Speeches are hard, let alone one at the wedding of your best friend. We know. We’ve heard amazing and not so amazing best man speeches being wedding planners. 

So, we figured we’d give you fellas some advice in case you’re one of the many who are a little nervous to speak in front of a whole crowd.  

Good news is, best man speeches aren’t as hard as you may think, as long as you plan your speech ahead of time! We can’t stress enough how important this is. With knowing you should plan ahead, below we have outlined what you should include and what you should not include. 

Hope this helps fellas!  

Some things to think about before and while writing:

• Choosing your style – more formal or more funny

• Timing  – try it keep it under 5 minutes but longer than 2 if possible

• Thank you’s – thank everyone and the family for putting it together

• Jokes – be funny, don’t be rude

• Stories – old stories from you and your buddie’s adventures 

• Compliments to the bride – THIS IS A MUST. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. 

• Toast to the lovely couple

  • Oh and P.S. Have Fun, your best friend is married!

Now that you’ve thought about all of that, here are some tips on format for ya. 

1.  Intro, literally, introduce yourself.

   • good idea to open with a joke

   • say thank you & congratulations  

   • compliment the bride

2. Tell a story about you and your buddy  (This is the meat. The meaningful, important part).

   • can and should be a little funny

3. And/Or tell a story about the groom meeting his wife.

4. Mention how lovely the ceremony and/or reception was. 

5. Toast to the couple, which should be sweet and congratulatory.

Now that you have a rough outline of what you should talk about and what you should do, we want to give you some tips on things NOT to do. 

Please don’t:

• Do not make it about you

• Do not ignore the bride

• Do not be rude

• Do not speak for too little or too long, stay between 2-5 minutes

We hope this little outline and a few tips, helps you write your best man speech for your best man!

“A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.” -Douglas Pagels