Best man speech

anth25 said:
No time for props. Gonna have to rely on my charm, humour and good looks...........am monumentally f&*ked 😂😂
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I'm sure you'll be reet. I think the best man always wants the big laughs but the most important thing is the soppy stuff for the bride and groom.
 
I do enjoy a good best man's speech, but agree with the above, try and keep it under 10 mins. The punchier the better and people will view you more positively if you don't start to bore them. Better to leave them wanting more than have them looking at their watch.

Loads of ways to make it funny without it being a full on "roast", couple of one liners to get people warmed up. I agree be wary of ones done to death though, avoid websites with best man jokes etc. A good approach if you have other mates or close family in the room is to make a joke at their expense instead. Something along the lines of "Dave told me they'd organised the seating so those who'd spent the most on gifts are nearest the front (pause) just checking, can you hear me ok at the back there Bob?"

Then a funny anecdote or two about the groom, make the necessary than yous/toasts and you're home and dry.

People aren't expecting a stand up comic, they'll hopefully all be in a good mood, be slightly inebriated and want to laugh. Plus laughter is infectious so if you can land a couple early doors it's surprisingly easy to keep the momentum going.

Delivery is probably more important than content anyway. You don't need the comic timing of Peter Kay but be confident, head up and make sure everyone can hear you clearly. Try and enjoy it if you can, people can sense it and will laugh more, even if you **** up your lines or fumble your words a bit.
 
I'm a teacher, which is speaking and acting, but the thought of doing a best man's speech sounds like a nightmare and I'm glad I've never done one.

You could just be honest and say you haven't a clue what you're doing, just like the groom, but here we go. Focus on a couple of comic moments you experienced together that show his character. I don't see why these stories need to be humiliating, being nice can be genuine rather than boring.
Just be yourself.
 
Assuming you / he / majority of the people there are Teessiders / Boro fans.

Do something along the lines of - you’re delighted things are going so well, much better than last time, and you can really see a bright future ahead with big moments that we can all enjoy and memories that will last forever blah blah blah etc etc

Then propose a toast…

To Michael Carrick 😀
 
Don't over-think it and don't stress yourself. You're just talking, it's no biggie. Pick someone in the middle of the crowd and focus on them (or on the wall at the back of the room if it's easier). Write your speech out a few times so it sticks in your brain but don't read it out verbatim. I usually write a "pathway" out through a speech and use that instead (ie 1) intros 2) how i know the groom 3) how they met.....etc). That way it sounds more organic than robotic (but of course, you've written the speech previously so you've sort of got a script you're working from).

Most important pieces of advice would be:

1) No one except you knows what's in your speech. If you miss a bit out or get the order wrong NO ONE ELSE WILL KNOW!!
2) If you're doing thank yous, write that bit down and read it off the paper, nothing worse than missing someone out
3) If you think a joke is a bit risky or may offend someone then don't do it. It'll make you feel calmer if you're not worried about any of the content offending. Trust your gut. Don't take a risk, it's not worth ruining someone's day.

Good luck!!!
 
Mate's third wedding, got his son to do Best Man duties, best line was

"Me Dad says if I make a good job of this one, I can do the next one as well"

Went down well (but to be fair, his first wife was one of the guests). Moral, know your audience, if you don't take no risks.
 
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