The best man's formal speech duties are typically light, involving perhaps the occasional short tribute or response to a toast. Then it's time for the mayhem, with a full and frank character assassination of the groom your primary goal. This can take the form of entertaining stories, deft one-liners or illuminating observations, and then, after the odd sprinkling of sentiment, you'll want to ramp things up with a killer ending to make your speech as memorable as possible.
Tips on how to write a best man speech
- 1. Be optimistic and congratulatory towards the newlyweds, even if you know it's not going to last.
- 2. By complimenting the bride, her mother and her bridesmaids, you'll get a guaranteed round of applause.
- 3. Make people laugh and get to the point. Wedding speech jokes are best delivered with short, sharp lines.
- 4. Jokes based on a common experience are a great way to unite the wedding guests.
- 5. Don't insult the bride or her friends, unless you're happy to undergo an impromptu vasectomy under the table.
- 6. Never refer to ex-girlfriends or boyfriends, especially if they're there.
- 7. Use anecdotes that everyone can relate to, and which don't require a lengthy backstory to explain.
- 8. Try to say everything in less than 9 minutes.
- 9. Avoid gimmicks. If your speech relies on props, videos or a dance routine, it's probably about as funny as your neighbour's holiday snaps.
- 10 Sugar the pill. If you've dedicated a significant portion of your speech to mocking someone, at least say they turned up looking nice today.