How You Can Master Your Best Man Speech
Your best friend is getting married and you have been asked to be the best man. Maybe you’ve been to a couple weddings before, but you had hit the bar a little too early and pretty much missed whatever the Best Man said. Now here you are, slumped over some index cards or your computer, trying to formulate the golden Best Man speech. What are you supposed to say anyway? Is it supposed to be funny? Sad? Appropriate? A little advice can go a long way when creating a best man speech, or really any speech in general. Although your speech is important, it doesn’t need to be traumatic at all. In fact, it should be fun! You get to be in the limelight for a little, and who knows, maybe get the attention of that cute bridesmaid.
First off, take a deep breath and relax. This speech needs to be from the heart, not formulated and insincere. Get in a good frame of mind. If you can write your speech while you’re relaxed, you can sound more relaxed when you stand up in front of the crowd and maybe feel a little less nervous. You don’t want your speech to resemble a conglomerate of all the messages in the Hallmark aisle at your local grocery store; it needs to be relevant and personal. Avoid giving your speech a rigid structure. You want to avoid sounding like a 5th grader’s first essay paper. Trust in your personality and have some ingenuity, and you can write an original, creative, and memorable speech that the whole audience will never forget.
There are a couple pretty traditional elements that are included in a Best Man speech. It’s generally between three to five minutes and is made during the reception. A best man wedding speech generally contains an introduction, some valued memories you’ve shared with the Groom, and a toast to the couple. Start with an introduction. This is your chance to establish your relationship with the Groom and introduce yourself to the audience, some of whom may not know who you are. Your relationship to the Groom also sets the tone for the speech. Depending on whether you’re a father, son, or best friend to the Groom, the content and reception of your speech will vary, so keep this in mind.
It’s okay to keep a note card with keywords written on it. That doesn’t mean have a script. Reading from a piece of paper lacks ingenuity and reflects a lack of effort. By keeping an index card with some main ideas on it, you can glance down if you get stuck and quickly pick up where you left off. Try your best not to rely on your note card, though. Practice without it and keep it with you just as a crutch. Just relax and do what you’ve practiced, knowing you have a quick save if you need it.
Even the best speakers out there get nervous while making a best man wedding speeches. Everyone knows how nerve wracking your situation is, and no one is expecting you to deliver the next “I Had A Dream” speech. If you mess up, don’t sweat it. Most likely the audience wouldn’t even notice. Presenting your speech should be fun, not your worst nightmare.