very special girl and I’m overjoyed that my best friend is marrying such a wonderful lady.

Sarah was born in the same year that the song The Most Beautiful Girl in the World topped the charts, whilst the most played song at John’s Bachelor Party was Lucky Man, which sums up the sentiments of everyone here today. That, by the way, will be the sole reference to John’s Bachelor Party in my speech today.

Don’t try to overcomplicate it, simply use one funny example for the Groom and a compliment for the Bride. Ideally, use this at the early section of your Best Man speech,then relax and enjoy the rest of your speech knowing that you have the audience willing you on.

Opening lines are the second-most important lines of your Best Man speech, that honor belongs to the closing line. Nonetheless their importance cannot be underestimated and generally set the tone both in content and style for the rest of your speech. These 5 opening lines of a Best Man speech are each very powerful, yet all fall into very unique categories.

Sarcasm

It’s not often ladies & gentlemen that you have an opportunity to stand-up in front of a large crowd, and compliment your best friend, pointing out his many outstanding qualities… and today will be no different!

Lighthearted (using an example of John as Groom and Sarah as Bride)

Thank you very much John I sincerely hope you enjoyed your 3 minute speech because as a married man, that is the last time you will ever get to speak for 3 minutes without being interrupted. Before I begin in earnest can I ask John to place his hand over Sarah’s, does that feel nice? Well you better make the most of it because it’s the last time you will ever have the upper hand now that you are a married man.

Witty

It is quite ironic ladies and gentlemen that I stand beside John in his finest hour as he stood beside me in mine… when Dallas Cowboys won the Superbowl. John confided in me that in choosing seating arrangements for today, he decided to arrange by size of wedding gifts, so for the people at the back thank you all for the matching pairs of socks.

Sincere

Ladies & gentlemen I am very proud to stand before you as Best Man today. John & Sarah are the perfect couple and Sarah I speak for all of John’s friends when I say he is the happiest he has ever been since you have come into his life.

Humor

Ladies & gentlemen today marks a sad day for single men as another gorgeous girl steps beyond our reach, and girls I’m sure John entering marriage has barely registered among you. John is dark & handsome, sorry, I meant when it is dark, John is handsome.