Although a wedding is a joyful outer expression of the deep inner love shared by two people it is also one of the most stressful experiences for everyone involved with it. One of the most honoured roles is that of bestman – however it is also one of the most stressful!
Not only does the bestman have to organise the stag night, he must ensure the smooth running of the ceremony, after dinner speeches and organise the photos – but by far the most stressful duty of the bestman is the best man wedding speech.
When it comes to best man wedding speeches the pressure is really on!
The bestman toast is one of the most anticipated speeches of the entire wedding because it is traditionally funny, entertaining and inspirational. For many people the highlight of the wedding, after seeing the bride’s dress, is the after dinner speeches.
All the guests are slightly tipsy by this time are ready and eager to move from the traditional and formal part of the wedding to the informal, more relaxed party part of the wedding when the band plays and al the single guys try to hit on the bride’s maids.
The role of the best man wedding speech is to make the transition from the formal to the informal seamless. The speech traditionally does this through humour and storytelling.
That’s a lot of pressure!
Here are a few bullet points to help you with your speech.
• One key point to remember is to try to stick to your script as much as possible. When we are nervous or anxious we often say the wrong then and any impromptu statements during your speech may be something you later regret.
• Obviously if you see something during the day that is funny or worth mentioning in your speech go ahead and include but it is perhaps wise to run it past a few people before hand.
• Never get drunk before your speech. Never in the history of weddings has this ever been a good idea nor has it ever ended up in anything but embarrassment for all concerned – so don’t do it!
• Never make crude comments or jokes about an affliction suffered by family members.
• Timing is everything! Preparation is essential for any good speech so don’t leave it until the last minute.
• Preparation. Prepare your speech by making bullet points of the things you should talk about i.e. how you know the groom, how he met the bride etc.
• Think of important events in the life of the groom and important times for the groom and bride as a couple.
• Use other best man speeches as examples to help you find inspiration. In fact you can “borrow” funny stories and antidotes from these speeches as long as you customize them and make them your own. If you do this correctly no-one will ever know that you “borrowed” them!
So, more than any other speech – more than the mother of the bride wedding speech, the father of the bride wedding speech and even the bride and groom wedding speech – the bestman speech is remembered long after most of the wedding has been forgotten.
So strive now to make your best man speech one that is remembered for the right reasons!
