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The Best Man Speech Tips

Tip: Best Man Jokes and Quotes

Laughter is always a great way to win over the guests at a wedding reception over. People want to be entertained and amused. We have compiled a great list of quotes and jokes for you to use in your best man speech.

The trouble with being the best man at a wedding is that you never get to prove it.
To the lamp of love. May it burn brightest in the darkest hours and never flicker in the winds of trial.
May 'for better or worse' be far better than worse.
After an argument, a wife said to her husband, 'You know, I was a fool when I married you.' The husband told her, 'Yes, dear, but I was in love and didn't notice.'
Just think, if it weren't for marriage, men would go through life thinking they had no faults at all.

These best man jokes and one liners will put a smile on any guests face. Use one of them in your speech to get the audience laughing and falling in love all over again!

Tip: Great Beginnings, Speech Starters

All great beginnings have to start somewhere. When planning your speech, make sure you include a dazzling beginning. Great speech starters hook the audience at the wedding reception and set the tone for the rest of your speech. A classic starter line would include an introduction of yourself, as well as an explanation of your relationship with the groom. Make sure when starting your speech that:

Bear in mind that the beginning of your speech will set the tone for the remainder of it. A great speech starter can truly make or break the rest of the speech. Coming off confident and positive will help you through the rest of your speech.

Tip: Rules of the Best Man Speech

The best man is supposed to give a funny, sentimental and entertaining speech for the wedding reception. However, the speech must avoid a few pitfalls along the way, like no crudeness, no raunchy jokes and no making fun of the bride. Don’t worry though, following these points will make sure you can't go wrong:

Try to keep the speech under five minutes, any more and you can bore the wedding reception guests.
Hook your audience in the beginning. You can use a quote, a joke or a story to do so.
This is not an audition to be a stand up comic. One or two jokes or anecdotes are plenty.
Making it funny and telling humorous jokes about the groom is fun, but don’t forget to congratulate the lucky guy.
Never use bad language in your speech. It is always unnecessary and in bad taste.
Try to prepare what you will say before the wedding day.
Say something complimentary about your friend’s new bride.
Deliver your speech with grace and charm.
Give a great conclusion. This is the part that the guests will be likely to remember most. Make it great.

Whether you are nervous or not, these tips should help you through any type or length of speech. You will be on key with these great tips.

Tip: Speech Preparation

The best man speech has often been one of enjoyment, sadness, bewilderment or a combination of all three. Preparing your speech before the wedding reception will almost guarantee that you don’t turn into a babbling buffoon once you grab the microphone. The speech should not only reveal your unique personality, but should also reflect your happiness for your friend and his new wife. So when preparing your best man toast ideas, remember to:

Set the tone. Do you want your speech to be amusing, serious, conservative or wild?
Plan ahead of time. Even if you are impulsive by nature, it is a good idea to think about what you will say before the big day.
On the other hand, be spontaneous. A speech is not entertaining if the best man is simply reading off of his note cards. Throw in a joke or a story about anything, but make it unplanned.
Make it memorable. Laughter is usually a great memory maker. By sharing a funny story about the groom from childhood is a great way to make a memorable speech.
Every great story comes to an end. A great ending will wrap up your speech and segue into the maid of honor’s speech.

Preparing your speech ahead of time is a necessity to be organized and to give a great speech. Remember that making it memorable makes it great.

Tip: Speech Substance

A great best man speech is more than just a toast to health and happiness at a wedding reception. The best man speech requires a great deal of substance to become unforgettable. A great speech also requires:

A great opening act. Introducing yourself and thanking the bride and groom are great ways to open your speech.
Elaborate on yourself. Tell the guests who you are to the groom and how the two of you met.
Hook, line and sink ‘em. This is where you will tell a joke, funny story or reminisce about the old days. Give the guests something that will grasp their attentions.
All about the bride. Don’t forget that it is her day, too. Saying something complimentary about the bride will win you over with her side of the family as well.
Wishing Well. Wishing the couple a lifetime of love and happiness is a customary part of any best mans speech.
Cheers. Don’t forget to hold up your glass and toast to the new couple.

Culminations of great things goes into a great speech, so remember to use all of these elements if you want to come off as an intellectual and devoted best man.

Tip: The Grand Finale

Ending a best man speech stylishly is quite difficult even for the best of public speakers. The grand finale should be very grand because that is what will likely stick in the minds of the guests. The ending of a best man speech requires three things:

Let the guests know that the speech is coming to a close.
Support the main speech; emphasize what you have already said.
Toast to the bride and groom.

When ending your speech, you don’t have to say the end. Here are some ideas on ending the speech:

Let me finish by saying….
In closing…..
With that, let’s toast to Joe and Sally….

Funny quotes or anecdotes are great ways to end the best man speech.

Marriage is like a violin. After the music is over, you still have the strings.
Marriage is like a hot bath. Once you get used to it, it's not so hot.

The best man speech is often a highlight of the wedding reception. Ending your speech well will help the guests to remember what you said and to drive home how much you care about the couple.

Tip: This is What Speeches Are Made of

Great speeches require a strong outline of what to say and how to act. A wedding reception requires a certain mood from the best man. It’s your job to feel out the atmosphere and set the tone of your speech accordingly. Following these best man speech ideas will lead you in the right direction of organizing your speech.

John and Mary, you two are the best! John has been my friend since middle school, which we all know was a very, very, long time ago. I have him grow as an individual and succeed as a couple. On your own, you both are exceptional, amazing people, but together you are the complete package. Here at your wedding reception, we are celebrating all that you have found in each other, a best friend, a lover, a confidante, and a partner forever. May you have love, health & wealth, but most importantly, may you have the time to enjoy them all. Please join me in a toast: To love, laughter and happily ever after! To John and Mary.
It is now time for me to propose a toast to Joe and Sue. They seem more in love with each passing day. Joe and Sue, may the roof above you never fall in and may you both never fall out. Congratulations Joe and Sue for taking this momentous step and we wish you all happiness from this day forward. Please rise and join me in drinking a toast to the bride and groom.

Think of your speech as the greatest story ever told, one which begins with great action, involves a little love and ends with a bang.

Tip: Uh-Oh’s and Oh-No’s: How to Recover From a Bad Speech

Even the greatest speaker can mess up the best man speech. But don’t worry about what not to do because we will tell you how to fix it if you do.

Forgot your notes at home? Just recall a favorite memory of the groom and yourself.
Your nerves have made your mouth drier than the Sahara. Simply say excuse me and take a sip of water.
No one seems to find your joke funny. Acknowledge your bad joke by saying something like, ‘ok bad joke.’
You are turning into a babbling mess. Take a deep breath and continue on, there is no need to start over.

There is often a fine line between the do’s and don’ts of giving the best man speech. You speech can entertain the wedding reception guests or it can infuriate them.

Do say something funny, but don’t make fun of the bride or groom.
Do mention how the couple met, but don’t mention previous relationships.
Do slow down to say your speech, don’t be so drunk you are slowed down.
Do mention the people involved, but don’t forget what their names are.

With all these great suggestions, you don’t have to worry about a thing. You should be able to pull of a flawless best man speech.

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