Using quotes in your Best Man Speech is essential as it allows you a chance to relax and read straight from your script but more importantly it will have the guests at the wedding in uproar if you choose your quotes wisely.

The great thing about quotes is you can add them in wherever suits you in your Best Man speech. For example, if you feel there is a lull in your speech following your opening lines, toasts and before your main body of your Best Man speech, throw a few quotes in there. Likewise if you need an attention-grabber before your all-important closing lines throw a few quotes in.

All it takes is something like ” Do you know what Groucho Marx said about weddings?” or “Zsa Zsa Gabor once said…” and you will have the full attention of the guests then you deliver the quote with purpose bordering on showmanship and bask in the applause thereafter.

Top Ten Quotes About Marriage

“Marriage is the chief cause of divorce” Groucho Marx

“All marriages are happy, it’s the living together afterwards that cause all the trouble” Raymond Hull

“A successful marriage involves falling in love many times, with the same person” Mignon Mcaughlin

“A man is not complete until he is married, then he is finished” Zsa Zsa Gabor

“I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career” Gloria Steinem

“Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence” Oscar Wilde

“Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who wants to live in an institution?” Groucho Marx

“I always cry at weddings, especially my own” Humphrey Bogart

“Before marriage a man yearns for the woman he loves, after marriage the Y becomes silent” Author Unknown

“Love is a temporary insanity curable by marriage” Ambroce Bierce

Incorporate some of these quotes into your speech and you’ll soon realize that the only person who should be nervous by a Best Man speech is the Groom. Enjoy these quotes and look forward to you Best Man speech with confidence.

There are certain points during your Best Man speech that you need a reaction from the guests. These reactions may include laughter at a joke or applause at a warm statement. There are 3 points during your speech that must garner a reaction, your first joke, your closing line and your toast. You note I did not write “it would be nice to garner a reaction”, I wrote “you must garner a reaction”. 

Today we are dealing with wedding toasts, and like any aspects of your speech it is important to choose a line, that your audience may enjoy, not one you enjoy. Here are 10 examples of nice toasts varying in style but each should gain you a confidence-boosting reaction.  You should begin each by saying something along the lines of ” Ladies and Gentlemen can I ask you all to be upstanding as we toast the newlyweds”

Ten Examples of Successful Best Man Toasts 
May they live as long as they want, but never want as long as they live.

May your love be modern enough to last to survive the times and old-fashioned enough to last forever.

May they share love and laughter and Happily Ever After

May their hands be forever joined in friendship and their hearts forever in love.

May they live long, laugh often and love always.

May the path they lead blossom with love, health and happiness.

May “for better or worst” be far better than worst.

May their wedding days be few and their anniversaries many.

May they remember the 2 secrets to a happy marriage-a short memory and a good sense of humor.

May the roof above them never fall in and those beneath it ever fall out.
 

The art of mastering a Best Man speech can often unnerve the most experienced of orators therefore it is key to have a few tricks to turn towards in the unlikely event that your Best Man speech is not going according to plan. In fact even you received a standing ovation you should still avail of the Best Man’s Secret Weapons-faxes, telegrams and emails.   

What’s so secret about that?  you may be wondering, well the trick is to have some pre-written faxes, by yourself naturally, and read them out as if they were genuine. The right “fax” can have the guests wiping tears away with the laughter, but before I give examples, it is vital to understand three things;

 1) No vulgarity, it may be funny for you and your pals, but more than likely it will offend the vast majority of the crowd, particularly The Bride and her Wedding Party.

2) Veer on the side of brevity, two funny faxes will certainly last longer in the mind than five mediocre ones.

3) Always ensure that any genuine faxes or emails also get read out. You should start with these faxes and then to lead into your ones you might say, “We received a few strange faxes for the Groom but I shall read them out nonetheless”. 

Examples of Funny Telegrams

Dear John,

We are delighted to hear of the news of your wedding. We hope we will be seeing less of you now that you are a married man.

Love
Hugh and the gang at The Playboy Mansion

Dear John and Sarah

Congratulations on your Big Day, we are thrilled for you both. We also wanted to make you aware that your first order has been dispatched.

From
Everyone at Bouncing Babies Ltd.

Dear John,

Sorry we can’t be there on your Big Day and hearty congratulations all round. I hope Sarah knows your nickname in the office is “God” because you are hardly ever seen and it is a miracle if you get any work done. We are thrilled for you both and hope you enjoy a great honeymoon.

From
All the gang in the office

Remember that you know the audience better than most so it is essential to ensure that your material does not offend, so if any doubt about some of your material, leave it out, simple as that. This section of the Best Man speech is a fun enjoyable part so choose your material wisely and then revel in the applause afterwards.