best man speech

[205man]

im going to be the best man at my friends weding and of course i have to write a speech for it, but have no idea how to start etc or what to put or how long it should be.

has anyone else been a best man and if so any advice

cheers alan

ps can we make it quicjk the weddings this saturday lol

 

[Sarah's A3]

just dont do what our best man did, bless him. He was sooooo nervous, he stood up, said i'm not one for speeches and just started to read some cards out!!!!! You can do better than that lol We did laugh at it though!

Good luck, keep it relaxed and with a few giggles. Have a good day.

 

[sidibear]

A bit of plagarism never hurt anyone......

Best man speeches and best man speech material

 

[205man]

lol i can beat your best man sarah - ths is the second time ive been asked to be a best man the last time was few years ago i was only around 20yo and was told it ws a small wedding do , when we got to the the reception there was 300 guest.... as if i wasnt nervous enough lol

so i thought id need some dutch courage from the bar lol, unfortunately 1 glass of vodka i mean dutch courage lol turned into very many glasses and as it took long time to get everyone setteled etc i may have got very slightly drunk and sort of crashed on the floor lol....brides father ended up doing my speech with my crashed out in chair at the back of the room lol

hence im asking for advice this time......starting with 1: no drinking lol

 

[205man]

ahhh thats the website ive been having a look at ...but thanks tho

 

[Sarah's A3]

lol i can beat your best man sarah - ths is the second time ive been asked to be a best man the last time was few years ago i was only around 20yo and was told it ws a small wedding do , when we got to the the reception there was 300 guest.... as if i wasnt nervous enough lol

so i thought id need some dutch courage from the bar lol, unfortunately 1 glass of vodka i mean dutch courage lol turned into very many glasses and as it took long time to get everyone setteled etc i may have got very slightly drunk and sort of crashed on the floor lol....brides father ended up doing my speech with my crashed out in chair at the back of the room lol

hence im asking for advice this time......starting with 1: no drinking lol

lol, now that is funny but best not do it again eh! Do you have any embarrasing stories from his youth and any nice words for the bride! So yes, you're rule of no drinking is a good one, at least until after the speech!

 

[rossbrownlee]

Mate first thing don't worry.
Second don't try too hard to be funny if it isn't really your natural thing.
For length I would aim for roughly four minutes. What you will find is that that is a LOOOONG time when you are up talking in front of anyone and also you will write what you want to say in that time and find you have suddenly got much more. wouldn't go longer than about 6 minutes though. sit and time it, it is longer than you'd think...
And relax.

I haven't done a best man speech but I do have to do a lot of public speaking through work.

Keep the jokes funny, they can of course be at the expense of the groom but never insult/embarrass the bride, she won't forget or forgive and really it's pretty out of order anyway.
And relax.

When at the expense of the groom remember that this is a family day mucker. The brides granny doesn't really want to hear about the groom getting caught with the sheep after finishing with the four thai ladyboy hookers.
And relax.

Practice and practice and practice.

Have notes. no one will mind if you need to refer to notes to keep on the right lines, but make sure to look up as often as you feel comfortable and look people in the eye. They will appreciate it and you will look more confident.

Speakup and speak out, no-one likes mumblers.

Have fun mate, that is what the day is all about!

 

[rossbrownlee]

Oh and another thing...

Even if the bride does have a face that resembles a bulldog licking stale **** off a nettle, make sure and compliment her!

 

[5ean]

I was a best man last year and as Ross says, try and relax as much as possible.. I'm not one for public speaking either but you find after about 20 seconds and the first quip or two are out the way then its actually fine..

I told 2 or 3 funny stories about the grooms past, complimented the bride and her bridesmaides etc and then you have toast the bride and groom. Think mines lasted just under 5 minutes and everyone seemed to laugh at the right times. I had little Q cards to help me, although i've seen plenty people use a4 paper which is more than acceptable, just try and make eye contact with people in the room aswell.


Again reiterating what Ross said, the day is all about having fun and thats what you need to do, enjoy it! Good luck mate!

 

[crazy88]

It may be funny to tell people of your last experience as a best man? It had me laughing anyway, ha!

I'd agree with the time limit of approx 5 minutes. Long speeches get boring, and a wedding is a long day anyway so nobody wants to sit there for 15minutes. I have done a best man speech, and it wasn't so bad. Just don't force the whole speech to be funny, it is allowed some serious parts.