How to make a winning best man’s speech
Use props
Having props or visual aids can add another dimension to your best man’s speech. Use of props may also be a good way to calm your nerves as the focus of the audience’s attention isn’t solely on you. Consider using photographs or a slideshow, spoof wedding cards ‘written’ from celebrities to the happy couple or even something from the groom’s childhood. This should also help to make it a little more interactive and hopefully humourous too. Just don’t choose so many props that you forget the order they come in and what they signify.
Breathe!
While it is true that wedding guests don’t enjoy sitting through hours of wedding speeches, it’s equally important not to rush through yours so fast that they can’t understand you. A good tip to keep in mind is to speak what you think is too slow, and this should translate to a ‘normal’ pace to your audience. Remember to pause and take breaths frequently to structure your speech, and make sure you leave enough time for guests to laugh at your jokes before you continue with the speech straight away.
Project your voice
Some of us naturally speak quieter than others, so the prospect of raising your voice to a room full of excitable wedding guests may be daunting. If this is too much to cope with, you can always use a microphone to help you along. Aside from that, it’s a good idea to do a trial run of your speech in the wedding venue prior to the big day. Go along with another groomsman and ask him to stand at the furthest point of the room, to see if they can hear what you’re saying. With mumbles and the sound of clinking glasses on the wedding day though, this experiment may not be a true indication, so keep this in mind.
Refer to the family
A surefire way to make a smooth wedding speech and win your way into the bride and groom’s families’ hearts is to give them a mention. Toast the bride’s parents on having such a beautiful daughter, or congratulate the groom’s mum and dad for raising such a gentleman. It’s a nice touch to show off your family history knowledge by acknowledging any family members who could not make it to the wedding, or who are in fact no longer alive. Nice touches like this will also take the edge off the crude or embarrassing jokes you tell about the groom!
Embarrass the groom
This leads nicely on to our last piece of advice; embarrass the groom. Now, we’re by no means suggesting you should rip the poor bloke apart and shame him to the point that he won’t speak to you again, but everyone is expecting you to make the odd dig here and there – it’s what the best man’s speech is all about! A best man’s speech without teasing the groom is like a wedding toast without champagne. So share a funny anecdote from college, tell a tale from when the happy couple first met, or perhaps convey your memories of being the groom’s wingman all those years. Anything to get a laugh from the guests and a slightly flushed groom! Read more on getwed.com...
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