How to Write a Best Man Speech

Best Man Speech Guide

Congratulations on being asked to be the best man. Now that you have taken on important roles like guiding and supporting groomsmen, and planning an epic bachelor party, there is one task that is important for every best man: the speech. This guide will help you write a speech that celebrates the groom and highlights the special journey you share with him.

Writing your thoughts and feelings down on paper can be a difficult task, even for professional speech writers. And especially if it is your first public speech you might not know where to start from. Here is a guideline to help you:

• Use the opening line to introduce yourself
• Give thanks to the other speakers
• Share some warm words about your friend's new spouse and couple's parents
• Talk bout the groom or share some personal stories
• Talk about the couple and their relationship
• Propose a Toast

In the end of the article, you will answers on the most frequently asked questions about best man speech:

• How long should a best man speech be?
• How to Start a Best Man Speech?
• How to End a Best Man Speech?

Start with introducing yourself

Briefly introduce yourself with a good opening line. Feel free to have fun with this part of your speech by sharing a quick joke — this way you will reduce the intention and increase your confidence to go on.

Example:

Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention for just a moment. For those of you who don't know me, I'm [Your Name], the best man and I've been given the great honor and challenging task of following the free bar with a speech.

Thank the other speakers

Once you introduce yourself it would be nice to thank the speakers who spoke before you and say a few nice words about their speech. Most likely it would be parents of newlyweds.

Talk about parents and spouse

Before you start telling dirty stories about your best friend - groom, let's say some good words about the parents of newlyweds and the spouse. In this section better to avoid jokes and leave for later. Parents usually are more conservative and the wedding of their child is a huge stress for them. If you know that parents helped with organizing the wedding then thank them for their hard work. You can mention that they did a great job raising their kids and add something from yourself based on how well you know the parents.

Example:

I'd like to start by deeply appreciating the parents of the couple for raising two incredible individuals whom I am lucky to call my closest friends. I also want to thank the parents for hosting such an amazing celebration that we can all enjoy this evening.

Next, would be nice to say some warm words about the spouse. Again, hold your jokes for now, remember that the wedding day of the most important day for any girl. Talk about good qualities you like in your friend's new spouse and finish with good wishes for the future.

Example:

[Spouse's Name], you are a shining light in [Groom's Name] life, and I do not doubt that together, you will create a beautiful future filled with love, laughter, and endless adventures. [Groom's Name] I'm incredibly happy for you.

Personal stories about the groom

Remember why you are reading this article? You are the best man! That's right, now time to talk about the groom and your relationships. Keep things positive and do not try to embarrass him by sharing something that is not for everyone. Start with how you meet each other. Share the most memorable story or journey you both had. Try to highlight his good and strong sides. If you are the best man then you should know the groom like nobody else does.

Example:

[Groom's Name] is not only a loving partner to [Spouse's Name] but also a loyal friend to all of us. He is someone who always goes out of his way to help others, to lend a listening ear, and to make everyone feel valued and appreciated. It is no surprise that he has chosen to spend the rest of his life with [Spouse's Name], a person who is equally kind and supportive

The couple and their relationship

After that, you can move to the end of your speech and it is time to summarise all that you said about the groom, spouse, family, and relationships. Share how they first met or how the groom changed (in a good way) during the relationship. Maybe you helped them meet each other? You can also talk about wishes for their future life in this part of the section and how you see them after a few years.

Example:

[Groom's Name] and [Spouse's Name] I'm incredibly happy for you today as you both stand here today ready to commit to a lifetime journey of love and partnership. I wish you to always stay as happy as you are today, talk openly and honestly with each other, and support each other's dreams.

Propose a Toast

Finally, after all the warm words and wishes time to finish your speech with a toast. Keep it simple and short, summarise all that you said before in a short sentence like this:

I would like to raise a glass to the happy couple, may they share a beautiful life together. I wish you a lifetime of peace, love, and happiness. Love you guys!

Best Man Speech Tips

Understand Your Audience

Before writing your speech — think about the audience at the wedding. Most likely you will speak in front diverse group of people from close family members like parents and grandparents of the newlyweds and up to college friends. Those people might never meet each other. And like everyone, we have different connections and topics to share with different people. So, considering this write your speech to be clear for everyone. Try to avoid too personal information that only a few people will understand.

Don't panic

Talking in front of the public is stressful for everybody. Remember that it is your best friend's wedding and you are going to talk in front of familiar faces and nobody expects professional storytelling from you. Be yourself and try to calm down - it should just flow and come out easily.

Limit Your Drinks

If you are not drinking alcohol at all then skip this advice. Otherwise - please, don't embarrass yourself. Have a drink before your speech if you want but remember that being a best man is an honor and there are some expectations from you and one of them is to say a toast or speech.

Practice

Write your speech down on paper or have it on your phone. Do not try to improvise in front of the public and plan what you want to say ahead. If you don't want to read your speech and want to speak and sound more naturally - then have some topics written down. It will help you to follow your initial idea. And remember - everyone is nervous talking in public and nobody at the wedding expects to be perfect from you. Just be yourself.

Conclusion

Writing a best man speech is a great honor and a big responsibility. It is a chance to share your thoughts and feelings about your friend and his new spouse. Remember to keep your speech positive, share some personal stories, and propose a toast to the couple in the end. Practice your speech and remember to keep it short and sweet. Good luck!

If you need help with writing your speech then check out our tool for writing a best man speech . You can find a lot of templates and examples to help you write a speech faster.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a best man speech be?

Let's be honest - extremely long wedding toast annoys everybody. The best man's speech should be around 4 to 6 minutes long. This time is enough for you to talk about expressing gratitude, sharing a few anecdotes, and toasting the couple, without losing the audience's attention.

Once you finish writing your speech try to practice and see how much time it takes to go through your best man speech. Imagine that you are at a wedding talking in front of the public so remember to take pauses where it is necessary and you might find out the the speech is taking too long then adjust it.

How to Start a Best Man Speech?

Begin your speech by thanking the hosts. Express gratitude to the couple and their families for organizing the wedding and for inviting everyone to be a part of the celebration. After that briefly introduce yourself, and explain your relationship with the groom because there might be people who don't know you. If somebody had a speech before you then it would be nice to thank them for their words.

How to end a Best man speech?

Usually, the Best man speech ends with a toast. Raise your glass and offer guests to join in a toast to the couple's future happiness. Your final toast can include wishes for the couple's future happiness and a lifetime filled with joy and love. Try to sound natural remember that the last words are most memorable.