A Brother’s Guide to the Best Man Speech

Being a best man tells you a lot about the friendship you share with the groom. As a matter of fact, being chosen guarantees you that you are important to the man they have grown to become. If you are the groom’s or bride’s brother, friend or cousin, then you are special. This highly esteemed position also has its perks. The best man’s speech can be tough to deliver especially if you are not big on giving speeches. The audience expects something from you and you just have to deliver. Here are rules to giving the best, best man speech ever.

Go back to your childhood

If you have known the groom since he was a small boy, then you have a lot of stories to tell. However, you have to be careful. If you ever broke your best friend’s nose, this is a funny story if you were eight however it becomes horrific pretty fast especially if you were 20. Pick the story you want to tell carefully. You want to have a funny story from your childhood that will tell how close you two are. You also do not want to expose some weaknesses your friend has. If you are the groom’s actual blood brother, then your speech is closer than that of a friend. You can also tell a story of how you bought the bride silver bangles for women and what that meant for you.

Begin by introducing yourself

You may write a pretty amazing speech, and people might be impressed. One question that might linger is who are you and why are you the best man? While most people probably know you because of how close you and the groom are, not everyone knows who you are. In this introduction, you want to avoid saying things like where you work, how many kids you have, whether you have a dog or how many degrees you have. At the end of the day, you need to remember that this is your best friend’s day, not yours. Begin by stating your name, who you are to the couple and how long you have known the groom.

Pull his leg

Is there a nasty habit your friend has that drives everyone crazy, but he won’t just stop? Say it and make it funny. The secret is in not exposing anything intimate. You do not want to embarrass him. Have fun. In fact, crack a few jokes at his expense. But, you should never reveal secrets that the bride or groom told you in confidence. It is easy to get carried away with all the wine and excitement but you should never out their secrets just because you can.

Be nice


Now that you have made fun of your friend and the room is lively say something genuinely nice about him. Has he always been a giver, a forgiver, a great friend or too compassionate? Tell that to your audience. A small story on an example would be great. This is the opportunity to celebrate that unique trait your friend has. Give you audience and their other half a story that will make them fall deeper in love with the groom. Make sure that it is a fact that many people know but have never thought too much about. Do not lie, the last thing you want is for people to assume that you are just trying to sugar coat things.

Wrap up

Always leave the audience with something optimistic they can have for the future. Tell them what you genuinely with for the couple. You can toast to a great couple, happy children and a life of success both at solving their issues at home and work. There are a lot of factors that determine whether your speech will be great and memorable. Just remember there is a thin line between the perfect speech and a horrible one because both will still be remembered.