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Best man Speech Contents
The most eagerly awaited speech of them all; people look forward to the Best Man’s speech and a good one can help make the reception. The Best Man’s speech should contain some sincerity and be funny if possible, but not too vulgar and no mention of the Groom’s previous relationships or serious indiscretions. It would be wise to leave the stripper and the inflatable sheep on the Buck’s night.
These are the suggested contents
To Introduce yourself.
To compliment the Bride and Groom and give good wishes for
their future together.
To thank the Groom for asking you to be Best man.
To tell funny
stories about the Groom, nothing too rude and no mention of previous lady friends.
To
relate a little about the Bride, (If known).
To thank the Bride on behalf of the Bridesmaids.
[The alternate to the above 2 lines is to thank the Groom on their behalf for his kind words and toast; but the risk is that he might not have done that.]
To thank the Hosts on behalf of the Guests.
To read out just a few cards, probably
from absent relatives or close friends.
If no Toastmaster or Master of Ceremonies,
to introduce the next item. May be the cutting of the cake, but pre-
Best man Speech Do’s and Don’t’s
Don’t: Please remember your speech is not an extension of the Bucks night. It will
be far better received by the typical wedding audience of people of all age groups
and walks of life; if you don’t use outright vulgarity, bad language and make references
to the Groom’s previous partners or relationships. It is possible to make a speech
which will go down a storm by omitting all of these.
Don’t: Forget the speech or the
prompt card; If you wear spectacles, don’t forget them.
Don’t: Drink too much alcohol
before your speech. If you do have the odd drink to relax yourself, drink your usual
tipple, as you know approximately how much is appropriate.
Do: If you feel extremely
nervous as you are about to give the speech, take some long deep breaths. Try and
relax, remember everybody is on your side, not one person wants you to fail; and
you won’t.
Do: Try to open the speech with a witty comment. Once you have got a laugh,
you will feel much more confident. A witty speech needs to be given, in a ‘tongue
in cheek’ manner with a smile in your voice. It won’t seem anywhere near as funny,
if your voice is flat.
Do: When you stand up you will probably receive applause. Hold
your head up in the air, look around the room and give everybody a big smile. This
makes people think you are relaxed, and relaxes them.
Don't: Mumble. If there is no
microphone, please try and speak loud and clearly, so that the people at the back
can also hear.
Do: When making a toast, make your announcement very positive. Wait
until everybody has stood up. Lift your glass positively into the air before making
the toast, and wait until everybody has lifted their glasses before giving it. A
follow up line to a toast, should be given immediately after the people have made
their response.
Don’t: Pass around any photographs or props while giving your speech.
If you are showing an article or blown up photo which everybody can see, it is ok
to do so during the speech. What I don't recommend is passing photographs around
during your speech. This only leads to people talking among themselves, thanking
each other for passing them and generally not fully listening to the wonderful things
that you are saying. It’s best to pass them around, when everybody has finished speaking.
Do: To me the most important of all, when you have a final speech, read through and speak it aloud as many times as you possibly can. You will be so much better on the big day if you are familiar with it and this tip can make the difference between being successful, or being very successful.