How to Deliver the Perfect Best Man Speech

Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 5:59 am

Best Man speeches are usually the most anticipated amongst all Wedding speeches and despite common myth, it is not the crowd of guests that makes a Best Man nervous, instead it boils down to a lack of confidence in the content of his speech. If you have the right content for your Best Man speech, then the only nerves should be on those speaking after you, as they will have a hard act to follow.

You know by now the format and structure of giving a Best Man Speech, when it needs to be funny, insert some Best Man jokes, when it needs to be sincere, consider adding some lines of poetry and ensure that your Wedding Toast is a winning one.

Once you have mastered the content, you need to decide on how you wish to deliver the speech. You will perhaps have done some research and found everyone advising you to memorize it and deliver it off the top of your head. Others may suggested the “safety first” route of reading it directly from a sheet of paper. I suggest neither of these routes. Wedding Days can be long stressful days for a Best Man and adding fuel to the fire would be the pressure of remembering your Best Man speech in its entirety without skipping a crucial piece, whilst reading the speech directly can sound monotone.

How do we overcome this conundrum? Bring cue cards with you and keep in your pocket until it is your time to speak. While it is not necessary to have your complete Best Man speech written on these cue cards you should have words that act as prompts.

There are 2 exceptions, where you must have your segments of your speech memorized, the Opening lines and Closing lines (including the Wedding Toast). Your speech may well live or die by these lines so have them etched in your mind ready to deliver at will.

Try to maintain eye-contact as much as possible and smile as you speak, your guests will do likewise. When complimenting the Bride turn and look in her direction, ditto for the Groom. Don’t speak too quickly, relax, and speak with poise and character.

I cannot over-emphasize the importance of the right content for your Best Man speech, not only for the guests, but to give you that surge of confidence as your moment of reckoning arrives. The more you enjoy your Best Man speech, the more your guests will enjoy it.

One final tip, and one that you may end up thanking me for on the Big Day, write two sets of cue cards and give one set to a family member or a trusted close friend at the wedding, you may have some “jokers” trying to get their hands on your copy before the speeches begin, and the last thing you need is to, stand to give your Best Man speech, reach into your pocket and find it empty.

There you have it folks master the content ( you are on the right site for that) and deliver the perfect Best Man speech, to a rousing ovation from the Wedding Guests.