Our very popular Top 20 Best Man Jokes post is where you will find wedding jokes galore, today we discuss, where and when in your Best Man speech should you use those jokes. Your opening line (5 great opening lines) will dictate the style of speech that you intend giving, if you intend giving a humerous speech then chances are you will use more jokes in your speech, whereas a sincere speech may only use a couple of jokes. Irrespective of how many jokes you plan on telling, ensure they are short, preferrably one-liners

The beauty of one-liner jokes is that they can be filtered virtually anywhere in your speech, though I would veer away from making any jokes when complimenting the Bride. As a Best Man you may have a tendancy to think that it is the jokes that everyone remembers from a Best Man speech and while that in part is true, it is equally as true that a couple of warm sincere lines can have a similar impact.

You know by now the format of a Best Man speech, therefore I would suggest reasonable sections of the speech to make a joke or two would be;

-when discussing when the Groom told you he was getting married

“When John told me he was getting married, I was overjoyed, marriage will teach him loyalty, honor,.respect and a myriad of other qualities he would missed out on by staying single”

-when talking about the Groom

“John told me the believes marriage to be a very serious committment, one that he would not be going into lightly and, as you can see by looking at John, it is a long time since he entered into anything lightly”

-after thanking the Bridesmaids you could make a joke at the Groomsmen’s expense

“The Bridesmaid’s have been a great help to both John and Sarah and will no doubt be the subject of unwanted attention from the Groomsmen once the dancing starts”

It is important to remember that a Best Man has other ways of ensuring laughter and applause greet his speech. A previous post looked at how faxes and emails are a Best Man’s secret weapons whilst another one elaborated on how using props can enhance a Best Man speech, these are vital because you will look at every opportunity to entertain the the guests at the wedding, after all if they are happy and laughing along then you will be overjoyed.

The success of your Best Man jokes and Best Man one-liners will determine the success of your Best Man speech in many peoples view, so today we focus on more wedding humor, this time however using the Groomsmen as your stooges. Involving the Groomsmen is always a nice touch because otherwise their roles can be a bit mundane as they watch the Groom and his Best Man run the show.

A fun way to include the Groomsmen is to say something like “I asked the Groomsmen, in advance, if they had any advice or tips for John on the biggest day of his life.”

Now for showmanship shuffle around your pockets, then take out 4 cue-cards and read directly from them, flinging each one up in the air after you read it. Then announce the ”words of wisdom” from the Groomsmen:

I have never forgotten the day I got married, no matter how often I try.

It’s not true that married men live longer than single men, it just seems longer.

When it comes to jobs around the house never put off until tomorrow what you can escape from forever

Marriages are very happy, it is the living together afterwards that causes problems.

Bear in mind that it is you, who will be choosing and writing each one-liner, you will just be using the Groomsmen ploy as an excuse to add variety to your speech. The right mix of laughter and sincere sentiments of friendship and good wishes will ensure that your Best Man speech will live long in the memory.

A factor that weighs heavily in the Best Man’s favor when giving a Best Man speech is that the Groom’s speech takes place before the Best Man’s speech. The running order of wedding speeches allows the Best Man to counter the funny comments or jokes made by the Groom at the Best Man’s expense.

You, of course, will not have access to the Groom’s speech so will not be aware of what he will say.The best way to prepare for this is to think of any regular jokes or comments that Groom consistently makes about you. Does he regularly make jokes about your weight, your lack of sporting prowess, your poor fashion taste? If any of these sound familiar then be prepared that he may make reference to them in his speech.

Similarly is there a story from your past that the Groom recounts on a regular basis? If so there is a high possibility he will insert it into his speech. You cannot, and should not, attempt to find out what is in the Groom’s speech beforehand, just smile broadly and laugh heartily along with everyone else, then reap revenge when it is time for you to deliver your Best Man speech.

Before you begin your Best Man speech you can counter by saying something lighthearted like:

 ”Thank you very much John, the hours we spent together working on your speech paid-off handsomely“

or

 ”Thank you for that speech, John, working pieces of fiction into your speech served you well.”

The friendly, fun interaction between the Groom and Best Man is an integral part of the wedding speech format, so laugh a lot and enjoy the day.