Best Man speeches

Best Man wedding speeches - a guide to delivery

Best man wedding speeches are notoriously difficult. Partly because Best Man wedding speeches are the most eagerly awaited speeches of any wedding day, and partly because Best Man wedding speeches are expected to be funny, and delivering a humourous Best Man speech to an audience the speaker may not know well is a tricky call.

Also, Best Man wedding speeches are traditionally the final address of the wedding breakfast. This brings added pressure as successful Best Man wedding speeches will leave the audience on a high, and help bridge that difficult period between the end of the meal and the start of the evening reception. Inappropriate or poorly delivered Best Man wedding speeches can have the reverse effect.

As a professional speechwriter, I have written countless original, bespoke Best Man wedding speeches over the years. Here is a short guide to preparing successful Best Man wedding speeches.

Best Man wedding speeches - etiquette

There are four main points of etiquette that Best Man wedding speeches must cover:

• Best Man wedding speeches - Thanking the Bridesmaids.
  
  Traditionally, the Groom proposes a toast to the bridesmaids and Best Man wedding speeches should contain a reply. Of course, we don't all live in a Jane Austen novel so it is highly unusual that Best Man wedding speeches need to be quite so formal, but a complimentary mention will go a long way to ingratiating yourself with the audience (and of course, with the bridesmaids themselves.)
• Best Man wedding speeches - Finish with a brief toast to the Bride and Groom.
  
  When men write toasts for their Best man wedding speeches, they often forget that the audience have to repeat the final words of the toast itself, before taking a sip of their drink. If my clients request that I write a particularly poignant final section to their Best Man wedding speeches I am happy to oblige, but the final toast should always be short and sweet, i.e. 'The Bride and Groom'.
• Best Man wedding speeches - Reading telegrams
  
  Few people send actual telegrams these days but when I write Best Man wedding speeches I always try to leave a suitable place within the actual speech to read any message. This way, I can incorporate any messages into my Best Man wedding speeches without fear that they will descend into anticlimax after the toast.
• Best Man wedding speeches - Handing out presents
  
  When I send my initial questionnaire to my clients concerning their Best Man wedding speeches, I always enquire whether they have been asked to hand out gifts to other members of the wedding party such as their fellow ushers or the bridesmaids. This is not relevant to the majority of Best Man wedding speeches, but some for some Best Man wedding speeches it is necessary and this technique prevents their Best Man wedding speeches becoming like a school prize giving assembly.
  
  My advice, where possible, is to enlist the help of the ushers in taking the presents to the recipients, rather than ask them to step up to the stage. To keep the audience's attention it is crucial to keep a brisk tempo with Best Man wedding speeches, and this technique avoids pregnant pauses while guests shuffle up to the top table.

Best Man wedding speeches - subject matter

Although it can be difficult to strike the right tone in Best Man wedding speeches without professional help, at least the subject matter is straightforward. Best Man wedding speeches should focus on the Best Man's shared experience with the Groom. Apart from the obligatory compliment on the Bride's appearance, Best Man wedding speeches should concentrate solely on the Groom.

Best Man wedding speeches - humour

Many guides to delivering Best Man wedding speeches recommend starting with a 'big joke'. Whilst this may be a good idea for experienced public speakers I prefer a more low key start to Best Man wedding speeches. Opening Best Man wedding speeches with a joke simply puts too much pressure on a Best Man when he will be at his most nervous.

The key to successful Best Man wedding speeches is to weave humour through the speech based on the Best Man's shared experiences with the Groom. Not every audience member will enjoy every witty line so Best Man wedding speeches that tell 'jokes' run a high risk of failure.

It's much better to develop a 'patter' approach in a Best Man wedding speeches where the humourous material comes thick and fast without relying too heavily on gags. Quite simply, my clients approach me to write bespoke Best Man wedding speeches because they know that they will be delivering their Best Man wedding speech in a highly pressurised environment and want to be certain of success.