Even in the closest of groups, it's highly unlikely that everyone at the wedding will know who you are. Yes, you're the Best Man, so your role is clear to everyone, but the wedding guests, particularly on the bride's side, might like to know why it's you standing up there and not one of the groom's other mates. Satisfy their curiosity by succinctly explaining your connection to the groom. You can make it:
light-hearted …
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"Let me introduce myself, I'm Jason and it's an honour to be standing here as Paul's best man. I suppose I should actually say it's an honour and a pleasure, but I know the pleasure won't kick in until this speech part is over."
go for a laugh …
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"For those of you who have yet to make my acquaintance, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jason and I am the best man. I think I should tell you that the groom has specifically asked me to refrain from mentioning his past girlfriends for the sake of brevity. And he's quite right - this has cut the speech short by a good 15 seconds."
or play it straight …
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"For those of you whom I haven't met, I am Jason, the Best Man ... I just wanted to give this quick, impromptu speech that I jotted down about ten months ago ..."
Brothers are a special case as there's a rich vein of humour there.
If you're the groom's younger brother for example …
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"Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen - Today, I feel like I'm gaining a new sister and losing a brother. It is such a mix of emotions: happiness, joy… relief!"
If your relationship with the groom falls neatly into one of categories below, click on the 'More' links and you'll be spoiled for choice:
old friend …
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"Paul and I met in our prams about 27 years ago. Paul's pram was twice the size of mine, smelt of urine and was sometimes used to store unsavoury magazines - nope, sorry, I'm thinking of his first car!"
childhood friend …
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"I don't really remember the first time I met Paul, seeing as I was less than two years old at the time. I am told he was little, bald and a bit dribbly. Well, he's grown up, has some hair and, provided he doesn't have too much to drink, should be OK on the dribbling front, too."
school friend …
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"Paul and I met at school many years ago. In those days he shone as a personality rather than as an academic achiever. I know he won't mind me saying that, because he never tried to hide his limitations. In fact, it was all a bit of a joke to him - and it was a joke to the teachers as well."
university/college friend …
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"I met Paul in the first year of university. We didn't know Linda even existed then, but that's not to say Paul had no love interests. He was absolutely bowled over by a real sparkler called Stella when I first met him, but when money got tight, he found that an evening with Sherry was always good. That said, he did play the field - Carlsberg, Teachers, Smirnoff, he loved them all."
work friend …
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"If there is one criticism I have about Paul's work it's that he's annoyingly thorough. I mean, just look at this wedding. It's been organized magnificently well, but I bet the wedding album has better coverage than the Oscars!"
recent friend …
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"I just want to thank Paul and Linda and their parents for including me in this amazing event. I haven't known the groom for very long but already I feel like I'm part of the family. Though I promise not to pop in at Christmas, or ask to borrow money. Not yet, anyway."
friends in teens …
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"I think we'll all agree that the Bride has done well for herself landing Paul - a paradigm of manhood. As a teenager he once had a full-page feature dedicated to him in Elle magazine, though it was in the problem pages."
sports team friend …
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"If you think this speech is a little stop-start, that's because I wrote in gaps for when I assumed Paul would shout for a penalty."
house mate …
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"It's funny how people develop little idiosyncrasies when they start living with someone else. Just last month, Paul started sleepwalking… he sleepwalked downstairs and out to the garden shed, where he sleep-burned his entire back catalogue of Nuts magazine. You can vouch for that, can't you Linda?"